The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Movement Combatants for Peace

This book provides the results of a qualitative research study conducted with members of the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement, Combatants for Peace (CFP). CFP is a grass roots organization that was formed in 2005 by Palestinians who were involved in violence on behalf of Palestinian freedom but have now renounced violent means and Israelis who served as combat soldiers in the IDF but now refuse to serve in the occupied territories. In-depth interviews with members of CFP suggest that the decisions to commit to nonviolent action and to join CFP involved a mutually transformative process that influenced understanding and development of both self and Other.

Donna J. Perry, PhD, RN, is a nurse scientist and humanitarian. She is associate director of the Thomas S. Durant Fellowship for Refugee Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also manages global nursing education in the Institute for Patient Care at MGH. Her program of research focuses on decision-making concerning contemporary issues of social transformation related to peace, justice, and human rights. Perry is active in community service and serves as volunteer vice president of ACCESO, an NGO that sponsors humanitarian delegations to Cuba to deliver books and disability equipment and to promote Cuban-American relations. Perry has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and a book.

Part I: Background * Learning from the Peacemakers: A Research Inquiry * Part II: Palestinian Context: Themes I-III * Palestinian Awareness and Understanding of the Conflict * Joining the Conflict: Palestinian Struggle against the Occupation * Removing Oneself to the Peace * Part III: Israeli Context Themes I-III * Israeli Awareness and Understanding of Conflict * Joining the Conflict: Defending One’s Country * Removing Oneself to the Peace * Part IV: Themes IV-VII: A New Context of Working Together * The Path of Nonviolence through Combatants for Peace * Challenges and Conviction * Knowing Personhood of the Other * Outcomes of Nonviolent Action * Personal Growth * Part V: Discussion and Recommendations * Evaluation of Research Process * Combatants of Peace: Actualizing Peace Theory, Education and Research * Discussion: A Transformative Paradigm for Peace