Refusing to be Enemies

Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation

"Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation" presents the voices of over 100 practitioners and theorists of nonviolence, the vast majority either Palestinian or Israeli, as they reflect on their own involvement in nonviolent resistance and speak about the nonviolent strategies and tactics employed by Palestinian and Israeli organizations, both separately and in joint initiatives. From examples of effective nonviolent campaigns to consideration of obstacles encountered by nonviolent organizations and the special challenges of joint struggle, the book explores ways in which a more effective nonviolent movement may be built. In their own words, activists share their hopes and visions for the future and discuss the internal and external changes needed for their organizations, and the nonviolent movement as a whole, to successfully pursue their goal of a just peace in the region. A foreword on the definition and nature of nonviolence by Canadian author Ursula Franklin, analytic essays by activists Ghassan Andoni (Palestinian), Jeff Halper (Israeli), Jonathan Kuttab (a Palestinian activist lawyer with international experience) and Starhawk (an 'international' of Jewish background), and an epilogue from the author, round out the book. Andoni offers an analysis based on his long experience of nonviolent activism in Palestine, while Halper postulates 'Six Elements of Effective Organizing and Struggle' as a conceptual framework for the interviews. Kuttab argues that, even given the Palestinians' legal right to armed struggle, 'nonviolence is more effective and suitable for resistance', and Starhawk describes the unique challenges faced by Palestinian nonviolence.