Marilyn Stowe Blog

Turn, Turn, Turn: Is this the season that brings peace?

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to mend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

I never thought for one moment that peace would ever come between Israel and the Palestinians until one particular matter had been resolved. And until now it never has. But now it is happening, and so for the first time I think that peace might just be on its way.

The obstacle to be removed before anything else could begin was the freedom of captured conscript Gilad Shalit – whose name and identity is probably not known to many readers.

Five years ago, aged 19, Corporal Shalit had just begun his mandatory military service with the Israeli army when he was ambushed and kidnapped from Israel. He was taken to Gaza and has since been imprisoned in unknown conditions. Over the years the best efforts of the Israeli military have failed to find him.

The Western media developed blindness towards the plight of Gilad Shalit, and so sadly did their governments – even though he shares French and Israeli nationality. In fact, freeing him never became much of an issue outside of Israel and for many people within the Jewish community around the world.

During his time in captivity he has never once received a Red Cross or Red Crescent visit, as he was entitled to under the Geneva Convention. The rule book went out of the window for him and no one yet knows what he endured. Only a brief glimpse two years ago when a video recording of him surfaced afforded his despairing family any indication of his welfare. They have worked tirelessly to highlight his plight, despite the political reluctance to focus on his kidnapping. How could any parent endure the daily torture of not knowing what is happening to their young son? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

However, the problem for the Israeli government in negotiating his release was not only dealing with Hamas but also its own people, as the price demanded for Gilad’s freedom was the release of hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli jails. While many of the Israeli population undoubtedly wanted to see Gilad free, a large number did not wish to see prisoners freed who had been responsible for the deaths of their own loved ones. So there has been an intense debate in Israel as to whether the price of one life is worth the freedom of those men.

But the time is now right. A window of opportunity has opened, and with the help of Egyptian and German mediators a deal has been struck. It seems the price has now been agreed: one thousand men will be freed in return for just one. But Israel has previously swapped hundreds of its prisoners to obtain the bodies of its dead soldiers. And now Gilad might just be coming home alive as the Israeli Cabinet and its representatives seem to have agreed the deal.

So why did I entitle this post Turn Turn Turn? The song sung by The Byrds (which you can listen to below) and inspired by a famous verse from The Book of Ecclesiastes?

Tonight the Harvest Festival of Sukkot begins; a time for rejoicing during which the Book of Ecclesiastes is actually read. Perhaps this year things are turning and at last the time for peace has arrived.

My connection with Gilad Shalit also revolves around Sukkot. My family have been supporters of Gilad since he first went missing. We have signed petitions and attended a demonstration in London to support his cause, but our link is far more symbolic than that to me.

One day when we were in Jerusalem this March I went for my usual morning walk to the beautiful Sacher Park, which lies at the foot of the Israeli Parliament building. I took a detour this time past the Prime Minister’s Residence and outside was a large protest tent that had been set-up by family, friends and supporters of Gilad. I decided to sign yet another petition and collect a yellow ribbon in support. But this time was different in that I actually met Gilad’s father Noam. He is an average type of man, thrust into the spotlight by far from average events. He looked worn and exhausted. I shook his hand and wished him well as a fellow parent who could only imagine how he had suffered.

My surprise at actually meeting him meant I forgot to mention that my family had not long ago donated a small prefabricated hut called a Sukkah to our local synagogue for use during Sukkot. When asked at the time there was no doubt in our minds that we would dedicate this tiny structure to Gilad, and his name adorned a small plaque on one of its wooden walls. It was filled from top to bottom with fruits that represent the harvest festival, and gazing up between the slats in its roof you could see the smallest glimpses of the sky above.

So can you believe the coincidence that two years later Gilad’s release has finally been announced as Sukkot begins, and that he will once again be able to see that same sky as a free man?

There is indeed a time for every purpose under heaven.