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Gush Shalom

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Gush Shalom and "Peace Now"activists during a demonstration supporting theOslo accords,1995

Gush Shalom(Hebrew:גוש שלום,lit. 'The Peace Bloc [Coalition]') is an Israelipeace activismgroup founded byUri Avneryin 1993. Avnery–a former journalist,IrgunandKnessetmember–also led the organization till his death in 2018. In 2010, theAmerican Friends Service Committeehas described the group as "one of Israel's most influential peace organizations".[1]

Organisation

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The movement was established in 1993 byUri Avnery.Avnery stated that he started Gush Shalom because other Israeli peace groups did not take a strong stance against what he considered "the repressive measures" of the government of Israeli prime ministerYitzhak Rabin.[2]

Gush Shalom is an extra-parliamentary organization, independent of anypartyor other political grouping although it has members who are associated with various political parties.

Stance

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Gush Shalom objects to the Israelioccupationof theWest Bank,and argues that the occupation is illegal and that Israel is committingwar crimeson a daily basis. It opposes Israel's policies of blockade and non-recognition of theGaza Strip.It supports atwo-state solutionto the Israel-Palestine question, with theGreen Lineas the border between Israel andPalestine(with minor exchanges of territories), and withJerusalemas the capital of both states.[3]

The movement supports soldiers'refusalto serve in theWest BankorGaza strip,recognition in principle ofPalestinian right of return,and an Israeli withdrawal to theGreen Line.[3]Gush Shalom activists regularly confront Israeli security forces at construction sites insettlementsin the West Bank and Gaza, and along theSeparation Barrier.Gush Shalom said that Israel's offer to Yasser Arafat in theCamp David negotiations of 2000was not a "generous offer" but "a humiliating demand for surrender", publishing the maps from the proposal (seldom published in the US), and an animation[4]from the maps showing how little would be left for a Palestinian state under the proposal[5][6]Avnery was among the first to meet and negotiate withPLOleaderYasser Arafat.In 2001 the organisation made a peace proposal on the basis of a two-state solution with the 1967 boundaries.[7]

During the2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict,Gush Shalom was a vigorous critic of the Israeli attack on Gaza. Avnery described it as "the Election War" since he believed it was intended to increase the election chances of Defence MinisterEhud Barakand Foreign MinisterTzipi Livniin the plannedFebruary elections.[8]

Gush Shalom in one of numerous Israeli organizations pertaining to the radical left.[9]It has been described as left-wing in the Israeli and US media.[10][11][12][13]

Avnery wrote:

Every left-wing body fears with terror the one who is on its left. The right-wing of theAvodaparty is afraid of its left-wing. The left wing is afraid ofMeretz.Meretz is afraid ofYossi Beilin,who was pushed out of the Avoda byAmram Mitznaand his leftist friends and that Meretz also didn't give him a realist position on its list. Meretz is afraid of "Shalom Achshav"."Shalom Achshav "is afraid of" Gush Shalom "and theArab parties.[14]

Praise and criticism

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Uri Avnery at aHadashrally against the 2006 Lebanon War

Praise

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International human rights groups, includingAmnesty International,[15]American Friends Service Committee,[1]and others, have lauded Gush Shalom for promoting peace and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. The AFSC awarded Avnery the "Profiles of Peace" honor for his work for peace. TheHaaretz newspaperpublishes a weekly editorial statement by Gush Shalom in its weekend edition.[citation needed]

In 2001, Gush Shalom received theRight Livelihood Award"for their unwavering conviction, in the midst of violence, that peace can only be achieved through justice and reconciliation".[16]

Criticism

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Israeli journalist Uri Dan, a close friend and confidant ofAriel Sharon,described Gush Shalom inThe Jerusalem Postas "lunatic fringe" due to the group's statement that they are monitoring Israeli soldiers' activities and will consider submitting collected evidence to international courts. Dan described the announcement as "preparing to inform on their brother soldiers – who are defending them too".[17]

