Founded in 2006 by former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters, Combatants for Peace chose to lay down their arms and reject violence. Since then, they have worked together to end the occupation and build a just and sustainable peace through joint actions such as protests, agricultural work with Palestinian communities under threat, joint ceremonies and participatory art projects. Amid unprecedented suffering -from starvation and destruction in Gaza to rising settler violence and pressure from the occupation in the West Bank- these activists raise their voices in favor of a shared future.
At ICAF, members of the collective will lead a conversation in the ICAF professionals-programme, sharing their experiences and reflecting on the role of art, theatre, and encounter in times of extreme violence. As a rarely heard bi-national voice in a historic conflict zone, they provide a powerful example of nonviolent activism and sustaining human connection.
This session complements the screening of the film There Is Another Way (Thursday 26 March, main auditorium, Theater Zuidplein), which follows the group in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre and the subsequent genocide in Gaza.
Conversation | Israel and Palestine