"One of our occasional hosts in the town was Ofir Libstein, the head of the regional council basically the mayor of the area. Ofir firmly believed that Israel's long-term security depended on a future for his Palestinian neighbors in Gaza as well. He was an activist and a public voice for the idea that stability for his region and constituents depended on achieving peace."
"When I last visited the kibbutz this summer, I met one of Ofir's close friends, a man my age who survived by clinging to his safe-room door handle for hours while his neighbors were massacred. Despite everything, he told me peace must still be the path forward that Palestinians in Gaza must be given something to live for. His words, and his refusal to surrender hope, moved me to tears."
Kfar Aza, a small bucolic kibbutz less than two miles from Gaza, came under a brutal attack on 7 October 2023. Policy makers and American guests visited Kfar Aza to learn what life on the border meant and potential paths toward conflict resolution. Ofir Libstein, head of the regional council, believed Israel's long-term security required a future for Palestinian neighbors in Gaza and was killed defending his community. Sixty-two residents were killed and nineteen were taken hostage, including twins Gali and Ziv Berman, who remain in Gaza. A survivor who clung to his safe-room door handle for hours urged that Palestinians in Gaza must be given something to live for.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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