The past two years in Israel and Gaza have been marked by murder, anger and grief, acts of revenge, one-sided portrayals and - and this has been observed worldwide - an increasingly polarizing debate and a dramatic rise in anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Semitism. The activists Noy Katsman and Hamza Howidy are campaigning against polarization and violence and instead for forgiveness and a coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis in the region under conditions of mutual recognition. Both were guests at ASH Berlin last Tuesday to talk about their experiences as activists and migrants in Israel, Gaza and Germany at the event "Two Years of Pain: Voices from Gaza and Israel".
Noy Katzman studies gender and cultural studies, lives in Berlin and Würzburg and describes herself as an "activist for justice and peace". Noy's brother, who lived in Kibbutz Holit near the border with the Gaza Strip, was killed on October 7, 2023. Hamza Howidy is a Palestinian peace activist from Gaza who now lives as a refugee in Germany. He was arrested and tortured several times by Hamas for demonstrating against them. He speaks out against both Hamas and the Israeli occupation and instead calls for universal human rights and a just future for all.
At the beginning of the event, Bettina Völter, President of ASH Berlin, welcomed the audience and thanked Noy Katzman and Hamza Howidy for their willingness and openness to share their thoughts and experiences. She placed the event in the university context: "We begin a new academic year in a time of ongoing global tensions and escalating conflicts. These events not only affect us externally, but are also increasingly shaping our everyday university life. They challenge us as a university to take responsibility and create spaces for critical debate. (...) In these difficult times, it is crucial for us to remain a learning institution."
Bettina Völter also thanked Vered Berman for organizing this important round of talks. Vered Berman has been the contact person for anti-Semitism at ASH Berlin since June of this year and not only organized the event, but also moderated it. As the founder of the Jewish empowerment group Jeladot.im and a peace activist in the Parents Circle Families Forum, Vered Berman is committed to an anti-discriminatory, dialogue-oriented and de-polarizing debate on anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian racism and Israel/Palestine.
In her welcoming address, Vered Berman emphasized the very personal and politically sensitive nature of the discussion and asked the audience to "participate in the event with respect, openness and attentive listening". As a thematic introduction, an excerpt from the film "Testemonies of Pain and Hope" was shown, in which two women who had lost relatives in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians had their say. The film was produced by the Parents Circle Families Forum (PCFF). The PCFF is an Israeli-Palestinian organization with over 800 members. They are all united by the loss of close relatives due to the ongoing violent conflict and the desire for reconciliation, dialog and peace. The event was accompanied by an awareness team, which made itself available if there was a need for discussion.
Vered Berman first asked guests Hamza Howidy and Noy Katsman to give a brief insight into their lives up to October 7, 2023. Hamza Howidy explained that he was born in Gaza in 1997 and that, due to a lack of alternatives, he studied Islamic Studies at the university in Gaza. After graduating in 2019, he had to make a decision: for or against Hamas and thus for a life with privileges or in fear. While many of his friends joined Hamas out of necessity and in the hope of economic benefits and privileges, he chose to resist. He took part in protests against Hamas, was arrested and mistreated. In 2023, a few months before the war, he took to the streets again to show that there are people in Gaza who want freedom and change. Again he was arrested and mistreated. After his release, he lost faith in his ability to make a difference on the ground and decided to leave Gaza and start a new life in Europe.
Noy Katzman explained that she grew up in Israel as the child of American-Jewish immigrants. As an outsider, she tried to fit in and grew up in a national-religious environment. After school, she served in the navy and was involved in the siege of Gaza. Her experiences during her military service made her question her own attitude towards Palestinians. She felt the desire to understand their perspective. As a result, she got to know more and more Palestinians, began reading Palestinian and Israeli authors and questioning her own view of history and the conflict. She became politically active and joined the "Standing Together" movement. Shortly before October 7, she went to Leipzig for an exchange program.
For Hamza Howidy, migration to Germany was much more difficult, as the Gaza Strip has been sealed off for years. The only way out was via the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. He fled to Greece via Turkey. He was not safe there because of his political activities and fought his way through to Germany. But even here, he said, life as a Palestinian was not easy. You always have to prove to the authorities that you don't belong to a political organization. "Unfortunately, it's not easy, especially (...) for a migrant in times when the political parties are outdoing each other in terms of who can oppress migrants more, deport more of them and prevent more of them from coming to this country."
