Risking our lives to make music

A former Israeli soldier and a Palestinian protester may appear to be the most unlikely of friends.

But they were part of a band which defied borders and political tensions – even risking their lives to make music together.

Mark Smulian, who lives in Bristol, was one of three Israelis, and three Palestinian musicians, to form WhiteFlag, which toured the world – highlighting their common ground as much as the political problems of the region.

Palestinians from Gaza performing with Israelis had previously been unheard of. The band had to endure endless paperwork and the Palestinians were regularly intimidated and humiliated by border controls.

Mark, 57, who moved to Israel with his family from London at the age of 12, said: “It took a lot of effort to get together in a hostile land. But when we made music together, we forgot about our differences. Music transcends politics.

“We had to reach out of our comfort zone, show mutual respect and we all had to play our part.”

The band, which was set up in 1998, also included: Gani Tamir, Katyja Cooper, Shadi Al Haj, Zaher Abdul Jawad and Yassin Hussein

Apart from a stint at boarding school in Millfield and six years in the United States, he stayed for 42 years and carried out military service with the Israeli army.

The Palestinians later got out of the area, after being harassed by Hamas. And Mark sheltered bandmate Shadi in his home in Tel Aviv for nearly a year before smuggling him out of the country.

Mark said: “It was like having our own Anne Frank, but with a happier ending. We managed to get Shadi out of Israel and into Switzerland – through a fake invitation to a peace conference.

“We managed to sort out the paperwork manically in three days. We had no choice because it was clear that his life was in danger from the local security forces, who had a hard time accepting he was simply making music with Israelis and not a collaborator against the Palestinian people.

“We are still very close friends to this day and speak weekly.”

The musicians played and recorded for 11 years with a brief break during a second uprising in 2000, when suicide bombers attacked and borders were shut down.

The band has not played together since 2009, when they ended up moving to different countries. One band member, Yassin, is still in Gaza today with his wife and five children.

Mark, who is married to his bandmate, Gani, said he was not living in Israel during his more formative years and was less influenced by propaganda.

The father of two said: “The propaganda is subtle. It’s about playing on the ‘victim’ mentality of Jewish people and saying they need to be protected by the state.

“I love my country, but in the end it was emotionally exhausting to stay because we regularly saw racial abuse and we wanted to show our children there was another way.”

He is now using the skills he learned during his time producing music for WhiteFlag to break down barriers in Bristol. He has introduced it to Salaam Shalom, a Bristol charity aimed at building bridges between communities.

He has already used his system, which he calls LydianStream, to work with the board of education in Israel. It works on three principles: respect, responsibility and listening.

He now works with a range of groups, from school children to business people, to develop communication and team building skills.

Mark, who now lives in Bedminster, said: “We learn to appreciate the emotional behaviours used by musicians when they perform. We can then adapt these skills to non-musical situations. A direct benefit is an improved team, more productivity and a happier environment.”

To hear Mark Smulian talk about his experiences and to listen to music from WhiteFlag, tune into BCfm’s weekly Politics Show

Picture: Back row, from left to right: Salech Awad, Yassin Hussein, Ktaja Cooper, Sasha Shtein, Shadi Al Haj, Shy Miara. Front row, from left to right: Zaher Abdul Jawad, Gani Tamir, Mark Smulian