After the war broke out I suddenly found myself with a complex perspective — I am not only part of the “strong and conquering” nation; I am also part of a nation that suffered violence and horrors on a scale that I cannot comprehend. I oppose the extreme violence of the militants from Gaza on October 7th, and I oppose Israel’s military violence used against Palestinians before and after that day. This point of view is not widespread in Israel. If it was difficult to talk about Palestinian rights and the occupation before the war, now it is downright dangerous. Left-wing activists have suffered violence and arrests at the hands of the police during demonstrations; others have received threats on social media and others have fled their homes with concerns for their safety. This project is the story of those activists and to a large extent my story as well. This is not a story that can be told to the news as it is too dangerous at the moment. Therefore, I chose to photograph the activists in a way that obscured their faces so they could not be identified. The activists I photographed are 22- to 38-year-old residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Many of them are students, employees of human rights organizations, artists, or educators. It seems possible that in another country, they would be in the mainstream, appreciated and respected by the society in which they grew up in. But here, their political position places them on the margins, condemning them to live a double life. In the eyes of some, in extreme times like now, these activists are seen as traitors because of their pro-Palestinian views. The people I chose to photograph belong to a generation that, for most of its adult life, has only experienced Netanyahu’s government and successive fighting campaigns in Gaza. These are people who, despite feeling despair, believe there is a different way. They are in constant doubt about whether it is possible to continue living here when acts of violence are repeatedly committed in their names in Gaza, when settler violence is only increasing, and when they have been trying to warn of the inherent danger in the occupation for years. All the while, they are seen as an enemy within. Both the occupier and the occupied are victims of violence. Peace can only exist through difficult conversations, where both sides have room to hurt. This will never relieve the occupier of responsibility for their actions, and we will bear this with us forever.