wounded xrossing borders

a new start

The 30 members of the Wounded Xrossing Borders group are wounded veterans, both Israelis and Palestinians. They are committed to establishing a constructive dialogue that will help create the conditions for a lasting peace.

On the evening of their arrival, some of them told their individual stories and the reasons that led them to meet, dialogue and try to understand each other. While each of them bears the scars and the aftermath of the conflicts between them, their words were devoid of acrimony, and were filled with the desire to move forward together, like the compelling testimony of Mohammed, a former prisoner, and David, his jailer: having lost family members in the conflicts, they decided that their children's future should not resemble their present. For a year now, the members of Wounded Xrossing Borders, under the impetus of their coordinators, the Palestinian Soulaiman Kha-tib and the Israeli Gadi Kenny, have been meeting regularly and have come to Switzerland to build a common project. This is the fifth mixed stay organized by the Lausanne association.

"Coexisting means existing together. This does not mean agreeing with the other, but finding pragmatic solutions to live together."

THE STAY IN SWITZERLAND: A WEEK OF INTENSE WORK

UNDERSTAND

The WXB group's stay in Switzerland should make it possible to explore, during a conference followed by a debate, the political infrastructures of our confederation which, although spared from conflicts, is composed of diverse identities, cultures, languages and religions that have learned to coexist. The group was received by the Council of State of the Canton of Vaud.

PROJECT

WXB was able to establish contacts with the CHUV in Lausanne in order to provide specific care to injured people. Another project also emerged in their discussions, that of organizing summer camps for injured children from both sides.

CONTINUE

Coexistences hopes that each Israeli-Palestinian group he invites to Switzerland will, on his return to Palestine and Israel, continue the project developed during his stay here and that all the participants will create emulators who will join them in their approach. The WXB group currently comprises nearly 100 people.

ASSOCIATES AND SPONSORS

All the work of stewardship and organization is carried out voluntarily by the members of Coexistences. We are grateful to the organizations and institutions that have helped us, either through donations or by taking charge of events, accommodation and visits during this trip.