Re: As sickness, hunger, and disease spread, Gaza’s health system faces increasing threats
Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to the last sentence of Dr Balkhy's article, as I don't think the rest of it is in dispute.
During my attendance Limmud, a Jewish Festival of Learning. I attended two sessions hosted by peace groups, The 49% (www.the49%.com) and the Interfaith Encounter Association (www.interfaith-encounter.org). There were people there from other peace groups, Women Waging Peace, Yachad, there are dozens of them. They have continued meeting throughout the current hostilities, online. Even a few members managed to join Whatsapp meetings from Gaza.
Very quickly the question "Does this peace group activity do any good?" was asked. I offered that it is difficult to measure how much good it does as it is preventive work. A call for data on this followed rapidly.
There is some anecdotal evidence that it works. The host of the Interfaith Encounter Group says that a Muslim colleague informed him that he had been approached to become a suicide bomber. The host responded; "Then you'd have killed me and my kids". "Thats's why I didn't do it" rejoined his colleague.
I find this behaviour incredible. Never mind his own life, he was more worried about a friend on the other side and his children. People's altruism never ceases to astonish me.
IS there anyone out there who would design a study to measure the impact of grassroots peace groups? Whether it's in terms of reduction of harms caused by hatred, or of terrorism, or of ill treatment of civilians by military personnel. Or any measurable outcome for that matter.
And if it does not have any impact, even that might help us to develop some process that does.
Competing interests:
I have family members in Israel
Rapid Response:
Re: As sickness, hunger, and disease spread, Gaza’s health system faces increasing threats
Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to the last sentence of Dr Balkhy's article, as I don't think the rest of it is in dispute.
During my attendance Limmud, a Jewish Festival of Learning. I attended two sessions hosted by peace groups, The 49% (www.the49%.com) and the Interfaith Encounter Association (www.interfaith-encounter.org). There were people there from other peace groups, Women Waging Peace, Yachad, there are dozens of them. They have continued meeting throughout the current hostilities, online. Even a few members managed to join Whatsapp meetings from Gaza.
Very quickly the question "Does this peace group activity do any good?" was asked. I offered that it is difficult to measure how much good it does as it is preventive work. A call for data on this followed rapidly.
There is some anecdotal evidence that it works. The host of the Interfaith Encounter Group says that a Muslim colleague informed him that he had been approached to become a suicide bomber. The host responded; "Then you'd have killed me and my kids". "Thats's why I didn't do it" rejoined his colleague.
I find this behaviour incredible. Never mind his own life, he was more worried about a friend on the other side and his children. People's altruism never ceases to astonish me.
IS there anyone out there who would design a study to measure the impact of grassroots peace groups? Whether it's in terms of reduction of harms caused by hatred, or of terrorism, or of ill treatment of civilians by military personnel. Or any measurable outcome for that matter.
And if it does not have any impact, even that might help us to develop some process that does.
Competing interests: I have family members in Israel