enemy. A story that tries our sensibilities and our moral intelligence.
It was a challenge to write; it will be a challenge to read.
Gabriella Ambrosio, 2010
A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to Avigail Levy, mother of Rachel; Samir al-Akhras, father of Ayat; Shoshanna Smadar, wife of Haim; Eid Bassem, Jerusalem; Eyad El Sarraj, Gaza; Gady Castel, kibbutz Sereni; Jonathan Shapiro, Tel Aviv; Michele Giorgio, Jerusalem; Lea Tsemel, Jerusalem; Rachel Lea Jones, Tel Aviv; Rami Elhenem, Jerusalem; Salim Tamiri, Ramallah; Vered Cohen-Barzilay, Tel Aviv; a young blonde woman from the Dheisheh camp; the Israeli students of a school on the border with Jordan and Syria on their sabbatical year before leaving for military service; the Palestinian girls of the youth club run by the Salesian Sisters of Beit Jala; my friends in Italy, especially Luisa Morgantini; and all the others who do not wish to or cannot be named but without whom this story could not have been told.
And, for the English edition, my thanks to Nicky Parker, Amnesty International UK; Bill Shipsey, Art for Amnesty; Donatella Rovera, researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories for Amnesty International; and Sara Wilbourne, Editorial and Publishing Programme, Amnesty International.
And finally a very special thanks to Vered Cohen-Barzilay.
“
Before We Say Goodbye
can do infinitely more for the peace between the two people than hundreds of political goodwill talks I have heard.”
Ali Rashid, former head of the Palestinian delegation in Italy
“
Before We Say Goodbye
gives us a rare look and a wonderful opportunity to get to know reality from the bird’s-eye view, with all its complexity and many faces. It does not embellish it. It does not blame or judge, nor does it get tangled in political accusations of who is better off or who is hurting more. It mourns, it despairs and it hurts, but it is brutally honest. And that is where its importance lies. That is where its magic lies.”
Vered Cohen-Barzilay, Director of Communications and Publications, Amnesty International Israel
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is a movement of ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights. Our purpose is to protect individuals wherever justice, fairness, freedom and truth are denied.
There is a long and terrible history of violence and human rights abuses in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), where Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has lasted for over forty years. International law is disregarded and it is ordinary Israeli and Palestinian civilians who bear the brunt of the violence. Their suffering is intensified by the ongoing impunity, which means that those who have committed the violations are not brought to justice. People go through enormous stress and anguish on a daily basis. Campaigners in Israel and the OPT, as well as internationally, have tried for years to resolve the crisis. However, without credible commitment to justice and accountability, the chances of a stable and secure future are remote.
The facts tell the story: between September 2000 and the end of July 2007 at least 5,848 people were killed by the conflict. Of these, 4,228 were Palestinian, 1,024 were Israeli and 63 were foreign citizens. Of the total number killed, 971 were children, of whom 88 per cent were Palestinian and 12 per cent were Israeli.
Between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009 a conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups took place in Gaza and Israel. In September 2009 a United Nations Fact Finding Mission issued a report setting out evidence that both sides had committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law. For example, Israeli forces had carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians, targeted and killed medical staff, used Palestinian civilians as human shields and fired white phosphorus over densely populated residential areas. More than 1,380
It was a challenge to write; it will be a challenge to read.
Gabriella Ambrosio, 2010
A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to Avigail Levy, mother of Rachel; Samir al-Akhras, father of Ayat; Shoshanna Smadar, wife of Haim; Eid Bassem, Jerusalem; Eyad El Sarraj, Gaza; Gady Castel, kibbutz Sereni; Jonathan Shapiro, Tel Aviv; Michele Giorgio, Jerusalem; Lea Tsemel, Jerusalem; Rachel Lea Jones, Tel Aviv; Rami Elhenem, Jerusalem; Salim Tamiri, Ramallah; Vered Cohen-Barzilay, Tel Aviv; a young blonde woman from the Dheisheh camp; the Israeli students of a school on the border with Jordan and Syria on their sabbatical year before leaving for military service; the Palestinian girls of the youth club run by the Salesian Sisters of Beit Jala; my friends in Italy, especially Luisa Morgantini; and all the others who do not wish to or cannot be named but without whom this story could not have been told.
And, for the English edition, my thanks to Nicky Parker, Amnesty International UK; Bill Shipsey, Art for Amnesty; Donatella Rovera, researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories for Amnesty International; and Sara Wilbourne, Editorial and Publishing Programme, Amnesty International.
And finally a very special thanks to Vered Cohen-Barzilay.
“
Before We Say Goodbye
can do infinitely more for the peace between the two people than hundreds of political goodwill talks I have heard.”
Ali Rashid, former head of the Palestinian delegation in Italy
“
Before We Say Goodbye
gives us a rare look and a wonderful opportunity to get to know reality from the bird’s-eye view, with all its complexity and many faces. It does not embellish it. It does not blame or judge, nor does it get tangled in political accusations of who is better off or who is hurting more. It mourns, it despairs and it hurts, but it is brutally honest. And that is where its importance lies. That is where its magic lies.”
Vered Cohen-Barzilay, Director of Communications and Publications, Amnesty International Israel
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is a movement of ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights. Our purpose is to protect individuals wherever justice, fairness, freedom and truth are denied.
There is a long and terrible history of violence and human rights abuses in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), where Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has lasted for over forty years. International law is disregarded and it is ordinary Israeli and Palestinian civilians who bear the brunt of the violence. Their suffering is intensified by the ongoing impunity, which means that those who have committed the violations are not brought to justice. People go through enormous stress and anguish on a daily basis. Campaigners in Israel and the OPT, as well as internationally, have tried for years to resolve the crisis. However, without credible commitment to justice and accountability, the chances of a stable and secure future are remote.
The facts tell the story: between September 2000 and the end of July 2007 at least 5,848 people were killed by the conflict. Of these, 4,228 were Palestinian, 1,024 were Israeli and 63 were foreign citizens. Of the total number killed, 971 were children, of whom 88 per cent were Palestinian and 12 per cent were Israeli.
Between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009 a conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups took place in Gaza and Israel. In September 2009 a United Nations Fact Finding Mission issued a report setting out evidence that both sides had committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law. For example, Israeli forces had carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians, targeted and killed medical staff, used Palestinian civilians as human shields and fired white phosphorus over densely populated residential areas. More than 1,380
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