Context:
Violence erupted on Friday after protests took place demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to land in Israel. Peace Science provides examples of how international groups can help prevent more violence.
In The News:
In one of the bloodiest days in years, Israeli soldiers shot over 1,400 people with live ammunition and killed more than a dozen more.
The violence occurred during the March For Return, where 50,000 Palestinians, including women and children, had planned to camp several hundred meters from the Israeli border, which surrounds the 140-square-mile Gaza strip on two sides, on the first day of a peaceful, six-week protest.
Support From Peace Science:
Research shows that international organizations can assist and protect nonviolent action by the Palestinians, as exemplified by the work of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in the West Bank:
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) combine accompaniment work to protect vulnerable Palestinians with solidarity activities to support Palestinian nonviolent resistance movements.
- CPT has generated real trust and acceptance in the Palestinian communities where it works and has, on the whole, provided a greater level of safety through its accompaniment of Palestinian community members.
- Unlike some other organizations involved in TPNI/UCP who maintain a nonpartisan stance, CPT has stood in solidarity with Palestinian communities against the Israeli occupation, leveraging its international status and connections to contribute to Palestinian nonviolent resistance—but, in the process, arguably also jeopardizing its ability to effectively carry out its protection work.
References:
- “Israel Kills Palestinians and Western Liberals Shrug. Their Humanitarianism Is a Sham.” By Mehdi Hasan for The Intercept. April 2, 2018.
- Peace Science Digest: Volume 3, Issue 2 (Forthcoming). “Christian Peacemaker Teams’ Protection and Solidarity Work in Israel/Palestine”.
