The following conversation took place between me, myself and I; three people I happen to know quite well:
What is your answer for the Middle East?
I would use Arab and Western capital and knowhow to build a Green Industrial Zone in Rafah, Gaza; where Gaza, Egypt and Israel converge, and where 300,000 Jews, Christians and Muslims would show up to work on a daily basis.
Why Rafah in particular? Isn’t that a…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on January 18, 2012 at 7:40pm —
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Some of the strongmen of the Middle East are no longer in the picture, but who, and what, will come to replace them?
Yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt is a case in point. Certainly, there was a sense of hope written on the faces of Egyptians who voted, as perhaps a first step in reclaiming their country. But who did they vote for? Undoubtedly, the Muslim Brotherhood will garner a strong position in the new government. But does that necessarily mean an end to democracy even…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on November 30, 2011 at 12:03am —
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My friend, Sagi Melamed, wrote this article. As you read it ask yourself this: How do you promote the cause of peace when both sides to a conflict believe they're right?
You’re Also Right
Sagi Melamed
There is a well-known story about a rabbi who was called upon to settle a dispute between two of his followers. The first man poured out his complaints to the rabbi, and when he finished, the rabbi said, “You’re right.” Then it was the second one’s turn. When he…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on November 3, 2011 at 5:02pm —
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In this increasingly hostile world of ours, it is only natural to search for even the slightest hint that peace may be possible. As I watched the news last night, two such hints came into sharp focus right before my eyes. The first is Iran’s recent attempt to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. And the second is the imminent, God willing, release by Hamas of Gilad Shalit, a captive Israeli soldier, in exchange for the release of approximately 1000 Palestinian prisoners being held in…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on October 13, 2011 at 12:30am —
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http://www.sellingavisionofhope.org/People the world over cry out for “freedom,” but how often do we sit down and think about what it really means to be free?
Over the years, different people the world over embraced different interpretations of “freedom.”
Janice Joplin used to sing of freedom as “…nothing left to lose.” Is that what it means to be free? Or is that the state of mind that is needed to put…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on September 25, 2011 at 11:02pm —
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In this ambiguous world of ours it is often difficult to find moral clarity, even when it comes to seemingly black and white issues like 9/11 and the Arab Spring. And the question arises therefore: How do we bring moral clarity to a world that is mired in confusion and chaos?
The Taliban were not exactly a friendly bunch when they ran things in Afghanistan. They made life difficult for the people with their distorted version of Islam. They kept women covered up and hidden away in the…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on September 11, 2011 at 11:09pm —
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http://www.sellingavisionofhope.org/
Relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained to the breaking point, ever since nine Turkish activists on the Mavi Marmara tried to run Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, and were killed by Israeli naval commandos in May of last year. In the years preceding this incident, relations between the two countries were relatively good, including strategic cooperation, tourism, economic…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on August 11, 2011 at 11:21pm —
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A friend of mine brought to my attention a recent article by Ethan Bronner in The New York Times, Where Politics Are Complex, Simple Joys at the Beach. The article describes a group of Israeli women who engage in civil disobedience by sneaking into Israel groups of Palestinian women to enjoy a day at the beach. The Israeli women, who call themselves We Will Not Obey, are willing to break the law to send the message that in their opinion, the occupation, with its attendent legislation, is unjust…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on July 28, 2011 at 7:37pm —
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In the Wild, Wild West, American settlers used to “circle the wagons” when their wagon train came under attack. Some of Israel’s lawmakers are doing something similar in our time.
Faced with a barrage of international criticisms, and with a concerted campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state, and with mounting calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions, some lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to pass laws which are intended to stem the tide of widespread condemnation of Israel’s…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on July 17, 2011 at 10:30pm —
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Granted, I may be somewhat biased in this regard, but to my mind at least, the United States of America is the greatest country on earth, and probably the greatest country that ever was, and unfortunately, every once in a while, it comes time to prove it. This is such a time.
