Playing
With the Enemy
A
very small piece of land is being claimed by both Jewish and Muslims since the
Zionist movement took control of the Palestinian territory creating the State
of Israel in 1947. The idea of this extremist minority was the establishment of
a Jewish homeland in Palestine. After
the increasing feeling of anti-Semitism in Europe that ended with the Holocaust
killing more than six millions of Jews, in 1947 the United Nations decided to
intervene. Under enormous pressure from the Zionists, the UN decided to divide
the land giving 55% of the Palestinian territory to the creation of a Jewish
State. Inevitably, conflict began since it meant the loss of their homes for
millions of Palestinians. Both sides are unable to recognize the other side’s
claims over the territory and the dispute has resulted in decades of
instability and constant war in the region, becoming particularly contentious
and violent in recent years. In this context, the Argentinean-Israeli musician Daniel Barenboim and the Palestinian-American
scholar Edward Said,
created a foundation with the aim of promoting the spirit of peace, dialogue and reconciliation,
primarily through music. Barenboim’s effort to reconstruct a relationship of
mutual respect and understanding between people from ethnic and religious rival
groups can serve as the starting point for a peaceful solution to this conflict.
When taking actions against a conflict, surely one will find
resistance and opposition, mostly from the involved parties. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic
and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) accused Daniel Barenboim
of being a fervent Zionist that promotes normalization i.e. collaborating with
the idea that the oppressed Palestinian people should subscribe to and cope
with the reality as it is. He has been praised for Palestinian organizations as
a peacemaker but at the same time, he has been accused of not recognizing the Palestinian’s
rights or rejecting the Israeli colonialism and apartheid. Moreover, he faced
accusations of refusing to the return of refugees to the homes they were thrown
out of during the nakba ("Day of
the Catastrophe" - 1948) and of being against the self-determination of peoples.
As
part of the Barenboim-Said Foundation, the project of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
was conceived with the purpose of gathering Israeli and Arab musicians to
provide not only musical education of the highest level, but also the
experience of sharing knowledge and foster dialogue between people from rival
cultures. “We are an
orchestra against ignorance”
Daniel Barenboim says, and he believes that the opportunity of having personal
contact and the possibility to dispel their ignorance about each other, is the
most meaningful way of acknowledging the dispute from different points of view
and reaching to a better understanding of the conflict. The WEDO is an
experiment that breaks down barriers of hatred and allows participants to get
to know each other.
In spite of his detractors, Daniel Barenboim
is one of the very few who are trying to do something for the future of the
region. He brought to light a problem caused by his own
country, he took responsibility for it and looked for a solution. No matter what
the solution is, both peoples will have to live together, and the only way to
achieve this is breaking the wall that separates them. The Argentinean-Israeli musician is convinced that there
cannot be a military solution to the conflict, has a very courageous view on the
Palestinian question and the occupation of territory, he opposes to both the
occupation and to the right wing politics that has dominated Israel for
decades.
To conclude, it is possible to say that in times
of political turmoil and savage violation of human rights, there are very few
people that can make a significant contribution for a pacific settlement of
conflicts. The talented pianist and orchestra conductor Daniel Barenboim has
interceded in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is trying to bring both
nations to a peaceful agreement. He may succeed or not but I believe that the
idea of an orchestra composed of musicians from contending countries might
create the basis for future projects that will ultimately attain the eluding
peace.
Works cited
Barenboim,
D.(2009) “The Illusion of Victory”. Retrieved September 29th from: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jan/01/israel-gaza-bombings-hamas
Barenboim, D. Defeat of Hamas would be no victory. Retrieved September 29th
from: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/defeat-of-hamas-would-be-no-victory/article366211.ece
The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict. Retrieved September 28th
from: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/
The West Eastern Divan. Fundacion Barenboim-Said.
Retrieved September 27th from: http://www.barenboim-said.org/en/proyectos/orquestaWED/