The atmosphere in the Audimax became oppressive when Hamza Howidy and Noy Katzman talked about how they experienced October 7, 2023. Hamza Howidy found out about the Hamas attack when he was staying in a Greek refugee camp. For two days, he was stunned and completely speechless. Then he made the decision to give a voice to the people of Gaza - those who are barely heard under the restricted freedom of the press and who firmly reject the violence of Hamas. He wanted to show that many in Gaza would never justify such crimes.
Noy Katzman was in Leipzig at the time and was out with friends on the evening of October 7. At night, her father called and said: "Listen, your brother Hayim has been killed." Hayim Katzman was an academic and wrote numerous articles about what the left in Israel should be doing at the time. He was also one of the people who drove sick Gaza residents to Israeli hospitals. After her brother's death, Noy Katzman conducted numerous interviews with international media, but apart from a small left-wing magazine, no Israeli media was interested in an interview with the tenor that a violent response to an attack was not in the interests of those murdered. On the contrary, Noy Katzman was often told not to talk like a person who had lost her brother. But she is not angry at the Palestinians - even if that is what the Israeli majority society would expect - she is angry at the extreme nationalists from Hamas. "People are trying to control my narrative, they don't want my point of view to be different. The political right, especially in Israel, benefits greatly from this violence and hatred."
Hamza Howidy finds the German government's behavior in relation to the Middle East conflict "shameful". "Germany could have set conditions for the disarmament of Hamas and the release of the hostages, but they chose to do nothing. Even when the European Union tried to impose sanctions against Israel for blocking humanitarian aid, Germany vetoed it." He acknowledged Germany's special responsibility, but emphasized that a clear distinction must be made between the protection of Jewish lives and the Israeli civilian population on the one hand and political support for the Netanyahu government on the other.
Noy Katzman agreed with this and added: "I can understand that it is very important for Germany to maintain a safe space for Jews - something that my grandmother once lacked. (Editor's note: Noy's grandmother was born in Dortmund in the 1930s). But when we say that Israel must be a safe space for all Jews, does that include left-wing Jews, like me and my friends? I'm not sure, because everyone who criticizes Jewish supremacy no longer feels safe today."
When asked about the protests of German civil society, Hamza Howidy said that German society had become clearly polarized during the course of the war - into pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian camps. Initially, he was pleased about the solidarity protests for Gaza, but also accompanied them critically in order to point out grievances without condemning the movement itself. He took part in the "All Eyes on Gaza" rally in Berlin at the end of September. Neither support for Hamas could be seen there, nor could anti-Semitic slogans be heard. The demonstrators' demand was to end the war, the hunger and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. "I took part because I think we should all stand up for this." At the same time, he warned against a minority misusing the conflict to spread anti-Semitic or pro-Hamas slogans. Such calls for violence have nothing to do with pro-Palestinian commitment and must be clearly condemned. He also criticized the demonstration planned for 7 October in Berlin. While people in Gaza have been suffering from hunger, cold and displacement for two years and hostages are still being held, the organizers of the demonstration called for "complete liberation" and glorified 7 October. For him, these calls for violence are intolerable - especially because he himself has lost many family members and friends.
When asked about the role of German universities, Hamza Howidy emphasized that all parts of society bear responsibility for ending the conflict - including the universities. Polarization had increased there, with pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian camps fighting each other instead of seeking solutions. Universities should focus their energy on finding ways to end the war and the humanitarian catastrophe instead of deepening the rift. Academia and intellectuals need to develop new ideas and strategies to put pressure on both sides - this offers real hope for change.
And what gives them hope? Hamza Howidy sees a small glimmer of hope - not because Israel or Hamas want peace, but because international pressure is growing to end the war and the humanitarian catastrophe and to rebuild Gaza. A better future is only possible without Netanyahu's government and without Hamas.
Noy Katzman is less hopeful. She follows the situation on social media and has the impression that many people are stuck in their role as victims. Quite a few of her left-wing friends are thinking about leaving Israel and coming to Germany. She is pleased that in countries such as Spain, the public has forced governments to take concrete action - something that is needed throughout Europe. It is crucial to put pressure on their own governments to stop arms deliveries and large financial aid.
Vered Berman added what gives her hope and thus also formulated the confident closing words of the event: "People like you give me hope because I firmly believe in the power of storytelling and the power of personal stories. I am so grateful that you are here today, sharing your personal stories with us and giving me, at least, hope."