The problems which sit stubbornly at America’s doorstep are numerous and overwhelming: a huge debt burden that threatens future generations, a slow economy that is slow to rebound, high unemployment, two wars…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on July 5, 2011 at 10:10pm —
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The Middle East is home to some of the finest mosaics the world has ever known. Most of them date back to antiquity and bear stark witness to the passage of time. But what about now? Do you think it would be possible to create yet a new mosaic in our time, a work of art even more glorious than those which came before? Is it possible to arrange the broken pieces of the Middle East, in just the…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on May 11, 2010 at 11:47pm —
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President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu may soon embark on yet another round of peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. Each leader, in his own way, faces daunting challenges, in part because he must answer to ideological constituencies which are vehemently opposed to the concessions which are part and parcel of the peace process. Netanyahu, for example, will face an uphill fight convincing his right-wing coalition to compromise on Jerusalem. And in a similar vein, Abbas could be…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on March 10, 2010 at 9:31pm —
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My wife and I just returned home from a three-week visit to Israel. To be accurate, we also visited the Palestinian West Bank for a day; a profoundly memorable day at that.
In some ways, our trip followed familiar patterns: visiting family and friends, taking in the wondrous landscapes and vistas, and enjoying the delicious foods with utter abandon. But in other ways, at least some of our experiences seemed to defy normal expectations, and seemed to negate the usual narratives we…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on December 4, 2009 at 9:08pm —
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chose to commemorate Quds Day on Friday, September 18, by expressing his usual doubts as to whether the Holocaust really happened. He stated that the Holocaust was used as a false pretext for occupying Palestinian lands. And he is quoted as questioning, “If the Holocaust was a real event, why don’t they allow research on it to clear up the facts?”
To this last question, I would respectfully ask, “Who are ‘they,’ who are not allowing research to…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on November 16, 2009 at 4:50am —
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chose to commemorate Quds Day on Friday, September 18, by expressing his usual doubts as to whether the Holocaust really happened. He stated that the Holocaust was used as a false pretext for occupying Palestinian lands. And he is quoted as questioning, “If the Holocaust was a real event, why don’t they allow research on it to clear up the facts?”
To this last question, I would respectfully ask, “Who are ‘they,’ who are not allowing research to…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on November 16, 2009 at 4:50am —
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Written By:
Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa
Crown Prince of Bahrain
We need fresh thinking if the Arab Peace Initiative is to have the impact it deserves on the crisis that needlessly impoverishes Palestinians and endangers Israel's security.
This crisis is not a zero-sum game. For one side to win, the other does not have to lose.
The peace dividend for the entire Middle East is potentially immense. So why have we not gotten…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on August 24, 2009 at 6:32pm —
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The following article was brought to my attention recently, about the brutal killing of a man on the promenade of a Tel Aviv beach.
Haaretz
August 17, 2009
“Our father was a man of peace,” says daughter of Tel Aviv murder victim.
Hundreds of people accompanied Leonard Karp, who was brutally beaten to death on the promenade of a Tel Aviv beach Friday night, as he was laid to rest in Petah Tikva on Sunday.
Karp’s daughters, one of which was with…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on August 18, 2009 at 10:02pm —
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President Obama finds himself in a bit of a bind when it comes to Iran. And the dilemma he faces is not unlike that faced by many policy makers when it comes to the Middle East. Who do you support, the government, or the people?
When he ran for the Presidency, Obama vowed to negotiate with Iran’s leaders with respect to such contentious issues as their nuclear weapons program, and their support for terrorist groups. And at the time, the prospect of using diplomacy as an olive branch,…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on July 19, 2009 at 6:43pm —
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People around the world are not all the same. They don’t all want the same exact things. But at the end of the day, my guess would be that most people the world over do want some similar things, and that freedom would probably top the list of what most people need and want. Iranians are no exception.
What is freedom? Not an easy question to answer considering all the hype that goes into that one simple word. Freedom means different things to different people, and its meaning changes…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on July 6, 2009 at 9:17pm —
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Say what you will, the Middle East is a mysterious place. The person who says he knows what will happen there is either foolish of naïve. And yet, there are signs afoot which may point in a new direction, one that is more hopeful, and which hints of a better day and a brighter future.
Whatever else it was, 9/11 was a wake up call of sorts. The horrific events of that day said to the world that there are pent up resentments in various parts of the world, which are festering, which may…
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Added by Nissim Dahan on May 27, 2009 at 5:44am —
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