PHOTOS: War Is Not My Language

Across the divisions that define the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a unified message is gaining strength: Enough

We stand up and loudly, clearly say

together, Jews and Palestinians –

we refuse your wars

we refuse to be enemies

From War Is Not My Language - الحرب ليست لُغتي

In July 2014, Israel launched its military attack on Gaza, called Operation Protective Edge. The whole atmosphere inside Israel preceding and during this military attack was explosive in terms of Jewish-Arab relations. Anyone who dared raise a voice against the war or against the killing of civilians, or anyone who called for immediate cease-fire, was seen as a traitor and was attacked (sometimes verbally, sometimes physically).

We, a community of feminist activists from Haifa, Jewish and Palestinian women citizens of Israel, felt helpless. The public sphere was occupied by those advocating for the military action, and our voices against the war and against killing were silenced, often with violent means. We were physically attacked during demonstrations, Palestinian women feared speaking in Arabic in public spaces, and our spheres of action were rapidly shrinking. Thus, we convened an emergency meeting at the Haifa Women's Coalition House, and discussed our options. We took these photos in a safe space and shared them on social media—one of the only ways we had left to express our objection to the war and the killing, and to make our voices heard.

Khulud

Khulud Khamisis a feminist writer and activist, and Palestinian citizen of Israel. She blogs atHaifa Fieldnotes, where the personal intermingles with the political. Her first novel,Haifa Fragments, is scheduled to come out in March 2015, and she is working on her second novel.Connect with Khulud.