I was born in Dura, in the hills of Hebron southwest of Jerusalem, into a family that carries love for the land and the memory of loss with quiet dignity. My grandfather was a Palestinian fida’i (a martyr or “sacrifice”) who was killed by the Israeli security forces in 1978. I was taught the details of his death, but they did not teach me to seek revenge; they taught me that courage must serve life. Since I was seventeen years old, I have labored to create spaces in which enemies could encounter one another as human beings. This has not been easy. Over the last two years, even in this fresh hell, notwithstanding the unprecedented bitterness between the two communities, I have worked to help young Palestinians and Israelis speak to one another as human beings. I studied at Birzeit University and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and I try to let dignity lead toward repair.
People often ask me: if I am so critical of Zionism, why do I still believe that peace is the only way forward between Jews and Palestinians?