peace

From Northern Ireland to Israel and Palestine by Eetta Prince-Gibson (Jerusalem Post)

Two weeks ago, Maíread Maguire, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Northern Ireland, visited Israel and the Palestinian territories as a representative of the Peace Council

Invited by Rabbis for Human Rights and the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions, she came to observe the trial of Ahmed Shamasneh, who was charged with illegally building his home.

It was Maguire’s second trip to Israel. Ten years ago, she came to fast and pray in repentance for what Christians have done to Jews in Jesus’s name.

She admits that she does not know much about the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and says that this time she came to learn.

"I don't come from a political background," she says, "and I don't understand deeply complicated processes. But I have been living in violent conflict for over 30 years now, and so I know a lot about pain, and something about reconciliation and hope."

Maguire, 50, grew up in strife-ridden Belfast, Northern Ireland, where some 3,500 have been killed just in her lifetime. Among them were three of her sister Annie's children, who were run over in August 1976 by an IRA man who was shot in the head by a British soldier while driving. Her sister was seriously injured in the accident.

Recalls Maguire, "I didn't know what to do with my grief, but I knew that I—we—had to do something. For the memory of those poor little children, for the memory of other dead children, for the future of the children who were still alive."

She called a friend, Betty Williams, and the two began to set up meetings with Protestant women. Almost spontaneously, they began to march through Belfast. By December, hundreds of thousands of Protestants and Catholics, mostly women and children, had joined them. According to Maguire, the marches led to a 70 percent decrease in the rate of violence, which has never returned to its 1976 high.

In 1977, Maguire and Williams were awarded the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize.

Three years later Maguire's sister Annie killed herself.

"So many people have been killed in Northern Ireland, and so many more have been hurt and traumatized, their souls and spirits broken. Some are strong enough to survive, some are not. Annie was not strong enough."

Four years ago, Maguire founded Peace People, a non-profit organization that sponsors community work with youth and families of prisoners. She is also an active member of the Peace Council, whose members include internationally renowned figures such as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Members attempt to use their influence to aid in the resolution of ethnic and religious conflicts throughout the world.

It was as a Peace Council representative that Maguire, accompanied by a small group of peace activists from the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions and several journalists, visited Shamasneh's home in early June.

Shamasneh and the 23 members of his family live in three half-built houses on the outskirts of the village of Katanna, below the Jewish community of Har Adar. Shamasneh has been charged with illegally rebuilding his home, which was first destroyed in 1995. In addition to the criminal charges, the civil administration has issued a demolition order, but Shamasneh does not know when, or if, the house will be destroyed.

"People have a human need to provide shelter for themselves and their families," Maguire declares. "When you demolish a home, it is not only the walls of the house that you attack. You strike at the very heart of human beings' sense of dignity, self-esteem, and self-worth.

"You demolish part of their humanity, and you break a part of their heart. What man or woman has a right to do this to his brother and sister?"

"I know that I cannot deny or change the suffering," she says after attending a military court hearing in Beit El. "But I bring an international presence. In the Peace Council, we have found that when we bring an international presence, cast a spotlight on affairs that governments would rather see as internal issues, we can make a difference. I can listen, and learn, so that I might be of some help.

"And I can speak out… I can raise my voice for the Palestinian people."

What advice does she have for Israelis and Palestinians?

First, and foremost, I call for a halt to all house demolitions, and call on the Israeli government to compensate the many thousands of Palestinian families who face high fines and the cost of rebuilding their homes."

But most of these homes have been built illegally, she is told.

Yes, because the laws are part of a systematic process of removing the Palestinians from their land. It is practices such as these that lead to anger and frustration, and not to trust, cooperation, and coexistence—surely the only foundation stones for a shared, secure, and reconciled land.

I believe that Israeli people know in their heart and soul that being compassionate, and giving justice and freedom to the Palestinians is the only way to create real peace in this little bit of land that you are all destined to share together.

Asked about the possibility of having to evacuate Jewish settlements, Maguire didn't answer directly, saying only that, in the end, the Palestinians and Israelis "will have to sit around a negotiating table and solve their problems in a just, compassionate, and respectful way that is acceptable to both sides."
Such a peace will have to include forgiveness, she insists, something that will also lead to personal sanity and happiness, she adds.

In time, they will want to say, 'I am sorry,' both individually and collectively, to each other and begin the process of reconciliation. It is a long, hard process, but I have seen it happening in my own country.

Suffering either enlarges your heart, and makes you more compassionate, or leads you to bitterness, anger, and pain. I have faith in your peoples. The Holy Land is the heart of the whole world, and they eyes of the world are upon you. You can bring hope to us all.

I know how the Jewish people have suffered—I have been to Auschwitz and I have seen how they tried to break your spirit.
Nevertheless, you survived and flourished. Now, you can be generous.