Hamas Killed His Son: He Works For Peace

Issue # 261

You would expect that Yitzhak Frankenthal, an Israeli and Orthodox Jew, would have strong feelings about the January 25th Hamas victory.  In July 1994, his 19-year old son, Arik, was returning home from his army base on a weekend pass.  Waiting at an intersection, a car pulled over and the driver offered him a ride.  Too late, Arik realized that he had been kidnapped.  He fought hard for his life but there were three terrorists in the car and Arik was alone.  They shot the young soldier dead.  The killers were from Hamas.

Arik's father, Yitzhak Frankenthal, was neither surprised by the Hamas victory nor shaken by it.  "Hamas won because the previous administration failed. The Palestinian people did not choose terror; they chose a change in leadership. Fatah now pays the price of corruption, for the occupation will not end by their leadership."

Frankenthal has no illusions about Hamas. The Hamas win "brings into Israel a dark influence, a party with military force taking orders from its headquarters in Syria and Iran. If Hamas does not quickly implement changes in its approach, both Israelis and Palestinians will pay a very high price."

Nothing surprising there except for one thing: Frankenthal speaks without hatred for an organization that murdered his son. They murdered "my beloved son, Arik, my own flesh and blood.  My tall blue eyed golden haired son who always smiled with the innocence of a child and the understanding of an adult. "

Frankenthal is heartbroken and angry, terribly angry.  But his anger takes him to a place one would not expect.  "I did not want to be another bereaved parent who lost a child  only to support the very policies and conditions that led to his death.  I won't do that."

He hasn't.  A successful businessman, he liquidated his company and used the assets to establish an organization of grieving parents - both Israeli and Palestinian -  dedicated to reconciliation between the two sides.  The parents met and wept with each other and then went out to Israeli and Palestinian schools and other institutions to make the case for mutual acceptance.  Frankenthal sponsored hundreds of events in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

His work took him to places a kipah-wearing Israeli would never have expected to go. In both Gaza and in the West Bank, he met with Palestinians of all stripes, including many from Hamas (and the Hamas leadership as well).  Frankenthal showed me a video in which he addresses a huge Gaza crowd about the need for reconciliation. Hundreds of young men were both listening and screaming back.  The anger was intense.

"Some of these guys scream in such anger.  They don't often have the chance to express their feelings to an Israeli.  But the anger is so close to excruciating pain and hurt that often they scream until they collapse in tears," he says.

I asked him if he was afraid in Gaza, Jenin or wherever.  "What is the worst they can do to me?  Kill me?  So what.  I lost my son," he says.

Frankenthal believes in communication.  He thinks that both Israel and the United States should open up a dialogue with Hamas as soon as it "removes its covenant calling for the destruction of Israel. Israel should challenge the Hamas in positive and constructive ways."

"It is true, the Hamas murdered my Arik, but this was not because of Arik but because there was no peace. Through conversations with many Hamas members I know that a great opportunity is now at hand. Israel and the international community must pressure Hamas to change its covenant, as they pressured the PLO some fifteen years ago.  As soon as Hamas changes its covenant, Israel and the International community must acknowledge Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and begin a final negotiation for peace.

"It is possible to reach a peace agreement with Hamas, but it is not possible to continue the occupation hoping for a period of calmness. This has never happened and never will."

Now Frankenthal has embarked on a new project to increase the chances peace will happen.  He has established the Arik Institute (http://www.arikpeace.org/eng/) to bring his fellow Israelis to the understanding that "Palestinians are reacting to the suffering imposed by the occupation." He believes, "Once the occupation ends, both peoples will be able to live side by side in stable coexistence."

Unlike his previous efforts, the Arik Institute focuses its work on the Palestinian side.  He believes that Israelis will only move toward peace when they trust the Palestinians' intentions.  His mission is to organize Palestinian efforts which demonstrate good faith.

He understands that Palestinians might consider it unfair to call upon them - the weaker party - to reassure the more powerful one. "I know that many Palestinians will ask: 'Why is Frankenthal turning to us? Why does he not fight to stop the occupation and then the terror attacks will also stop?' and there are those who will say: 'We must continue to carry out terror attacks in Israel, for this is the only language the Israelis understand.' This is a big mistake. See for yourselves how much terror you have carried out and see what you achieved.

"You need today, more than ever, to begin self examination and see where you have come to. I do not say this patronizingly as an Israeli, but as someone who respects you and is interested in your benefit, and especially as a religious Israeli, and a Zionist patriot. Without the support of the Israeli public you will not obtain a Palestinian state, and you will continue suffering the disgrace of hunger and suppression. The Americans and Europeans can force upon us an intermediate agreement, but until this happens there will be thousands more dead and we still will not have the peace we want."

So Frankenthal has set out to show his fellow Israelis that there is a consensus in Palestine for peace, especially now after the Hamas election.  He does that by sponsoring events in both Israel and Palestine where Palestinians can demonstrate support for peaceful coexistence with Israel.

In my office last week, Frankenthal showed me remarkable video footage of a Palestinian demonstration in Jenin.  A big crowd of teenage boys were wearing T-shirts produced by Frankenthal that say in Arabic, Hebrew and English : "I am Palestinian.  I support two states for two peoples." The Israeli and Palestinian flags are on the front and back.  Similar demonstrations have taken place in Israel.  But it is remarkable to see Palestinians wearing shirts with the Israeli flag in the Palestinian heartland.

There have been numerous other demonstrations, workshops, programs and exhibits all making the point that Israelis who work for peace do have Palestinian partners.  Like their Israeli counterparts, these activists are not a majority but they exist.  But activists are never a majority anywhere; majorities tend to be silent.  But Frankenthal says that he has seen "with my own eyes" that "most Palestinians, far more than a majority" want to live in peace with Israel.

He does not expect his fellow Israelis to take his word for it which is why he is now dedicating his life to encouraging Palestinians to send the message.   Only Palestinians, he believes, can make Israelis understand that they are not a breed apart, not intrinsically violent or hate-filled but just people like them.  As a parent who lost his child to Palestinian violence, he has the standing to make the case.

"My son, Arik, was born into a democracy with a chance for a decent, settled life. He loved his life and believed that we had to achieve peace with the Palestinians or we would not survive. Arik's killer was born into an appalling occupation, humiliation after humiliation, ethical chaos.  Had my son been born in his place, he may have ended up doing the same. Let all the self-righteous who speak of ruthless Palestinian murderers take a hard look in the mirror."

Frankenthal says, "We have every right to demand the end of terrorism.  But until we see that occupation is also a form of terrorism, we will not understand the Palestinians.  If we don't understand them, we will not have peace with them either.  Only terrorism and war."

So for Frankenthal, the mission is clear.  Making Israelis understand.  Making Palestinians understand.  He won't stop because he can't stop.  He is doing it for his son.