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Issue Date:  February 2, 2007

From the Editor's Desk

The frontiers of peace

Elik Elhanan and Suleiman Al Hamri have been making a bit of news lately, and deservedly so. I am glad to have their story ( see story) as part of this issue.

Two years ago, the pair of former enemies who once engaged in violent activities on either side of the Palestinian-Israeli divide, took a huge risk.

They agreed to meet.

From such tenuous and dangerous beginnings grew Combatants for Peace, a group that now claims more than 200 members.

Wherever the strife -- South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ghandi’s India, Martin Luther King Jr.’s U.S. South -- social change occurs not by governmental decree but first by individuals who decide to act against the norm, counter to all expectations. It is the acting against intuition that seems to trigger the moves toward sanity that only in hindsight are seen as heroic.

In the case of Elhanan, a former Israeli soldier, it was a suicide bombing that killed his younger sister that ultimately changed his thinking. One would understand had he sought revenge and acceded to the seemingly endless cycle of violence that holds the region in its grip.

Instead, he says, “The attack that killed my sister did not promote in any way Palestinian interests. The violent actions I committed as a soldier did not promote in any way the security of Israel. Seeing that brought about a change in me.”

It is along the frontiers of that kind of courage and rationality that peace becomes a possibility.

~ ~ ~

For his part, Al Hamri had to overcome a past as a Palestinian fighter. He had to come to trust his Israeli counterparts and to see the possibilities for peace in the gesture of a changed Israeli official known for his violent treatment of Palestinians. It is easy to talk about the risks of war; the risks for peace are as profound and, we know, can be as deadly. Once the path is taken, it is not a simple matter of saying, “We trust, we forgive, let’s move on.” In a collection of essays, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, human rights advocate and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture Miroslav Volf writes, “Forgiveness does not stand outside of justice. To the contrary, forgiveness is possible only against the backdrop of a tacit affirmation of justice,” which, he says, “always entails blame.”

Perhaps it is that realization, even unspoken, that keeps enemies in the clutch of violence. Perhaps we instinctively know that to act differently -- to simply meet, for instance -- takes us just one step down a long and daunting path that ultimately requires a deep look at our own behavior and its contribution to injustice.

Sometimes, I think we consider forgiveness as a way to mop up all the guilt and patch things over. The matter is never so easy where severe human rights abuses are involved. Groups like Combatants for Peace and other peace and human rights groups that are somewhat marginalized in Israeli and Palestinian circles today, having taken the first steps, are the ones doing the tough work upon which any real peace and reconciliation will ultimately rest.

~ ~ ~

Good friend Tim Unsworth, whose words literally graced our pages for years, has been learning more about the U.S. health care system of late than anyone needs to know. A hip replacement went bad, infection set in, the hip operation had to be redone and now he faces significant work in rehabilitation. His wife, Jean, has been with him at every moment, tirelessly running interference, consulting with specialists and encouraging Tim.

In a recent e-mail to friends, he said: “So many people, so many good friends. I want you to know you all have a part in fixing my hip. Now I need your part. I’m ‘passing the basket’ and you can donate prayers. I’ve never experienced more the power of prayer than during these three and a half months. But I’ve got to face reality and realize that the funds are wearing down, so I’m asking for more prayers -- no money, please!

“Keep the e-mails coming. They are a booster shot.”

You can reach Tim and Jean at unsworth3150@comcast.net.

-- Tom Roberts

National Catholic Reporter, February 2, 2007

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