Isi Leibler,an influential Jewish leader and commentator, criticized the group for techniques that mirror images of theSovietmodels, "exploit[ing] emotions" by creating bodies associated with 'mothers' and 'children', such as "Women in Black" and "Mothers against War". He stated this was done in order to further their interests under the guise of promoting peace, and noted that, in a similar manner,communistsalso encourageddraft evasionin democratic countries as Gush Shalom are doing. Leibler criticized the group members for "[believing] they and they alone represent the true apostles of peace and those opposing them are fascists, racists, and warmongers", further describing the group as "[part of] the radical wings of Israel's contemporarypeace movement".[18]

References

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  1. ^ab"Profiles of Peace: Uri Avnery".American Friends Service Committee. Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2010.
  2. ^"About Gush Shalom".Gush Shalom.Retrieved12 December2008.
  3. ^ab"Aims of Gush Shalom".Gush Shalom.Retrieved12 December2008.
  4. ^"Barak's 'Generous' Offer".Gush Shalom. Archived fromthe original(Flash Animation)on 5 February 2009.
  5. ^"Barak's Generous Offer".Gush Shalom. Archived fromthe originalon 20 May 2011.
  6. ^"Gush Shalom: Israel not without blame for Hamas takeover".The Jerusalem Post.17 June 2007.Retrieved31 August2014.
  7. ^"Proposition d'un accord de paix par Gush Shalom"[Proposal for a Peace Agreement by Gush Shalom].Le Monde diplomatique(in French). 29 August 2001.Retrieved31 August2014.
  8. ^"Uri Avnery: Molten Lead".Scoop. 6 January 2009.Retrieved31 August2014.
  9. ^Svirsky, Marcelo (2013).Arab-Jewish Activism in Israel-Palestine.Ashgate Publishing.p. 5.ISBN9781409476733.Retrieved3 September2015.
  10. ^Nathaniel Rosen (17 July 2006)."Left-wing conflicted on war with Hizbullah".The Jerusalem Post.Retrieved31 August2014.
  11. ^Ilene R. Prusher (14 June 2008)."US policy and the pro-Israel lobby: A university in Jerusalem takes on the debate".The Christian Science Monitor.Retrieved31 August2014.
  12. ^Meirav Crystal (9 October 2008)."High Court to rule on settler's radio station".Ynetnews.Retrieved12 December2008.
  13. ^Haas, Danielle (19 August 2002)."Israel agrees to partial pullback".San Francisco Chronicle.Retrieved31 August2014.
  14. ^Avneri, Uri (8 November 2003)."דרוש: שרון שמאלני"[Wanted: Sharon Leftist] (in Hebrew). Gush Shalom.Retrieved14 December2008.Original:כל גוף שמאלי פוחד פחד-מוות מפני מי שנמצא משמאלו. האגף הימני של מפלגת-העבודה פוחד מפני האגף השמאלי שלה. האגף השמאלי פוחד ממרצ. מרצ פוחדת מיוסי ביילין, שנדחק אל מחוץ למפלגת-העבודה על-ידי עמרם מיצנע וחבריו השמאלנים, ושגם מרצ לא נתנה לו מקום ריאלי ברשימתה. מרצ פוחדת מ "שלום עכשיו". "שלום עכשיו" פוחדת מ "גוש שלום" ומהסיעות הערביות.
  15. ^Broken Lives - a Year of Intifada.Amnesty International. 2001.ISBN086210310X.
  16. ^"Right Livelihood Award: 2001 - Gush Shalom / Uri & Rachel Avnery".The Right Livelihood Award. Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2008.Retrieved14 December2008.
  17. ^Uri Dan (8 August 2002)."Gush Shalom's Jewish informers".The Jerusalem Post.Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2012.
  18. ^Isi Leibler (8 December 2002)."The decline and fall of Labor Zionism".The Jerusalem Post.Archived fromthe originalon 14 June 2006.
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