Further to the previous post, this article depicts the Palestinians proposal to the international quartet, and Netanyahu’s decline to submit a counterproposal; Netanyahu would prefer to reengage in direct talks, a preference that some interpret as Netanyahu’s insubordination.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel
This article about settlers’ “price tag” attacks on Palestinians and peace groups is alarming. While there is undoubted complexity to their situation, violence is never the answer. As the article states, “All forms of incitement and violence, the mortal enemies of peace, must stop.”
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel
This recent article, by Daniel’s friend Gershon Baskin, adds valuable insight to the conversation about determining borders in the Mideast. Baskin explains that when creating borders, if a partition becomes undesirable, a territorial conflict becomes an identity-conflict, which is when there are two separate national or ethnic groups fighting to dominate the territory. The example that Baskin gives is as follows: When the former Yugoslavia was fragmented, various areas with obvious identities were able to become nation states; however, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s identities were muddled with various cultures and ethnicities, and a battle for control began. Baskin goes on to conclude that a one state solution for the Palestinian and Israeli conflict is not a solution at all. This option will only lead to a struggle over which identity will dominate that singular state, and for as long as Palestinians and Israelis are unwilling to compromise their identity, a two state solution is the only viable one.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel
An op-ed in Friday’s New York Times argues that Palestinian UN recognition could advance not only Palestinian goals, both those of the Israelis as well, if certain components are included.
This video is very well done, regardless if one thinks that Israel should return to her 1967 borders. As the video describes, some Israelis are very concerned about returning to their previous borders from a defense perspective, and it is important to understand their viewpoint.
Others feel that Israel would be able to adequately defend herself (as seen in the 1967 war), and that the West Bank is not crucial to doing so. As Mr. van Creveld, an Israeli military historian said in an article in the New York Times: “Strategically speaking . . . the risk of giving up the West Bank “is negligible.” He continued: “What is not negligible is the demographic, social, cultural and political challenge that ruling over 2.5 million — nobody knows exactly how many — occupied Palestinians in the West Bank poses. Should Israeli rule over them continue, then the country will definitely turn into what it is already fast becoming: namely, an apartheid state that can only maintain its control by means of repressive secret police actions.”
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel
This TIME article about Palestinians, contained by the security wall is sad and poignant. This article depicts that many Israelis and Palestinians simply do not understand each other, because they do not get to know each other, and just reaffirms the vital need for OneVoice’s Imagine 2018 Campaign.
This article displays a silver lining in the midst of a tragedy: Palestinian firefighters participated in the humanitarian effort to extinguish the fires in the Carmel region of Israel. (The firefighter’s admitted that their efforts were purely humanitarian and not indicative of any political statements, but one cannot help but feel moved and inspired by the cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians depicted here.) Beyond the article itself being a mark of true hope, the talkbacks at the bottom of this article- which are usually just spurts of extremism and skepticism- show that people are filled with hope and ready for peace.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel.
The picture below is an excerpt from a newspaper visualizing hope in the background, as the foreground features Palestinian training forces in Jenin, working to build a state with disciplined security. All US and Israeli intelligence accounts view this as an inspiring success in transforming the area from disarray and chaos into a vibrant and economic society.
This weekend OneVoice Israel is launched one of its strongest viral campaigns through social media sites like Facebook and online newspapers like Ma’ariv and YNET. 100’s of Israelis contributed their visions for 2018 by writing headlines for the future. Headlines included visions such as “War!: The World Cup 2018 Final Tonight: Israel Against Palestine” and “Another border opens: The public is invited to tour in Palestine.”
OneVoice Palestine took their campaign to the streets partnering with the municipalities of Jenin, Nablus, Hebron and Bethlehem to create mass murals of 2018 visions. The purpose of the project, OVP Executive Director Samer Makhlouf reminds us, “Was to inspire the youth of Jenin to play a role in the building of their state. Contributions made by youths inspire not only themselves but the rest of the community. They put something on the mural that was honest, true and personal. It was their vision, for their future, for their city. The first mural in Jenin has just been completed. It depicts images of urban development and economic prosperity.
OneVoice’s Imagine 2018 campaign is changing the conversation on the ground. Instead of focusing on the past, OneVoice is creating a more constructive, future-oriented discourse. Politicians and influencers in the Middle East and around the world are joining in. Tony Blair, Her Majesty Queen Noor and Jason Alexander are just a few international personalities lending their support and visions to this campaign.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel.
Hamas recently issued a statement depicting their losses in the war. According to the report, Israel killed 250 Hamas members at police headquarters and another 150 security personnel were killed. These numbers match IDF estimates. Previous to this report, Hamas overestimated civilian deaths and underestimated the number of Hamas operatives killed to prevent demoralization, but in either scenario, the deaths associated with the war are incredibly tragic.
“Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel”