They used to meet in Sderot. It seems like ages ago. They were a group of Palestinians from Gaza and Israelis, most of whom were from Sderot. A siren could go off at any moment, but they continued to try to understand how sanity could be returned to the region. They thought of starting joint summer camps for children from Gaza and Sderot, and above all they tried to create a dialogue that overcame prejudices and deceptions. But it's been six months since they last met in a Sderot living room.
"We have given up on persuading the authorities to let them leave Gaza," says Danny Gal, one of the dialogue's organizers. "These people do not constitute a security threat. On the contrary, they are a positive and calming element, but the closure on Gaza is sweeping. So we decided to meet online and let the world hear a different voice, from both Gaza and Sderot."
The result is a joint blog, in English (
http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com), which began in January. It centers around two personas: Peace Man from Gaza and Hope Man from Sderot. The two have refused to disclose their identities or give interviews, and Gal speaks on their behalf.
"Exposure would really endanger the life of the fellow from Gaza. The blog would make them suspect him of collaboration. With respect to the fellow from Sderot, this is his decision. He thinks that media exposure at such an early stage would mark him with a stereotype in the town. He wants to see if this gathers momentum first, and what kind of attention the activity receives."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/955943.html
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