George Sa'adehBereaved Families Forum |
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“ As a result of the situation, the intifada, there were clashes going on in Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities. On that day--it was 6:30 in the evening--I was with my wife and daughters in the car going to buy some things from the supermarket. We saw three Israeli army jeeps on the side of the street. When we passed the first one we were fired at from all directions from a distance of 100 meters. I was injured and so was my older daughter who was 15 back then, and my daughter Christine, who was 12, was killed in that shooting. For some time we didn't know what happened to us as it all happened in a few seconds. My wife and I started shouting out for an ambulance to aid us. We were horrified. Then came the army vehicles, one had the Star of David on it and they took us to the northern checkpoint of Bethlehem. Then the ambulances with the Star of David took us to Hadassah hospital. When I was in the ambulance I asked them why they shot at us when we are only civilians, so they said that it was a mistake. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Of course it changed our lives completely. We were a happy family, now we are a family that’s missing a member and this affected us very much. All the plans that we had for the future, it's all changed now. All the hopes and ambitions… our life has become very difficult. We are suffering because of what our country is going through, politically and economically and of course we are only one of the families to have gone through this. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ We were a well-connected family, we miss her so much; for her actions, for her movements, and for her love for people. She loved swimming, music and playing the piano. She participated in the millennium celebrations even though she was a child of 12. She took a Hebrew language course. She was very active and had a lot of hobbies. In addition, she was good at school, her friends loved her, and so did her teachers and principal. I imagine that everybody misses her but I know that we cannot change the reality we live in. We can only hope that through our love for her and for people there will be peace so that families and mothers can take care of their children and not go through the hardship and pain that we went through. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
Israeli/Palestinian Power Dynamics:
“ Our relationship is based on common humanity, so we need to let the Israelis understand what the Palestinians go through. In addition, we need to understand how the Israelis think, and we need to let them know we suffer and they suffer with us. This is the best way to understand each other so that we can get mutual respect and the rights to live in two states safely. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Due to political reasons and the current conditions, there's fear that prevents visit exchange. But we hope that it will get better and we will get to real peace where we can coexist, as I said, in mutual respect. Real peace will give the Palestinian people their right to live on their land in their country, and enjoy rights as human beings. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Faith in the first place was what helped us pull though this experience. We know that we live in dangerous circumstances due to the current situation but it was our faith foremost that helped us. I know there are a lot of families that went through the same experience but they didn't all pull through-- it is important to be able to move on in your life and have strong faith, because without sincere faith it will be difficult for one to accept matters and events that happen. But the most important thing is to have the ability to adjust and to forgive the other, to be able to move into a better life. Hate will not get us to a solution; it will not bring back the victims that were lost, only love and forgiveness will do that. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Basically, the Palestinian Israeli conflict came from years of struggle even before Christ. If we go back to read the Torah and the Bible, we will find that there has always been conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. After the Second World War, after the Holocaust, and after the Jews' migration to the country, we all, of course, know what happened. History is all about conflict that continued because it wasn't solved in the right way. There are a lot of events that need explanation. Palestine, or let's say the Holy Land, has never experienced calm for hundreds of years ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ The hardest part was to meet with people from the other side despite all the pain they caused us. It was difficult to clear our hearts of hatred, have a clear conscience and face the other side with forgiveness. It isn't easy to control ourselves; this requires strong determination, deep belief and a high level of forgiveness. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ I want to achieve what everyone wants: a state and law that is respected by the whole world, including Israel. I want us to live as a respected people with rights, enjoy mutual security and approach each other in a more humane way, not the way of war and hatred. Everyone loses from war, but from peace everyone gains. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ They [Israelis] view the conflict from the point of view of land while neglecting the human issue. They act in a materialistic fashion and don't act correctly in regard to human issues. Their priority is strategically materialistic and concerns security and such issues, but they neglect the human aspect. I think the human aspect is the most important because when a human agrees to treat his fellow human with justice and conscience, then all the problems on the ground will be solved. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ We do our best to make the Israelis understand that they are dealing with a people made up of humans. The Israeli attitude toward the Palestinians should be free of all claims over the land. They should let the Palestinians live their lives in order to achieve equality between the two sides. Thus the Israelis will enjoy security. There shouldn't be a selfish people that feels that its interests are more important than those of the other side. This is what causes the problem. There should be equality in abilities and life. There should be human equality rather than a single side's attempt to control the situation. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Normalization means I want to have mutual relations with another who shares my peaceful intentions in a peaceful environment. Currently there is no peace, rather negotiations for peace. I think the process of normalization occurs after the peace process is completed, not prior to it. After the establishment of a state and human rights for the Palestinians there can be normalization between two countries and two people, but normalization attempts will fail as long as there isn't peace. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
Fear:
“ Fear can have an effect, but I think the interests of one people that come at the expense of another is the cause for wars. When one people exploits and occupies another, conflicts are created. But when people live alongside each other with mutual respect, I don't see any reason for fear or hostility. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
Community Responses to Peace Work:
“ There was no disapproval from those around us because we are the ones that have been hurt. We are not doing anything wrong; personally I'm not a man of politics, but a man of science. I am talking out of my own understanding… The political issues are up to the politicians-- to make the decisions. Our opinion is not to get into politics, but to express our thoughts and feelings to help to get our view across so that both sides can work together. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ On the international level we hope that the sponsors of peace, primarily the US and the EU, will work honestly and fairly in order to reach an equal settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
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