Israeli and Palestinian voices reflect on ‘unbelievably difficult year’ at packed memorial event

Israelis and Palestinian voices have been given the opportunity to reflect together on the most testing of years during a moving, and at times challenging, 7 October anniversary event organised by the Yachad and New Israel Fund UK organisations.

One of the inevitable consequences of the Hamas atrocity of October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza has been to push Israeli and Palestinian further apart than they have been for decades.

But the full to capacity venue at Tuesday’s event in Belsize Park, north London, showed how some in the community were wishing to both reflect on the horrors of the Hamas atrocity one year on, while also enter into dialogue with Palestinians also reflecting on the horrendous loss of innocent life in Gaza.

“We wanted to create a space for our community to hear from Israelis and Palestinians about their loss, and also to discuss how we can work together for a better future,” said Yachad of Tuesday evening’s event.

“October 8th will be an opportunity for us to come together in public, around a set of shared values, and belief and hope from a better future for all peoples of the region.”

Rabbi Anthony Lazarus, from Mosaic Masorti, said prayers, including kaddish, as all in attendance reflected on the horrendous suffering over the past 12 months, while members of the Habonim, LJY and RSY youth movements gathered around a memorial candle that was lit for the evening.

While the evening was hosted by Rabbi Hannah Kingston of Alyth Gardens shul.

Among those to speak at the event were Sharone Lifschitz, whose father, Oded, 83, has been held hostage since October 7 and whose  86 year-old mother Yocheved was released two weeks after being captured at Kibbutz Nir Oz , and Magen Inon, an Israeli peace activist who parents were murdered by Hamas terrorists.

Lifschitz told of her taxingitinery the previous day in Israel, as she attended memorial ceremonies at a succession of kibbutz on October 7 where all recalled the “immense loss” they had suffered as a result of the Hamas atrocity.

But she then added:”In this darkness, what do I know? I know the fundementals do apply. I know that my enemies still hate. I know that I am not ready to engage in hate. Because it never leads to good.”

Lifschitz, from a family of renowned peace activists, said there was now a desperate need to “find a system to stop the fanatics destroying efforts and good efforts of those who want to build bridges.”

Palestinian voices included Shahira Shalabi, deputy mayor of Haifa and Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian Christian, born and raised in the Gaza Strip, before moving to the US to study and become a respected political analyst.

As he began to speak via video link Sayegh told the audience:”I would like to start by clarifying why I participated at such an event. It’s not a popular thing for Palestinians during this time … with what is still ongoing in Gaza that a Palestinian would come to such an event.

“i’ve really spent time thinking why I participate at such events, even after my father was killed, even after my sister was killed in Gaza, and many of my friends as well.

“The answer that keeps coming back to my mind is that I think ‘is that something my sister, my brother, my father would be proud of?’

“‘Would they be OK with me participating in such an event talking about the future?’

“Amd my answer, the way I see it, is that me trying to participate in an event so I can try to prevent the child who died tomorrow or after tomorrow from dying … that’s why I participate in the event.”

When she spoke Shalabi openly thanked the audience adding:”I want to say something about my experience being here … this is not the experience I have in Israel.

“As a Palestinian, I live in Israel after October 7. It means that my emotions, the people I have lost, the people I suffer for, they are not mentioned.

“This is the first time since October 7 that I participate in an event that you don’t compare pain, that you don’t think the people that you lost are worth more than the people that I lost. I really appreciate this so much.”

Dr. Omer Zanany, who served in the IDF as an intelligence researcher, as is now head of the foreign and security team of the Mitvim Institute and Berl Katznelson Foundation, also spoke about the impact of what he described as the “coup d’etat” by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“It wasn’t only a coup d’etat that meant to hit democracy and the liberal approach and the identity of the Israeli people,” he said. “It was also escorted by a full attempt by Smotrich, the minister of treasury, and additional minister in the defence ministry to annex the West Bank to Israel without any public debate about it.”

Zanany recalled how defence minister Yoav Gallant had warned Netanyahu “you are ruining our deterrence, there is going to be a war against us.”

Also speaking at the event was Ayala Panievsky, an expert in media at City University’s journalism school, who had previously studied  at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“I think we have a lot of work to do with our communities, Israelis, Palestinians, Jews and Muslims… if we want a better future we have to fight for it, and we have to do it now.”

Yachad’s director Hannah Weisfeld, who chaired the discussion, said:”This has been an unbelievably difficult 12 months, obviously I don’t need to tell any of you that.

“The thing I hold on to is that whenever we try to create a space like the one tonight where there are Israeli voices, Palestinian voices, voices of Palestinian citizens of Israel, people flock to the room.

“We have an overflowing room tonight. It feels me with some hope that people really want to hear our perspectives and opinions.”

David Davidi-Brown, chief executive of the NIF UK, also spoke to thank all who participated in the moving event.