Pogrund Benjamin - Shared histories: a Palestinian-Israeli dialogue

SHARED HISTORIES

A Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue

Editors
Paul Scham , Walid Salem , Benjamin Pogrund

Originally Published by the Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy & Community Development (Panorama) and the Yakar Center for Social Concern, 2005

First Published 2005 by Left Coast Press, Inc.

Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright 2005 by Paul Scham, Walid Salem, Benjamin Pogrund

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005928677

ISBN 978-1-59874-013-4 paperback

SHARED HISTORIES is the title and leitmotiv of this book and of the project behind it. Thanks to the courageous, untiring, and persistent collaboration of Israelis and Palestinians, this project has been implemented over some years and I have had the honour and pleasure to be part of it.

In this conflict-ridden world and especially in that country that needs peace so desperately but that still seems to be so far removed from it, the commitment and the attitude of the Israeli and Palestinian authors and, above all, of the publishers, Benjamin Pogrund, Walid Salem and Paul Scham, are particularly note-worthy. I am filled with confidence that the descriptions of a specific period in the history of Palestine, which have previously been developed and discussed here and are now represented, will contribute to the process of ending the conflict, which is, hopefully, regaining momentum, and to the longed-for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Shared history is also common history endured together, which can simultaneously be the basis and point of departure of dialogue, respect, and understanding for the other side, in each case.

Rabbi Michael Rosen, head of the Yakar Center in Jerusalem, says: History is a means of self-understanding. Unless one is prepared to be self-critical and objective about oneself, there can be no real development. Without history one can neither understand oneself, nor the world around.

Furthermore, it is impossible without an understanding of history to discover the present or indeed to predict future developments. And history consists of narratives, in the first place. Here, too, various sources were selected, analyzed, interpreted, and finally published as narratives. In Palestine and Israel, in particular, there are very different points of view and evaluations of the historical facts.

By the nature of things, in the 100-year-long conflict between the Jewish and Palestinian populations, it is particularly difficult to acknowledge the history of the other partner to the conflict, in addition to ones own viewpoint and description of history, never mind accepting it as being of equal worth. That is why presenting factually honest historical descriptions from both sides of a given period is highly commendable, in the face of all the adversity that the conflict has generated in recent years.

History has involved both sides with their own particular stories in such a way that it is possible to talk of both a common and a shared history. The claim being made, in the project represented and in the contributions collected, is that it is a factually and politically honest search for a fair description of proved historical facts, which is both the basis of the understanding of the attitude of the other side in each case and an evaluation of it. Movements toward peace start with growing reciprocal knowledge. This knowledge alone produces self-knowledge and understanding of the point of view and attitude of the other side and only in this way will understanding finally be attained.

The Truth Commissions in South Africa or in Central America are good examples of the necessity of gaining comprehensive knowledge of the development; the actors and the victims in the conflicts, preparing the way for processes of understanding and for peace. The work of the German-French and German-Polish Schoolbook Commissions is another impressive demonstration of how historical narratives, analyzed and evaluated through dialogue, can contribute to understanding between peoples who were former war-time enemies.

As supporter and moderator, I have had the opportunity to accompany this project for part of the way, particularly at an important conference in Cyprus, and I share the conviction of the publishers and authors that peace is possible in Israel and Palestine and that the reciprocal propagation of the knowledge of the common, shared history will make quite a considerable contribution to it. In this respect, I wish for this publication to attract considerable attention and be widely distributed and I wish the project much continued success.

Burckhard Michael Blanke
Bonn, January 2005