Yuval Noah Harari and peace groups rally to end war – Israel News
Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Monday night for a rally calling for an end to the war and peace. Dozens of organizations led the rally. Speakers included families of fallen soldiers and Hamas hostages, as well as peace activists Ghadir Hani and Maoz Inon.
Renowned Israeli historian Professor Yuval Noah Harari delivered a keynote speech.
“We can argue about when exactly the Jewish and Palestinian peoples were created, but what is really important is that both exist here now,” Harari said.
“Unfortunately, too many of us refuse to acknowledge the oh-so-simple fact that there is a Jewish people and a Palestinian people here, both of whom have a deep historical and spiritual connection to this land and the right to exist there,” he said.
“Each side is afraid that the other side will try to make them disappear – and both sides are right,” said Harari. Both the fear that the Palestinians want to wipe out the Jews and the fear that the Jews want to wipe out the Palestinians are justified.
“This is not paranoia, it is a normal reality check,” he explained.
Harari went on to say that there is enough space for both peoples. “We are not suffering from the narrowness of the land, but from the narrowness of the spirit,” he said.
Right to security
Each side must recognize the existence of the other, Harari said. “It doesn’t matter how right we are,” he said for both sides, “it doesn’t matter what they did to us – they are still part of reality and they have the right to live in safety and respect in their country of birth.”
“It is never too late to put things right,” he concluded. “War is not a law of nature, but a human choice. We can change our minds at any moment and start to build peace.”
“All wars have led us to the abyss. It is time to give peace another chance,” he concluded.
The event was a joint project of a number of well-known Israeli non-profit organizations and NGOs, including Women Wage Peace, Standing Together, Peace Now, Rabbis for Human Rights, Breaking the Silence and The Anti-Occupation Bloc. The New Israel Fund and Shatil were also partners in the event.
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