The request for a travel permit seemed terribly innocent. An international filmmaker was debuting a film about Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and wanted the Palestinian activist to be present at the premier in West Jerusalem. But the Israeli authorities denied Shifa al-Qudsi's request.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Qudsi expressed perplexity, though she wasn’t totally surprised. “I have received permits to visit my brother in jail in Israel, so why do they deny me a chance to attend a peace documentary?” she commented in a phone call with Al-Monitor from her home in Tulkarm.

Stephen Apkon and Andrew Young's “Disturbing the Peace,” about a brave group of Israelis and Palestinians, was screened July 14 at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. The film features four Israelis and four Palestinians, including Qudsi, who are part of Combatants for Peace, a nonviolent organization originally made up exclusively of members who had participated in the conflict as armed combatants on one side or the other.

Udi Gur, an Israeli who did his mandatory military service but refused to carry out his reserve duties in the occupied territories, told Al-Monitor that he joined Combatants for Peace because he wanted to act for change. “Israeli society has to change,” he said. "The left has to find a leader. The Israeli media must stop its constant dehumanization of Palestinians.”