The following community story has been submitted by Kees Hulsman, director Stichting Arab-West Foundation, Head of the Anna Lindh Foundation in the Netherlands.
The October War of 1973 between Israel, Egypt, and Syria made me want to support Israel as a volunteer on a kibbutz. Many more visits, including to neighbouring countries, followed. It was during these visits that I first became aware of the Palestinians and became involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement. These early experiences developed into a lifetime of peace activism.
Between 1994 and 2022, I lived and worked in Egypt as both a freelance journalist and a dialogue activist. On October 7, Hamas murdered around 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage. I have many Israeli and Palestinian friends and found both the polarization and the massive loss of human life devastating. Close friends of mine have also lost relatives. Meanwhile, we have seen the war result in deep polarization in the Netherlands and most Western countries, often expressed through the denunciation of entire groups in society: “the” Jews, “the” Palestinians, and so on. These polemics only make matters worse. I even see this within my own family.
In 2024, our Dutch NGO, the Arab-West Foundation—an organisation founded by friends of mine to support our dialogue work in Egypt—was elected Head of the Dutch civil society network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. The Anna Lindh Foundation is an intergovernmental network bringing together all EU countries and all countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Across its 43 member countries, it has more than 4,500 civil society member organisations. Each national network elects its own Head of Network and organises its own activities. Promoting dialogue across borders for the sake of mutual understanding is at the heart of its mission.
The establishment of the Anna Lindh Foundation in 2005 is directly related to Israel and Palestine. The Foundation was preceded by important political developments, including the Madrid Conference of 1991, where the principle of “land for peace” became central. This principle formed the basis for the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Barcelona Process subsequently developed into a Euro-Mediterranean partnership for peace, cooperation, and dialogue. The Anna Lindh Foundation became the first Euro-Mediterranean organisation in which Israel and Palestine participate as equals alongside other European and Mediterranean countries, in the hope of promoting mutual understanding and peaceful cooperation. Sadly, that objective has not been realised.
Because our Dutch network wants to counter polemics and promote peace and justice, we decided to organise between June 17 and June 30, the exhibition Israel/Palestine; Pain and Hope with six dialogue evenings. For the program see: https://www.annalindh.nl/agenda-exhibition-israel-palestine-pain-and-hope–the-search-for-peace-begins-with-listening
The exhibition was organised within a very short period of time. Everyone who feels involved with Israel and Palestine was invited to submit work to our selection committee. Every individual and organisation that contributed material is responsible for the views represented in their own contributions. The Dutch Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation emphasises the importance of listening with empathy to different perspectives without endorsing specific political solutions.
We present photography and photographs of artworks that reflect the immense pain experienced by both Jews and Palestinians. At the same time, we must continue to hold on to hope for a just and peaceful future for Jews and Palestinians alike. We therefore explicitly invited participants to contribute works that express hope.
Mariëlle Vavier, Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Poverty Reduction, Inclusion, Healthcare and International Affairs in The Hague; former Mayor Wim Deetman; former D66 Senator Hanneke Gelderblom-Lankhout; Rabbi Asjer Waterman (LJG); award-winning Palestinian photographer Mohammed Zanoun (Gaza); and Dr Afaf Badran, Head of the Initiatives of Change Art Planning Team and curator of the exhibition have agreed to open the exhibition and its accompanying activities on 18 June at 16:30 at Believe Together, Weimarstraat 300, The Hague.
The majority of the activities will be bilingual, in English and Dutch. Admission is free, but please register for the opening event, as attendance is limited to 100 people.
Register here: https://www.annalindh.nl/agenda-exhibition-israel-palestine-pain-and-hope–the-search-for-peace-begins-with-listening
About the author
Kees Hulsman is a sociologist based in The Hague and is director Stichting Arab-West Foundation, Head of the Anna Lindh Foundation in the Netherlands.