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For over a month during this period of violence between Israelis and Palestians, Yitzhak Frankenthal and members of the Bereaved Families Forum held a vigil in a peace tent in Rabin square in Tel Aviv. It became the center and starting point both for prayers and practical efforts to stop the violence and achieve peace. Bereaved Families Forum Leader Frankenthal travelled to Gaza to meet with Yasser Arafat and met with Israeli PM Barak during this period. This is his message upon closing the tent.

Final Message From the Peace Tent

BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO BEREAVEMENT

16.1.01

For 45 days we have been sitting in the Hunger for Peace Tent. From the outset we set the 17.1.01 as our closing date and this was indicated on the license received from the Municipality and the Police. Our only aim was to support the peace process on the one side, and refrain from interference in the forthcoming elections on the other. These 45 days have not gone by without problems. Not a single day went by without us being in contact with Gaza, and the Government. We have met the President of Israel and tried to induce him not to interfere with the Prime Minister's pro-peace activities. We met the Prime Minister, some of us twice, others more often, we met Arafat in the Palestinian Authority and were also in touch with his office. We met Arafat's ministers numerous times, and were in daily touch with bereaved Palestinian parents whom we also visited in Gaza. They reciprocated by visiting us at the Tent. We visited bereaved parents of Arab-Israelis who, in turn, reciprocated by paying us a visit in the Tent. Thousands of Israelis came to the Tent and signed the petition in support of peace, but many thousands of supporters of peace were absent. I would like, in this summation speech to say thank you. First and foremost to Mama Toni, Aaron, Keren Or, Guy, Yezi, Mordechai, Iris and Dalia who took the trouble of coming from Hadera every day. Thanks to Meira, Moshe Weitzmann, Dina Feler and our contributors - first and foremost the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the Tel-Aviv Municipality who contributed the location free of charge, and a special thanks to Tel-Aviv Mayor Ron Houldai. Thanks to Israel Tents - Mr. Hashu, the firm that provided chairs and tables free of charge, Mei Eden, the security firm that provided 45 days of round the clock security, the generator supplier who provided a generator for one month, Meretz who loaned us their sound system, all the artists and lecturers and most important, the faithful friends and supporters who believed in our way and have lent a hand in the struggle for peace.

No, we have not given up. Only today I met Prime Minister Barak in order to assist on the subject of peace. I believe Barak is doing his utmost to bring peace. I have never met so brave a man as Barak who is prepared to deal with any explosive subject and try to diffuse every issue step by step. I can compare Barak to a surgeon who is hated by his patient when in pain but once healed is blessed by him. Yes, we are in the midst of an operation and at this critical stage patients hate the surgeon unjustifiably. We are on the eve of elections for next Prime Minister. Certainly our Tent does not support any particular candidate. Our tent, or Association are not a Barak or Sharon Association but an Association for peace. It makes no difference to us who will be Prime Minister we are only concerned with the subject of peace. As from tonight each and everyone is free to go his/her way, each of us will support his own candidate freely and openly. We, as an Association will continue to pursue peace and denounce the follies of war and the waste of human lives on both sides.

Yesterday at midnight I received an anonymous phone call and the voice asked me: "Well, Frankenthal, what have you to say about the execution of Palestinians accused of collaboration?" "How can you live with that?" I asked whether he meant the killing of Tanzym leaders or other terror acts against us and he did not understand. I told him that Israel, as a sovereign state has, during the past month, executed over 10 terrorists who have acted against Israel. We are dealing in war and in war there is killing. "Why are you astonished that the Palestinian Authority kills but not that Israelis kill?". Why do we regard killing terrorists as just but at the same time regard the killing of Palestinians as unjust? This is the essence of the conflict and therefore the cycle of bloodshed must end.

The Tent was intended first and foremost to voice the cry of the void. During these 45 days we have issued many emotional messages to Israelis and Palestinians from the Tent.. We expressed our emotions at the folly of the continued bloodshed and the price we pay for the absence of peace. It is therefore our duty, not our privilege, to work to advance the cause of peace. We are being accused of exploiting bereavement to which we admit wholeheartedly. Yes, we are exploiting bereavement but only in order to avoid additional bereavement. We have lost our dear ones owing to the absence of peace and we see it as our duty to work for peace. I want to tell all my beloved friends that I will miss these hard days. I will miss the signs of love, the hugging, the kisses, the caresses of understanding because with you, my beloved friends to bereavement, I feel and know there is a commitment to peace like no other person on earth. We shall be mentioned in the book of history about the wars of Israel. We paid for the pillars of fire, scrolls of pain derived not from political ambition, self-indulgence or personal interest but purely for the People of Israel. To all those who slander us I say: "I love you, I ache with you and share the pain of having to compromise. I hurt with you that we have to tear the land, but there is no choice, it is either peace or war, compromise or bereavement, loss or saving of life. Long Live the State of Israel. "Yes" to peace and the end of the conflict and "No" to war. Good luck to the peace camp in the coming month.

Finally, I want to talk about our future plans: an evening at Haihal Hatarbut to generate contributions and launch project "Ways of Pleasantness". We mean to bring about reconciliation between the two peoples and "market" the values of tolerance, democracy and peace based on Jewish sources. We intend to continue delivering many more lectures in schools and to voice our opinion through the media, to publish ads, buy space on billboards, develop children's games centered around subjects close to our hearts and derived from the wonderful world of Jewish heritage. It is important for us to strengthen the people's spirit and find the broadest possible common denominator. We care about the treatment of the "other", we respect human rights and we want to see the State of Israel as a place worth living for, and after the death of our own children, a place worth dying for. All these are our plans for the future.

Again, thank you all. Yitzhak Frankenthal - Bereaved Families Forum   frankent@netvision.net.il