Israel and Palestine: Personal stories from Combatants for Peace, part two

On 28 July the Frontline Club asks: is the best route to peace in the Holy Land to put down guns and start talking? Four members of the Israeli-Palestinian activist group Combatants for Peace will be on hand to talk about how they plan to do just that.

Tickets and more information on that event can be found here, but until then we’re publishing four personal stories from our speakers on the night. You can also read Eyal Weinberg’s story from last week at this link.

 

Neta Osna: Viewing life on the ‘other side of the wall’

My name is Neta Osnat. I was born 34 years ago in Tel-Aviv to social-lefty parents whose own parents fled Europe during the 30s mainly due to persecution of Jews.

Since early childhood I heard stories about my mom’s only brother who was killed by Palestinians (then called "Arabs") in 1948, before Israel’s establishment, and about her first husband (my sister’s father) who was killed in the 1967 war.

I always knew that occupation was wrong and always supported getting out of the occupied territories, but at the same time embraced the notion that this was very difficult because "there is no partner to work with, and Israel must defend itself from terrorism".

I served as a film producer in the Air Force, where I didn’t get a chance to confront the occupation and see it at first hand. Two years ago, after watching a documentary about the lives of Palestinians who are struggling to make a living working and living illegally in Israel, I decided that I wanted to check for myself what happens "on the other side of the wall" and do my share in breaking the cycle of violence.

Pic credit: Erik D, via Flickr, some rights reserved