The US peace plan to end the war in Gaza, proposes an immediate end to the terrible war between Israel and Hamas that has devastated the coastal territory for nearly two years, while pointedly excluding Hamas from any future governing role.
The Guardian reports that, “assuming both sides agree to a detailed list of conditions, the end of fighting will be accompanied by the release of all Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, “within 72 hours” of Israel publicly accepting the deal”.
Under the plan Israel would release 250 Palestinians currently serving life sentences and 1,700 Palestinians in Gaza detained since the conflict began on 7 October 2023, in return for hostages taken in Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel. It is also proposed that Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Palestinians for every Israeli hostage whose remains are released.
The Guardian further notes that, “the plan does not require a full Israeli withdrawal ahead of the release of the hostages. Rather, Israeli forces would withdraw to an agreed upon line, inside Gaza, to prepare for a hostage release. The plan says that all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended during the release process and battle lines will remain frozen until “conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal””.
An amnesty will be granted to members of Hamas, once all the hostages are released, on the condition that they agree to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons.
Jewish and Palestinian peoples standing together
Standing Together is an organisation based in Israel and made up of both Jewish and Palestinian members, working for peace and independence for both Israelis and Palestinians, for true social, economic, and environmental justice and for full equality for everyone in the region.
In response to the news of the Gaza peace plan, Standing Together released a statement on Instagram:
“Any conversation about a peace deal proposal must start with this: Palestinians in Gaza and hostages in captivity deserve to be free and safe from bombing, starvation and suffering immediately. Any deal that brings us closer to this intolerable reality is welcome”.
Standing Together have also commented: “And we must be very clear: A deal to end the war and return the hostages is not enough on its own. We cannot go back to a reality of endless occupation and violence across this land. Instead we must fight for true Israeli-Palestinian peace. A Palestinian state alongside Israel. Safety, justice, and freedom for everyone and independence for both peoples. This is the only way.”
Standing Together activists speak
On the day that the proposed peace plan was announced, I was privileged to hear directly from two courageous activists from Standing Together, one Palestinian and one Jewish, who work for justice and peace in Israel and the wider region.
Shahad Abu Khroub, a Palestinian, spoke of how she helped to organise a language exchange in which they taught Hebrew to Palestinians. Every Sunday, they printed photos of children from Gaza and displayed them outside the university in Jerusalem. Arabic and Jewish people can ask each other questions. She explained Jewish people want to know about Arabic people and share food and culture.
Shahad pointed out that it was a great thing that they did this work in Jerusalem, a place with tension between Jewish and Palestinian people. She also commented that Palestinians do get involved in Standing Together, once they learn more about the organisation and what it stands for.
A feeling of connection and of hope
Maydan Ben Ami Cohen is an activist born in Jerusalem and now living in a kibbutz in Israel. She is married, with three sons and is employed by Standing Together. She says the organisation allows her to feel connected with the place and while she feels challenges, she also feels hope. She is an organiser in northern Israel in a six-year-old chapter. There are three other organisers along with her and two Palestinians within the chapter. On a national level she is responsible for membership.
Maydan said there were 50 people in the chapter who are very committed and hundreds of others who come to some events and follow on social media. The membership of the chapter is very balanced between Palestinian and Jewish members, she said, and there are many opportunities for people to work together, as a good example of a shared chapter.
Maydan spoke of demonstrations held every Saturday for several months now in Israel to amplify their message of people working together and calling for judicial changes. Her chapter organises a peripheral area where those who are afraid of publicly show their support for Standing Together and can speak out about Gaza without fear.
There was a successful conference in July in Nazareth which resulted in one of the committees organising a hike on Mount Tabor. This brought together people for a picnic led by activists as an alternative to going to demonstrations, giving Jewish and Palestinian people a chance to enjoy time together.
Many Israelis unaware of the situation in Gaza
Maydan stressed how a lot of Israelis are unaware of what is going on in Gaza and it is important that Standing Together continued their information campaign with actions such disrupting television programmes so their messages are spread to the wider Israeli public.
She also spoke about the peace plan, saying that politics exists in the space between grassroots activism and decisions made by politicians. As a political movement Standing Together are aware of this and how they can bring the organising and grass roots work which can push for change. Trump said Israelis are saying bring back hostages, but also that they are saying end the war. Standing Together was one of the first organisations to bring the message of ‘end the war’ into Saturday demonstrations. With this, Standing Together have contributed to the chance of peace.
Comment
It is always an inspiring and moving experience to hear from activists in Israel, who are working under very difficult conditions to try and bring peace and justice to the country and the wider region. It is never easy to swim against the tide, and they deserve our admiration and support.
It is clear that if there is to be any lasting peace in Gaza and across the wider region, the voices of organisations such as Standing Together must be both heard and heeded. By doing the hard, but vital work of community building and helping people, Jewish and Palestinian people, cross the deadly divide in their society. They are laying the groundwork for a shared future for all the people, Jewish and Palestinian in a region where there can be true economic, political and social justice.
They need and deserve our support.
To learn more about Standing Together and how you can help them in their vital work for peace and justice here.
