Issue link: http://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25178
IN FRONT :: ISRAELI WOMAN SEEKS MEN AND WOMEN TO JOIN HER IN THE STRUGGLE FOR PEACE the violence to spend time in the clties1 villages and flashpoints of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Open IO Israelis and foreigners. Those with training in nonviolent resistance would be best, but with a commitment to non- violence, you can get experience on the job. You can stay full time or for several hours a day. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOUR SAFETY IS NOT GUARANTEED. This is not an invitation for the fai nt of heart. Neta Golan would like to invite anyone who believes in halting As the conflict in Israel-Palestine esca lated last fall, Neta Golan, a Jewish- Israeli woman, crossed religious and political boundaries to live in the West Bank vil- lage of Hares. Now she is risking her life daily in her attempt to galvanize the pro-peace Israelis and the world against the violence in Israel- Palestine. Her strategy is simple but bold. In November 2000, convinced that Israeli soldiers and nearby Israeli settlers were systematically harassing the blockaded village of Hares, Neta walked into Hares and joined its Palestinian residents on the receiving end of the gunshots, rocks and taunts of the soldiers and settlers. Her goal is to stop the cycle of vio lence and to do so she has accepted the role of human shie ld. The risks of her strategy are very real. As an Israeli, it was initially unclear whether the entrenched Palestinians would welcome her presence. By joining the Palestinians, she has already been hit by debris kicked up by a ricocheting bullet and arrested twice by Israeli soldiers. The first arrest got her a one-week ban from the area around Hares, but after seven days, Neta was back in the line of fire, armed with little more than loudspeaker and a message of peace. Rabbi Arik Ascherman, of Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization working for interfaith understanding and in support of the peace process, credits Neta's bold and brave actions with helping to reduce the violence. "Neta has been a cata lyst. Before, we didn't know how we could break the constantly increasing spiral of violence. Neta encouraged others to go to Hares. She has changed the whole climate. One per- son, sometimes, can do much." Interested in joining Neta Golan? Email heratNeta_Golan@hotmail.com. WANTED: HUMAN SHIELDS « if! "' ..J ~ g :fl "' :::> :I: Vl ..J ~ :3 g :I: Vl ~ "' :3 ~ :I: Vl g d z Z ~ -------------------- u~- iii' z ..J a. Vl U ~ 5 Vl :I: a. L if "' f" ~ a g U "' ~