Daphne Symon on trauma of war
One Woman’s War by Dana Mills, Foreword by Sally Abed, published by Five Leaves
This is a remarkable book and deserves to be read widely. It describes one woman’s experience of living in Israel as a Jewish woman who is committed to justice and the upholding of international and humanitarian law. It is an up-to-date account of her reactions to the recent outbreak of war in Gaza. The book’s fascination lies in its bringing together of past history and present day traumas for both Israelis and Palestinians. It is an extremely personal account, written by an academic, set in the context of an excellent foreword by Sally Abed who is a Palestinian peace activist living in Haifa in Israel.
Dana Mills describes her horror at the unexpected assault by HAMAS on innocent civilians in Southern Israel on October 7th 2023. She knew some of those killed and injured in the attack. She remains in contact with some of the families who were moved to safety from their Kibbutz close to the border with Gaza. Six days after October 7th she started writing a diary to help her deal with her own shock and horror at what had happened. he then used extracts from her diary to set up a blog to keep in touch with friends and family. Almost daily she describes what is happening in the ongoing war in Gaza and how it is affecting the inhabitants of Tel Aviv where she lives. It is these extracts which have been transcribed into essays which form the basis of this book. She writes about the brutal conflict with insight and integrity. She is not afraid to admit to her own reactions after hearing news of the assault. Nor to her reactions in the following three months as the Israeli army responded. Throughout the book she is seeking what she calls “a paradigm shift” in the thinking of everyone who is involved in attempting to resolve the issue.
She explores the options open to loyal Israelis like herself who want peace and stability in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. In one particular extract she describes a visit with other peace activists to a Palestinian farm in the occupied West Bank during the olive-picking season. Whilst there she experienced being arrested by Israeli police but she was later released. She hopes that her activities as a peace activist attending protest rallies and meetings gives hope to everyone working for peaceful solutions. She gives voice to the many Israelis like herself who deplore what is happening and feel powerless to effect any change.
Dana Mills has pursued a career as a professional dancer, an author and an academic. She obtained her DPhil from Oxford University in 2014 and has taught there as well as in several other academic institutions in different parts of the world. She has also been committed to peace activism since she was 13 years old. In 2021 she decided to leave her home and academic life in Oxford and return to Israel and become a full-time peace activist, working alongside Sally Abed who has written the foreword to the book.
Dana Mills is well qualified to expound her views on the Israel/Palestine situation and she is exceptionally adept in her ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses in the arguments of both sides. She combines this with a refreshing modesty and openness to new ideas. Her desire is for Israelis and Palestinians to live alongside each other “from the river to the sea” (as she puts it) in peace and with mutual respect.
This book is not an easy read and not for the faint-hearted. Every few days a new atrocity has been committed either by the Israeli army and/or HAMAS and the author delves deeply into the details and displays her own shock and despair. She is harsh in her criticism of her own Government for its breaking of international law and its disregard for humanitarian care. She longs for the hostages to be returned and for a ceasefire to be declared. She is also profoundly disappointed by what she sees as the poor response of the international community.
The book comes to an end three months after the October 7th attack. Dana Mills is under no illusion that a lasting peace will necessarily be the outcome once the fighting stops. But she is full of hope and belief in a long-term future if Israelis and Palestinians can be allowed to live alongside each other, share being educated together about past history and wrongs, and together enjoy everyday activities. Then they will be able to understand each other and build a better future. One is left wondering how things will actually play out both in the near and distant future and what will be the final outcome to this seemingly intractable situation.