Humanity has been under attack. As an organization centered on equality and respect for all, Heartbeat is inherently pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli. In fact we believe that one cannot be pro one without being pro the other. There is no sustainable future where one side is dominant over the other. Our destinies are intertwined. And rooted in this love for all, I feel the need to name the truth of what I see. If we don’t speak up in the face of injustice, we are complicit.
Today, Israel controls the lives of Palestinians. The actions of the Israeli government are harming and dehumanizing Palestinians, and in turn are dehumanizing Israelis, making a safe and peaceful future more untenable for all.
No child (or adult) in Gaza should face trauma like we witnessed this May, nor have to continue to live in an open air prison. No Israeli child (or adult) should have to spend days and nights in a bomb shelter. No Palestinian in Sheik Jarrah, Silwan or the South Hebron Hills should face eviction and attempted erasure from their homes and homeland. This displacement is the definition of ethnic cleansing.
As they remain stateless and under the control of a government which distrusts and disrespects them as a matter of policy, we must redouble our efforts to expand respect and empathy for Palestinian lives. Palestinians, just as Israelis, deserve the same guarantees of safety, freedom, and dignity that we expect for any human on the Earth.
Violence is not an acceptable or productive way to move beyond conflict. I condemn the use of violence and its employment to incite fear, propagate hate, and tear apart families and communities. For some, violence may seem to produce short term gains, but in reality it only promotes long term suffering.
In the end, I believe Heartbeat’s core purpose is to increase empathy and help us expand our moral imagination to see each other as interconnected; to celebrate our differences and also see ourselves as one in the same.
I pray that one day we’ll get there.
Towards Peace,
Aaron Shneyer
Heartbeat Founder and Director
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