Hamze Awawde: Palestinian Peacemaker Speaks in New York

As the United Nations General Assembly, attended by Prime Ministers, Presidents, and diverse world leaders, convenes for its 79th session, an actual “peacemaker” has been speaking in New York City. His message is simple, but it isn’t on the front burner of either the Israeli right-wing government or the Hamas decision-makers.

The concept that Palestinian Hamze Awawde has been putting forth regarding the previous eleven-plus months of destruction and despair is succinct:

“There is no violent solution.”

Awawde is in the United States, appearing in numerous cities to discuss the work that he has been doing. On Sunday, I was at a session hosted by the NYC Chapter of Supporters of Standing Together Abroad, a group that gathers on Sundays in Union Square to raise awareness for the Israeli Standing Together organization, their Theory of Change and to call for an end to the war and the return of the hostages.

Tamara Gayer, the point person for the New York group, moderated the conversation. (Partners for Progressive Israel sponsored a Brooklyn gathering the following night.) Gayer referenced the ongoing weekend event, which promotes the calls to “Bring Them Home” and “Let Gaza Live.” ­­

“We are the keepers of the flame,” Gayer said to a room filled with attendees. The atmosphere was both low-key and intense as everyone was fully aware of the stakes, punctuated by the Israeli incursions into Lebanon and the planned demonstrations to greet Benjamin Netanyahu.

Awawde started with a statement outlining his general premise:

“I’m not here to preach anything. We are in this together. We’re keeping the idea of peace alive.” Noting that it was almost the first anniversary of October 7, he addressed Netanyahu’s role in the process: “Bibi wants total victory. For him, peace is dangerous.”

Awawde pointed to the decades filled with killing and devastation as totally wasted. “Rabin and Arafat made decisions in their context,” he said. “Hamas thinks they can push Israel out and make an Islamic place. Any person with two eyes should see this is the wrong approach, and it’s not working.”

Tackling a problem that often goes under the radar when people are trying to dialogue, Awawde said, “We need a new language. We need to help people see what is happening. We need to explain to people who are accepting the status quo. We have to impact those who are complicit or neutral.”

Addressing the respective historical traumas of both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, Awawde acknowledged, “You have trauma. It’s all about the past, [but] we can build and create. The October 6 formula is over. The sooner people wake up, the sooner it will end.”

Awawde briefly talked about his background. I knew some details from previous calls where he was a featured speaker, including his background in conflict resolution and his emphasis on creating leadership in the ranks of the upcoming generation of Palestinians and Israelis through “education, dialogue, and action.” Awawde, the recipient of a Bachelor of Arts from Birzeit University in Ramallah and a Master of Arts from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was a vital part of Hands of Peace, which closed in March 2024 after twenty-one years.

That evening, I listened to the podcast that Awawde had made with Unapologetic: The Third Narrative when he was their first guest speaker. It filled in details of his backstory. He was born in Dura, a village southwest of Hebron, where his family had deep ties to the land. He remembered the presence of soldiers in his home to question his father, tear gas in the air, being surrounded by demolitions and arrests, and the repeated cycles of hostilities. Awawde moved to Ramallah following his university studies. After October 7, Awawde has resettled in Italy because he wants his son “to be in a safe place.”

Questions from the floor comprised the event’s final portion. The role of the American government in the ongoing situation was primary, in addition to the polarization of the American voting public, and the weaponization of antisemitism.

Awawde underscored that America is not a neutral player. “Unconditional military arms doesn’t make sense. The United States isn’t enforcing their own [Leahy] laws. There has to be consequences for Israeli politicians.” Looking ahead, Awawde expressed concerns about the lack of “red lines” and the larger regional picture. “This can go to Jordan and Egypt,” he said.

The American election came up. Awawde proposed, “With Kamala, we’ll have bought some time.” He took Congress to task, stating that the “average Congressperson is anti-Palestinian. They talk about Tlaib like she’s Hitler.” (Another brouhaha recently developed when Rep. Tlaib and Michigan’s Attorney General Nessel got into an argument amplified by two CNN anchors which was then followed up by comments from Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL.)

There was a discussion of the alliances formed between two right-wing entities. The dollars that come from American Jews who directly support Netanyahu and the settlement endeavor and the millions of Evangelicals who fund Christian Zionism and back Israel unequivocally.

So, how do we move forward?

“You can’t sell peace in wartime,” Awawde said. “We need the smartest, toughest people…to enable the road to peace. Our futures are intertwined. There is no one without the other.”

Awawde recognizes that Israelis who oppose the Occupation and militaristic tactics are seen as “traitors” by others. He, too, has faced accusations under the banner of “normalization.” He explained that it was more pronounced before October 7 because then “the conversation was theoretical.”  Some fellow Palestinians didn’t like that he had so many Jewish followers on social media. “Do you talk with your oppressor?” Awawde asked rhetorically.

It’s precisely the road that he sees as leading somewhere.

Separating the Israeli people from the messianic radical sector is essential for Awawde. “I humanize Israelis because I’ve met amazing people. Most Palestinians think all Israelis are settlers and soldiers. Over the years, people on the left are leaving. More right-wing Jews are coming.”

Advocating the option of building a moderate camp of Israelis and Palestinians, he suggested working from the outside. “Why must we stay in a bloodbath until we reach a solution? We can learn from history and enable the road to peace.”

In closing, Gayer underscored, “Israel is the canary in the coal mine. The right is a global thing. We have to improve the situation as much as possible.”

The meeting ended in time for people to head over to 14th Street for the weekly vigil by the statue of George Washington. Here, Awawde would speak to a new group of American and Israeli Jews who will continue to convene “every Sunday until the war is over.”

Photo: Marcia G. Yerman