How do we put into words how we feel? It’s hard and painful, but we felt that it was important to try. This ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is long overdue.
This brutal war has cost us a price no one should pay – our loved ones, our homes, and at times, our humanity. The scale of destruction in Gaza is unfathomable, the pain for the families of the Israeli hostages has been palpable, and the shield it all provided for the brutality of the occupation in the West Bank was horrifying.
Yet we are the lucky ones. We had each other through it all and remained steadfast in our hope and belief that violence is never the answer. As Palestinians and Israelis, today is a day of mixed emotions and highly charged feelings. We all need to individually and collectively be allowed to feel what we need to in order to process this news, and to express ourselves as we choose.
As a team, we will do as we have always done and remain hopeful that this ceasefire will be the beginning of the end to the violence. The beginning of a robust political process that will free Palestinians of the oppression of occupation, and allow Israelis to live securely, with empathy, tolerance and respect for all that share this land.
Suddenly Sunday feels like an eternity away, but we wait for others to follow as we have done already and lay down their arms, rebuild their lives, and
accept that there is another way.
Eszter Korany , Rama Salman, Co-directors Combatants for Peace
