I would like to challenge all my fellow bloggers writing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to post this graphic. I would especially encourage those who blog either from the pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian side to post this as well. Even if you disagree with the sentiments I write below, post this image with your own sentiments. For the sake of peace.
There is a compassion deficit on both sides of this conflict. Of course, it is entirely understandable why this deficit exists. Too much blood has been shed and attitudes harden when there is an unending stream of violence.
But perhaps we can join Ben Heine, the wonderful artist who created this image, by imagining a world in which we put our respective massacres behind us and embrace a future vision of peace between two peoples. We can tell the leaders of the U.S., Israel and Palestine that we are tired of massacres. We want peace. We want negotiation: Israel-Palestine. Israel-Syria. Stop with conditions. Stop with blame. Sit down and talk. Now.
President Bush: support negotiation. Support peace. End the dithering. End the “No.”
richard, i commend you for your sentiment on this issue, the israeli/palestinian disagreement has been a pock on the face of the world for far too long.
Let’s bring this argument to the table and forcibly require that the players resolve to settle in the name of humanity. Let’s turn up the volume.
Richard, Ben send me the link to your well written , thought provoking challenge. Although we do not run a blog, yet consider ourselves an alternative to mainstream media and during our short existence as a medium we have published many commentaries and editorials and also reported news with somewhat objectivity on Palestine-Israel conflict.
Are we satisfied and believe we have done our share? Not by far. However we kept MWC an open forum for all who still believe as we do, that there must be a way for all to co-exist.
Shahram Vahdany