Palestinians, Israelis Work Together for Peace in "Holy Land: Common Ground"

By Elaine Pasquini

ON AUG. 18, SOME 75 Jews and Arabs gathered at San Francisco's Arab Cultural and Community Center for a presentation by law professor-turned-filmmaker Edward Gaffney. The benefit reception was hosted by Alice Nashashibi to raise funds for Gaffney to complete his film "Holy Land: Common Ground," which features Israelis and Palestinians working together to achieve peace in their common homeland.

"One reason I'm trying to make this film is because I wanted to humanize the face of the Palestinians," explained Gaffney, a law professor at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. "They have been characterized in our media as terrorists and the violent ones. While there are people who do terrible acts, lamentably, they are in both communities. The state terrorism inflicted upon Palestinians is courtesy of American tax dollars through Apache helicopters and F16s dropping one-ton bombs. That's a form of terrorism."

Gaffney recalled his travels in 2002 to Palestine, during which he heard Palestinians saying, "stop the suicide bombings-it's illegal, it's immoral, it's a crime against humanity and it is robbing us of our heart and soul." Emphasizing he was only the "humble bearer of stories from that part of the world," the unpretentious filmmaker noted it was important "to hear Israeli Jews speak about the suffering of Palestinians. Israelis who say 'stop the occupation-it is illegal, immoral and it is corrupting the heart and soul of Israel'."

Audience members viewed a 20-minute clip featuring Desmond Tutu contrasting the conflict with South Africa's struggle to end apartheid, Sen. George Mitchell insisting the crisis is resolvable, Rabbi Arik Ascherman explaining his efforts to stop home demolitions, and Jeff Halper discussing the Israeli Campaign Against House Demolitions' efforts to rebuild Palestinian homes. One heart-wrenching segment shows Israeli bulldozers destroying the home of Salem and Arabia Shawamreh, whose home has been demolished four times (see the July/August 2004 Washington Report, p. 81).

Following the presentation, Father Labib Kobti, pastor at St. Thomas More Church and leader of the Arab-American Catholic community in Northern California, praised Gaffney's efforts. "The film projects the future," he exclaimed. "Israelis and Palestinians working together-it will happen!"

Upon completion, "Holy Land: Common Ground" will be available in three lengths: a 52-minute film for showing in Ireland and Great Britain, a 56-minute one for American television, and a 90-minute version for movie theaters. Although the project is almost completed, Gaffney is in need of additional funds to complete the editing and final footage. Readers wishing to help may send tax-deductible donations-delineated "Holy Land: Common Ground"-to Sister Elaine Kelley, Friends of Justice and Peace in the Holy Land, P. O. Box 9186, Portland, OR97207. For additional information e-mail .

Jewish Voice for Peace Expands to Become National Organization

Following Gaffney's Aug. 18 presentation at the Arab Cultural and Community Center, Mitchell Plitnick, director of administration and policy for Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), discussed his organization's goals, philosophy and recent efforts to expand from a small local peace group to a national organization.

Founded in Oakland in 1996, JVP began as a small group meeting in members' homes with no paid staff members. Amid ever-increasing membership, last year the group moved into offices in downtown Oakland and hired two fulltime staff members. Now, Plitnick announced, JVP is launching a national effort to end Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land and bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians.

Through its news service, Jewish Peace News, the group electronically distributes articles from European, Israeli and Middle Eastern sources which people otherwise may not read in the U.S. press. "Many people are misinformed and most news stories are without context," Plitnick lamented. He urged the audience to visit its Web site at and subscribe to the monthly newsletter and action alerts, which have included protests outside the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco.

Plitnick was eager to explain the difference between JVP and other Jewish peace organizations. Noting the primary difference is that other groups "tend to speak in terms of their love for Israel," he stated that JVP takes a different view. "Every time an Israeli is killed by violence, I am sad and upset, but there are four times as many Palestinian victims of this violence, this occupation and ongoing injustice which is now 100 years old, and every one of those Palestinian victims is just as important to us," he stressed. "We do not differentiate between the victims."

Acknowledging that Israel is the powerful one in the conflict and should take action to end the unjust situation, Plitnick added, "It is important for us to stand as Jews with everyone who is concerned about peace."

Gandhi Peace Brigade

"I wanted to inspire people to do something-to be able to say I did all I could to make a difference," said Gandhi Peace Brigade founder Jes Richardson, as he held a 9-foot papier-m�ch� puppet resembling Mahatma Gandhi. Speaking to the Washington Report Aug. 20 during the weekly "Seniors for Peace" anti-war demonstration in front of the Redwoods Retirement Community in Mill Valley, Richardson recounted his recent six-week cross-country motor trip to register people to vote and to speak about peace.

After marching with his Gandhi puppet in the Corte Madera Fourth of July parade, Richardson explained, he and fellow Gandhi Peace Brigade member Jane Calbreath drove north to Oregon, where they registered voters at the local food co-op in Ashland and at the Oregon County Fair in Eugene. As prearranged, Calbreath flew back to the Bay Area and Richardson headed east in his Honda Civic with only his dissembled sidekick Gandhi-his head in the back seat and his plastic-wrapped body in the bicycle rack on the roof-as a traveling companion.

After stops at Mt. Rushmore, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Minneapolis Convention Center where Vice President Dick Cheney was speaking, Richardson reached his targeted destination of Boston on July 26-just in time to spread his message of peace outside the Democratic convention.

From the moment he arrived at the convention area at Fleet Center, Richardson related, he was surrounded by police cars. After showing officers his identification and vehicle registration-and also handing out flyers about the Gandhi Peace Brigade-he was allowed to pass. Then, pulling into a parking garage and unloading Gandhi's parts to reassemble, he was quickly surrounded by federal agents also requiring identification and bewildered by the amount of paraphernalia required to support Gandhi. Eventually, he made his way to the designated protest area, but without Gandhi's entire infrastructure, as the main iron support pole was not allowed into the protest area.

Richardson's towering puppet also attracted attention from the media. CBS, NBC, ABC, Reuters, the Associated Press and other newspapers clamored to interview the traveling peace promoter.

Leaving Boston, he visited Washington, DC and St. Louis, where he and his giant Gandhi participated in an anniversary ceremony remembering the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki organized by Women in Black.

At the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence in Memphis on Aug. 9, the peace activist introduced his hand-made Gandhi to Arun Gandhi, the 70-year-old grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, just prior to Gandhi's departure for Ramallah to lead a peace rally of Palestinian activists with a message of non-violence. Gandhi was also scheduled to speak at rallies in Abu Dis and Bethlehem.

Students of Novato's San Marin High School-where Richardson is an aide to 17-year-old Andrew Sicabaig, who has muscular dystrophy-constructed the massive puppet. Andrew designed the sign which Gandhi holds in his left hand, Richardson proudly stated.

While not promoting any specific presidential candidate, Richardson only encouraged people to register to vote, and particularly tried to motivate undecided voters in swing states. "People said I inspired them to do something," he enthused. Feeling his trip was successful, Richardson was off to Reno the next morning to continue his get-out-the-vote effort.

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Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance photojournalist in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This article was published in the November 2004 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. It is used here with permission.