Middle East

The call: “We, the relatives of the Righteous, condemn the genocide in Gaza”

di Luigi Montano

We, the direct descendants of the “Righteous Among the Nations,” join our voices in an appeal of protest and civic engagement against the reprehensible actions of the Israeli government toward the Palestinian people. In this context, the official recognition of the right of citizenship of the State of Israel, granted to our direct relatives who have been awarded the title of “Righteous Among the Nations,” takes on an even deeper and more painful meaning today.

“I am a genocide scholar. I know it when i see it”

Reflections on Omer Bartov’s essay in the NYT by Giovanna Grenga

On 15th July, a long article/essay by historian Omer Bartov, Professor of Holocaust studies and genocide at Brown University, appeared in the New York Times. In particular, throughout the decades, the Israeli academic historian has studied the involvement of the Wehrmacht in the genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Bartov has demonstrated that the Wehrmacht was in every way a profoundly Nazi institution that played a key role during the Holocaust in the occupied areas of the Soviet Union. The German army was therefore not an apolitical force with little involvement in war crimes or crimes against humanity during the Second World War.

At the mourning tent with Aisha and Irit of Combatants for Peace: nonviolence as a response

On September 21, 2025, starting at 2 p.m. at the Garden of the Righteous in Milan.

A suitcase full of fear, the tragedy of Afghan refugees expelled from Iran

by Rahel Saya

What is unfolding between Iran and Afghanistan is not just a migration crisis. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, and an historical, social, and moral fracture that the world struggles to look in the eye. According to United Nations data, over 260,000 Afghans were expelled from Iran in the month of June alone, and it is estimated that by the end of 2025, the total number may exceed four million.

The courage of distinguishing anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism

by Anna Foa

Restoring the different meanings of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism today, and avoiding confusion of the two, means fighting against anti-Semitism, not helping it spread. Anti-Semitism spreads through images of the massacres in Gaza and attacks by settlers in the West Bank, not by denouncing them. And it spreads by claiming that the whole world is anti-Semitic in that it attacks Netanyahu’s policies and by calling on the worst anti-Semites in Europe to support this doctrine, without distinguishing between anti-Semitism and the so-called anti-Zionism. That is why we need to speak out, loudly, our heads held high and our souls intact. So as not to be confused with actual anti-Semites. By Anna Foa

From October 7 Victims to Peace Activists: “Dangerous to Those Who See Palestinians as Inhuman”

Joshua Evangelista interviews Yonatan Zeigen, son of Vivian Silver

Vivian Silver dedicated her life to building dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. She founded movements, supported the most vulnerable, and promoted a vision of coexistence and justice. Her son Yonatan chose not to remain silent. In this interview, he speaks of his fight for justice — a journey through memory, anger, and hope. He denounces the illusion of a “liberal” democracy that accepts apartheid, and the indifference of Israeli society, which sees Palestinians not as equals but as a problem to be contained. He describes a system that has lost the ability to recognize the other as human, one that upholds military occupation and builds its security on oppression. He underlines how today’s Israel lacks a courageous political vision capable of offering an alternative to the logic of domination.

Only if women are involved there can be peace in the Middle East

Joshua Evangelista from Strasbourg for the Sakharov Prize

The negotiating table works if, and only if women in civil society are involved proactively and not symbolically. This is the actual and applicable - though so far unheeded - recipe proposed by Pascale Chen of Women Wage Peace and Reem Al Hajajra, founder of Women of the Sun. Finalists for 2024 Sakharov Prize, the representatives of these two organisations took part in a meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday 18th December with the main entities of European civil society committed to peace, democracy and human rights. By Joshua Evangelista

Remembering the Righteous Amer Abu Sabila

a letter written by his father

May God bless the soul of Amer, a kind man from a noble Bedouin family living near Be'er Sheva. On October 7, Amer was in Sderot, working as a security guard for his brother. Amer called me, saying he wanted to go home because there were many rocket attacks. I told him to go home. On his way back from work, a woman asked for his help, asking him to take her to a police station. Amer stopped his car and took the woman. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Hamas terrorists were present near that police station. They killed him there, but Amer managed to save two children, rescuing Hodaya's life, although sadly their mother died with Amer. A letter by Amer Abu Sabila's father

My mother Vivian was a living example of peoples' capacity for good

by Yonatan Zeigen

My mother was a living example of peoples' capacity for good. She spent her life fostering shared society between Arabs and Jews, leading feminist initiatives, pursuing cross border peace and co-managing an organization with a central mission of empowering the most impoverished community in Israel, the Bedouins. Even when she retired, she immediately joined and formed "Women Wage Peace" and volunteered to drive Palestinian patients into Israeli hospitals through the organization "Road to Recovery". By Yonatan Zeigen, Vivian Silver's son.

