Meet the Israeli Rabbi and survivor of 7 October attack now in Australia to campaign for peace

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Rabbis for Human Rights director Avi Dabush sees a ceasefire as consistent with values of peace and human rights

The war may be in Gaza, but its effects can mean starvation in the West Bank

Both Israeli and Palestinian volunteers are working to distribute dwindling supplies of essentials to people in Ramallah and Hebron.

Israeli-born American author Ayelet Waldman is among those arrested, and is still held in custody. She was part of a U.S. delegation organized by Rabbis for Human Rights trying to deliver relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and calling for an end to the war

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

“I don’t see how more bloodshed and certainly killing of civilians will bring us to peace and reconciliation,” Dabush said last week during an interview with The Jewish Independent.

“The right thing is to give rights to the Palestinian people, stop human rights violations, struggle against Jewish terrorism in the West Bank, avoid harming civilians in Gaza and reach an agreement, at the moment a specific one to return the hostages and achieve a ceasefire, and [later] also a [full] agreement with the Palestinians.”

A group of rabbis and Israeli volunteers are risking life and limb to protect this year’s olive harvest in the West Bank, amid soaring tensions over the war in Gaza.

Rabbis for Human Rights, an organisation set up in 1990 during the first intifada, has been working for decades to build ties with Palestinian communities threatened by violent Israeli settlers.

As the war in Gaza rages, there has been a surge in violence in the West Bank, making the job of collecting olives, a cornerstone of the territory’s economy, riskier than ever.