I belong to a group of ‘Peace Builders’ and have just been confronted with a complicated situation.

Mohamed, a member of the group, shared a video of a doctor speaking publicly at a conference. She is a paediatrician of Palestinian origin who has just returned from 3 weeks in the hospitals of Gaza and is crying about the horror of the war.

A few minutes later, Simon, a member of the Jewish community, reacted by asking that the video be removed from the group. What should I do?

I appreciate the challenge of being an effective peace facilitator, and this situation illustrates that role.

Why do I think we shouldn't keep this video in the group?

Here's my reasoning:

- Launching a peace process requires an environment in which all participants feel safe.

- Messages that arouse strong emotions must be transmitted with the utmost caution to avoid unnecessary agitation.

- It is essential to pause, reflect and then express emotions with an open heart and compassionate body language.

- If we want to find solutions, it is essential to communicate the concrete needs of the various stakeholders (for example, ‘I need to be reassured that everyone has the same information as me’).

- If necessary, everyone can formulate requests, taking care not to make them a requirement.

- The intention is to accept diversity and encourage everyone to share their points of view, by facilitating the expression of their emotions, needs and requests.

• The aim is then to facilitate constructive exchanges, enabling creative solutions to be worked out together to meet everyone's needs.

In this case, the video arouses intense emotions, leading to judgements and reactions, as we can see with Simon. It does not promote a better understanding of the realities of both parties and does not contribute to a peaceful resolution.

How would I respond to Mohamed and Simon?

"Dear M/S,

We are aware of the pain and turmoil that current events are causing each and every one of us. We are convinced that your goal, like ours, is to cultivate a world of peace, diversity and freedom. To make progress in this direction, it is vital that we first find peace within ourselves and clearly formulate the needs and demands we wish to present to this group of peace-builders. This sharing allows others to calmly express their needs, enabling us to co-create peace initiatives that truly serve our communities without provoking new tensions. Therefore, we invite you to remove your message/video and let us know how we can help you meet your personal needs. Ideally, we aim to engage members with diverse views in constructive conversations and we recommend that you discuss with S/M how we might achieve this."

By adopting this approach, we can turn emotionally charged discussions into productive dialogues, paving the way for effective peace-building initiatives.

What do you think?