Bridging the divide
AFSC staff in Jerusalem work toward a just peace
by Carol Tashjian
In their rattling, 1989 Volkswagen van, Kathy Kamphoefner and Paul Pierce move through military checkpoints and traffic congestion, past sites of religious profundity and modern innovation, conversing in Arabic one moment and English the next.
A section of the Wall with a mural of
protest and peace.
Photo: Carol Tashjian
As AFSC Quaker International Affairs Representatives (QIARs) in Jerusalem, the couple's work takes them from a refugee camp in Bethlehem, to a university on the other side of the "green line" separating Israel and the Palestinian Territories, to a meeting with mothers of Israeli conscientious objectors (COs), to lunch with leaders of Palestinian grassroots nonviolent activism. Their assignment: to see what good they can do.
"It's a very difficult time to build bridges between Israelis and Palestinians due to the increase in violence in the last four years," Kathy says. "So we do what we can to support those working nonviolently for a just peace on the two sides and, little-by-little, connecting the two movements in cooperative work to resist the Occupation."
A volatile environment
They operate in a volatile environ-ment. Military occupation, violence, politics indifferent to human suffering, and generations of conflict and loss pose multiple obstacles to peace both practical and in principle.
Immersed in this reality since they joined AFSC in Jerusalem in November 2003, Kathy and Paul have set about re-energizing the Palestinian nonviolence movement and building supportive relationships with Israeli COs and refusers.
Nonviolent resistance, always present among Palestinians, is gaining a stronger foothold in Palestinian activism. Recently, the people of the village of Budrous stopped construction of the Israeli security wall from destroying their main olive groves; their success in nonviolent organizing is becoming a model for other villages along the wall.
AFSC-sponsored nonviolence trainings for Palestinian groups began in 2002 with the partnership of two Palestinian organizations, Panorama and Holy Land Trust, and Cordaid, a Dutch aid agency. In a sign of interest and promise, demand for trainings in 2004 outpaced AFSC staff and partners' ability to provide them.
Connecting with Israeli COs
With a growing number of young Israelis questioning military service, Kathy and Paul also have been working with Israeli groups to educate and support young Israelis about conscientious objection.
Rotem Mor, an Israeli conscientious objector and program consultant in the Quaker Service-Jerusalem office, works with youth discerning whether to enter the Israeli military.
"It's a very fulfilling job and very important to the future of Israeli society," says Rotem, who will be part of an AFSC-sponsored U.S. speaking tour of Israeli COs in February and March. "It's an effective way of raising awareness and creating positive social change in the long term, and very possibly the most effective way of achieving peace."
Together with the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, the Jerusalem program made it possible for two Israeli COs to speak to the UN Human Rights Commission in June 2003. This gave the situation visibility before an international audience.
In addition, Rotem has helped connect the program to Israeli peace groups, facilitated youth seminars on conscientious objection, and sponsored the first Parents of Refusers meeting. He also has brought together Israeli COs, who will sponsor meetings with Palestinian university students and nonviolence activists.
Kathy Kamphoefner and Paul
Pierce
Photo: Carol Tashjian
In the past year, Kathy and Paul have found there is good they can do in Israel/Palestine. They are privileged to work with extraordinary and courageous people from both sides of the conflict; those who, like themselves, view the situation unflinchingly and yet hold out hope for peace.
Carol Tashjian, an AFSC grant officer, traveled with Kathy and Paul in Palestine/Israel this winter.
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