Daniel Lubetzky

A new poll reaffirms the uphill battle to get Israelis and Palestinians to overcome their skepticism about each other, and to be able to visualize that a two state solution can come about. According to the Peace Index, we have our work cut out for ourselves. Here is a summary:

Poll: Israelis Want Peace Negotiations But Don’t Believe They Will Succeed (Peace Index)
    While 71% of the Israeli public favors holding peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, 67% do not believe that negotiations will lead to peace in the coming years, according to the April 2012 Peace Index survey of the Evens Program for Conflict Resolution at Tel Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute.
    58% said they did not believe there is a real chance to resolve the conflict in accordance with the "two states for two peoples" formula in the next ten years.

Clifford May wrote an article worth reading for all those who are determined to truly address the refugee issue and resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.  In addition to the points made in the article, it is important to track the real numbers of refugees, EVEN if I you count their descendants. Some of the estimates regularly shared are inflated beyond belief.  A way to confirm this is simply by tracking how many Palestinians were living in total prior to 1948, then tracking how many of them left and how many of them stayed at the time, and how many are there today, and compare to the estimated number who is considered a refugee today. Even if everyone who left, and everyone of their descendants were to considered a refugee, and even if their birthrate was far higher than the one in the West Bank and Gaza and within Israel, the discrepancies would still be quite apparent.

The attached Arabic website links to an Israeli Channel 10 video revealing back-channel negotiations where Khaled Maashal from Hamas apparently offered Olmert a peace deal in exchange for permitting Hamas to lead and rule in Gaza, and presumably eventually across Palestine.  The offer never got off the ground. But just the plausibility that Hamas/Maashal offered such terms is causing enormous commotion within Palestine.  Beyond weakening Hamas and Maashal and strengthening Abbas and Fatah, it legitimizes the path of negotiations and reconciliation.  But more troubling, it may drive deeper divisions within Hamas and possibly isolate any moderating influences and prevent a reconciliation that would allow centrists in Hamas and Fatah to do a responsible coalition to negotiate a two state solution with Israel.

After taking a closer look at the Meditalia Olive Tapenade, a Brooklyn Co-op member realizes that there is more behind the spread than just its ingredients.  Check out this well written article to see how PeaceWorks made an impression on Leah Koenig during the debates in Park Slope.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Orni Petrushka, Gilead Sher and Ami Ayalon wrote a very thoughtful and compelling opinion piece in the New York Times that should be required reading for anyone who cares about Israel and/or Palestine.  The time has come for citizens, communities and governments in the region and globally to start making a two state solution a reality.  With positive facts on the ground.  OneVoice and the PeaceWorks Foundation will hopefully be deepening their work in this direction also.

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This is an important article worth reading and bearing in mind; beyond the geopolitical and sociocultural challenges to get to the finish line, the economic dimension is making the challenge even trickier.

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It is very much worth seeing this campaign, and applauding it for what it stands – a people to people effort to humanize each other, amidst enormous dehumanization.

I am acutely aware about the apocalyptic tendencies of Ahmadinejad and about the absolutist totalitarian oppression of Khamenei, including their support of terror and their subjugation of their own people.  This movement doesn’t even engage with any of that – it transcends it, and shares a very important message from common Israeli people to common Iranian people.  In the end, the people are the ones that will be able to transcend their extremist representatives and achieve co-existence.

Gideon Biger, a Professor of Geography at Tel Aviv University, references three examples of how European States handled somewhat similar territorial challenges and ultimately achieved harmony.  While there are plenty of distinctions, these are all worth bearing in mind as Israel and Palestine seek to resolve their differences.

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This video does a great job of depicting the paralyzing problem at hand in the Mideast negotiations.  Watch this video to see how OneVoice silently voiced their opinion that the negotiation talks need to be unfrozen. 

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

This article tells the inspiring story of a soccer team that unites Arabs and Israelis in pursuit of lofty goals on and off the field.  As the article states, “[w]ith football you can do peace, the Arab and Israeli living together.”

By Adeena Schlussel

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