Member-only story
Green Olive Collective — Not your fly by the night organization
What’s a Palestinian-American and a Jewish-Scotlander living in Israel and Palestine, respectively, have in common? Simple, peace with justice!
His name was Fred Schlomka. His email arrived in my inbox on Wednesday, 30 Nov 2005. I answered positively. The rest is history. I found a friend for life who is just as committed to peace with justice in Palestine and Israel as I am; only difference is that we are mirror images of one another, both arriving from our respective diaspora communities. Fred is a Jewish-Scotlander who relocated to Israel. I’m a Palestinian-American who relocated to Palestine.
Fred and I have spent our lives in the service of our communities and, although it seems our efforts may require more time than we have to offer, we are both hell-bent on making sure we employ the time we are fortunate enough to have to advance peace. Not any peace. Real peace.
The email that started our relationship came from Kfar Saba in Israel and read as follows:
Sam -
Jeff Halper and I are long-time colleagues, working together in The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and other projects. He suggested [I] contact you.
I have been invited by the US…
