The conflict in Gaza has once again escalated among
the Israeli and Palestinian community, taking the historical struggle to new
heights.
Zenat Kabbani is
a 21-year-old Palestinian young woman who has lived her life in Kofar-Yasif; a
town in the north of Israeli – a territory, which is also debatably Palestine.
She is tired and
confused by the endless tension. But despite all this, upon meeting Zenat, you
cannot help but be struck by her infectious passion to create change, and her
all-embracing openness and her youthfulness, all of which drive her to unite
people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Outside of studying medicine, Zenat volunteers
for the Haifa Shelter for Women in Crisis in Israel’s north, which is a mixed
shelter for both Arab and Jewish women and their children who have experienced
domestic violence. Women have borne the brunt of the conflict over the decades,
subjected to laws and norms, which treat them as unequal members of society.
The centre provides some reprieve from this reality, offering protection and
legal aid, as well as opportunities to lead a non-violent life when they return
to their community.
She also sheds light on two other groups
making waves of change by engaging the youth of Palestine and Israel: ‘Moving for the sake of Palestine;’
a Palestinian, independent youth group which is working to seek justice by
advocating for the human and political right to freedom of movement and ‘Refuse, your people will protect you’,
which is a political group fighting the mandatory military recruitment of
Palestinian youth to the Israeli army.
It is the commitment and relentless support
of such groups, which is paving the way to peace.
Can you tell me
some more of these youth groups you talk of Zenat?
Certainly.
‘Moving for the sake of Palestine’ is
central to allowing the free movement of Palestinians. The Israeli occupation has
physically divided our lands and nation into different areas that the Palestinian
people as whole cannot access. The Palestinians of the Gaza strip are under
siege, the Palestinians of the West Bank cannot go to areas belonging to the
Israeli territories, and the Palestinians in Israeli territories cannot go to
the Gaza Strip or other parts of the Arab World, which do not have diplomatic
relations with Israel. This youth movement in fact recently held their
first event – a virtual gathering for Palestinians living in these three
restricted areas – to build a stronger connection and leverage the voices of
these groups.
‘Refuse, your people will protect you’,
is working to put an end to forced recruitment of people belonging to the
religious and social group known as the Palestinian Druze. Recently, following
the introduction of a new law, Palestinian Christians now have the right to volitional
recruitment, which means they have the right to choose. If a Druze refuses
however, the penalty is imprisonment.