The danger from messianic extremists

by Nadav Tamir

Despite their rivalry, the extreme messianic versions of all religions rely on the same basic beliefs, such as the shared belief in the vision of the Eschatology, or the “end times.” These apocalyptic visions are sometimes “eschatological ornaments” of an undefined future that will never come. This is the case in mainstream versions of both orthodox Sunni Islam and traditional Judaism. There is a messianic vision there – but it is not an actual plan of action, but rather an ideal that must not come to be realized. As soon as the messianic vision turns into a real and earthly plan of action that aims to bring utopia – it necessarily leads to a catastrophe. By Nadav Tamir

Mohammed R. Mhawish: “I left Gaza because I want to keep talking about it”

Tatjana Dordevic interviews the Palestinian journalist and writer

Mohammed R. Mhawish is a Palestinian journalist and writer, born and raised in Gaza. For the past seven months he has been working from the Strip as a reporter for Al Jazeera. He now lives in Cairo, where he managed to escape with his family. "Leaving Gaza was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. My responsibility as a writer and journalist has always been to give voice to my people’s, and my own, suffering and struggle for survival. That need was unattainable while I was in Gaza. I had to leave so I could live", he told GariwoMag. Interview by Tatjana Dordevic

“Today in Israel looking like an Arab is enough to be in danger, but we will continue to practise peace"

Interview with Samah Salaime and Nir Sharon, Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom

Peace is not the end, it is “a constant and arduous process, which must be protected at all costs. In that it takes long to teach dialogue, whereas it does not take much to raise sons and daughters in hatred, even the violence of one single person”, Samah Salaime (Arab) and Nir Sharon (Jew), the co-directors of the educational projects of Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom. "Today, hate speech is directed against anyone who says 'cease fire'. Or against anyone who uses the word 'peace', which is currently considered to be damned in Israel, as if it were a bad word. Despite everything, we are continuing on the path of peace".

The diplomacy of good in the Middle East. Preventing a perpetual war for the next generations

by Gabriele Nissim

Regardless of what may happen in the coming days in Gaza (hopefully a cease-fire), nothing will change unless the chain of hatred is broken. Those who act in civil society cannot determine possible political solutions (two States, single State of Jews and Palestinians, federation between two States), but can work culturally to encourage and enhance all experiences of dialogue without which the conditions for peace will never exist in the Middle East.

Rabbis for Human Rights: "Today ceasefire is a priority"

Giulia Ceccutti has interviewed Anton Goodman, a member of Rabbis for Human Rights

«We are still trapped in this tragic and brutal time. It is extremely hard to see light at the end of the tunnel. And especially to “navigate” sufferings emerging on a daily basis. Personally, I feel I can draw a lot of strength from being part of Rabbis for Human Rights, an organisation the vision of which is undoubtedly linked to the current political situation, which is however rooted in Jewish values of respect for human rights and the sacredness of each human life». Giulia Ceccutti has interviewed Anton Goodman, a member of Rabbis for Human Rights.

A light in the dark: Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam and the challenge of peace

Samah Salaime: "It’s not possible to live a whole life in conflict, people need to know that an alternative is possible"

In the village in Israel where Palestinian Arab and Israeli Jewish families peacefully coexist, the ongoing war is a big challenge. The citizens of Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam practice exercises in dialogue and confrontation, continuing their daily lives despite the roar of bombs and the sound of planes. In this context, the presence of a Garden of the Righteous, a reminder of the courageous choices made by those who chose good, takes on a more powerful role than ever before.

A voice from Gaza: "It looks like hell, nowhere is safe"

Asia is in the Gaza Strip with her family, has moved 5 times to seek shelter and asks: "Please stop bombing"

“The situation is indescribable on the ground. We have passed through many wars, but we did never experienced this massive distruction, random targets to full neighborhoods, with and without warning at times.” Asia, 31 years old and mother of two children, speaks to us directly from Gaza Strip. She takes several hours to send her testimony to us because, with her whole family, she’s keeping on moving looking for a place to take shelter. Israel has said to 1 million Gaza people to evacuate the North of the Strip, but they do not know where to take refuge.