Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace


Educational Resources

Non-Violence and Cooperation

The termination of terrorism and state-initiated violence against all individuals with special care being taken to avoid harming civilians. We seek to build a future in which both peoples use non-violent means to resolve social and political inequities.
  1. A Letter to My Palestinian Friends
    by Avraham Burg, Forward, September 26, 2003
    Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, who recently warned Israelis about the danger that the Occupation poses to Israel's future, now writes to his Palestinian friends that if there is to be peace both sides most compromise on their dreams for all of the land and stop living as victims fueled by rage and fear.
    [read more]

  2. Breaking Death's Grip
    by Thomas Friedman, New York Times, September 11, 2003
    Friedman comments on how the madness of suicide bombings is becoming a routine part of Israeli life. He also argues that now is the time for the American and Israeli governments to remove settlements and push the peace process before the madness spreads to the U.S.
    [read more]

  3. Hillel Cafe
    by Yitzhak Frankenthal, Septmber 9, 2003
    Founder of the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families for Peace
    Frankenthal reflects on almost being killed by a suicide bomber at Hillel Cafe in Jerusalem and berates Israel's leadership for failing to recognize that this war of Occupation can not be won and believing that" by using terror to counter terror they can give us security." "How long will it take us to wake up from this ongoing folly? How many more body bags will it take? Adonai ehad ­ G-od is the only unshakeable truth, not any political creed....shame on you, leaders of the nations."
    [read more]

  4. Nonviolence. Why didn't we think of that before?
    By Danny Rubinstein, Ha'aretz, August 1, 2003
    Danny Rubinstein argues that many Palestinians are accepting Abu Mazen's call to end the military Intifada and adopt non-violent techniques against the Occupation. He argues that "if they waged their struggle nonviolently, they would quickly win the sympathies of the entire world."
    [read more]

  5. Compromise for Peace
    by Yitzhak Frankenthal, Founder of the Parent's Circle
    Tikkun, July/August, 2003
    Frankenthal argues: "if you'd like to achieve peace, don't seek justice. There is no connection between justice and peace….what is just for the Israelis is unjust for the Palestinians, and vice versa. Peace means compromise." He goes on to offer six practical suggestions for working towards peace and compromise.
    [read more]

  6. Courts and Non-Violence
    Palestinian human rights lawyer Jonathan Kuttab argues that working through Israeli courts can be an effective non-violent technique for challenging the moral conscience of Israelis. He cites the example of the struggle against the Israeli use of "moderate physical pressure" to interrogate Palestinians.
    [read more]

  7. No Such Thing as Victory
    by Yossi Sarid, Ha'aretz, July 14, 2003
    Meretz MK Yossi Sarid lays out his set of principles for conflict resolution. He suggests that techniques like assassination and holding prisoners with "blood on their hands" will fail. He argues that Occupation can never be successful and that Israel can never attain victory without compromise.
    [read more]

  8. Distant Neighbors
    by Aviv Lavie, Ha'aretz, March 28, 2003
    The moving story of Amiram Goldin, who lost his son Omri, in a suicide bombing on August 4, 2002, but still seeks peaceful co-existence with his Arab neighbors in Galilee - including the family of some of the family members of the bomber's accomplices.
    [read more]

  9. The Suicide Bombers
    by Avishai Margalit, New York Review of Books, Jan 16, 2003
    In this deeply disturbing article, Margalit describes the motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers and the horrific consequences that the ongoing cycle of violence has for both peoples.
    [read more]

  10. We have Betrayed Our Children
    By Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Bereaved Parents Circle, Jerusalem Post, Nov 28, 2002
    Nurit Peled-Elhanan explains why dialogue and reconciliation are so important to achieving peace and reconciliation for the next generation of Israeli and Palestinian children.
    [read more]

  11. A New Intifada is Born
    by Daoud Kuttab, Toronto Globe & Mail, September 30, 2002
    Kuttab describes the growing Palestinian movement towards non-violent protests against the Israeli Occupation. He makes it clear that most Palestinians seek solutions based on non-violence, but he fears that the world is not paying attention.
    [read more]

  12. An Urgent Appeal to Stop Suicide Bombings, June 19, 2002
    A campaign begun by leading Palestinian intellectuals, led by Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, the President of al-Quds University, calls on the Palestinians to oppose suicide bombings which "strengthen the enemies of peace on the Israeli side and give Israel's aggressive government under Sharon the excuse to continue its harsh war against our people."
    [read more]