Israel and the Middle East One Hour show.pptx

israel

1. Israel and the Middle East The Challenge of Peace Presented to the First Presbyterian Church of South St. Paul

2. The Middle East is often in the news. Many members of our community are interested in the issue and would like some context to help understand the issues. We are here from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas to: Provide background information Put events into context Share a American Jewish perspective Open a dialogue on the issues in the community Why are we doing this?

3. Why am I involved?

4. Palestinian Jewish Dialogue of Duluth September 18-19, 2004 Safaa , Brenda and Steve

5. My trip to Bethlehem with Encounter April 2008

6. How many people are in your family?

7. My trip to Bethlehem and Israel in March of 2012 George Rishmawi

8. Additional Palestinians I have met and listened to over the years Naim Ateek founder of Sabeel Mitri Raheb minister of the the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church of Bethlehem Steve Khoury Calvery Church in Jerusalem Abu Ali Awwad Bereaved Families Forum, Al Tareek (The Way) Fedwa Wazwaz Wajeeh Tameezi and Roi Golan from the Bereaved Families Forum Ziad Amra

9. What is the definition of peace?

10. This definition adopted by UNESCO in 1995. “Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.  It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief.  Tolerance is harmony in difference .  It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and legal requirement.  Tolerance, the virtue that makes peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture of peace.” From an editor’s note in the current “Teaching Tolerance” magazine from the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Let’s put this language in our plan, or in our back pockets. Tolerance Defined

11. Why it will work… Historical and Current Examples

12. Golden Age of Islam

13. Golden Age of Islam

14. 1979 - Sadat and Begin, the first to make peace.

15. 1994 - Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein with President Bill Clinton

16. Israeli and Palestinian Researchers Collaborate on Scientific Projects Development of an environmentally safe method for increasing the yield of the Nile tilapia, better known in Israel as St. Peter's fish Development of gene therapy for treatment of bladder cancer.

17. Co-Existence Happens Every Day Hadassah Hospital continues to serve as a bridge for peace . At Hadassah, Jews and Arabs work side by side to treat patients from all over the region. Innovative, bicultural, bilingual schools, taught by teams of Arab and Israeli teachers, education students for a peaceful future

18. Peaceful Co-Existence

19. The Hot Buttons of Today The Fence/Wall Settlements Determining who is the conflict between Is it anti- semitic to criticize Israel Is Israel an Apartheid state? Revolutions within the Arab World

20. Border Fences Around the World U.S. - Mexico Pakistan - Afghanistan Spain - Morocco Russia - Norway, Finland, China Northern Ireland Thailand - Malaysia India - Bangladesh India - Burma India - Pakistan China - North Korea North Korea - South Korea Botswana - Zimbabwe Brunei – Limbang Turkish Cyprus - Greek Cyprus Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan - Afghanistan Morocco - Western Sahara Iran - Pakistan United Arab Emirates – Oman Saudi Arabia - Yemen Saudi Arabia - Iraq Egypt - Gaza Israel - Lebanon Israel - Syria Israel – Gaza Israel - the West Bank More than 20 separation fences around the world today

21. Settlements are not THE Obstacle to Peace For two decades, Israel did not hold the West Bank There were NO SETTLEMENTS There was NO PEACE Israel evacuated ALL settlements from Sinai in exchange for peace with Egypt Would withdraw again for peace Israel evacuated ALL settlements from GAZA NO SETTLEMENTS NO PEACE* * More than 8,000 rockets have hit Israel from Gaza since settlements were withdrawn in 2005

22. Current Struggles in Arab World Algeria – Egypt – Libya– Yemen-Syria-Jordon

23. http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=F3DBDA14-AD32-4BAB-8791-F7AB3AA7DE5D Number of deaths in conflicts since 1950: 85,000,000 Arabs killed by Israel since 1950: 35,000 Israelis killed by Arabs since 1950: 16,000 Muslims killed violently since 1948: 11,000,000 Muslims killed fighting Israel since 1948: 35,000 (.3%) Percent Muslims killed since 1948 by Muslims : > 90 % Most Deadly Conflicts

24. What can we accept as givens It is in the best interest of all if there was a State of Palestinian Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state Delegitimizing the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state is equivalent to anti-Semitism At this time in history, the best solution is a 2 state solution. Certain settlements will need to be dismantled Democracy is the preferred manner of governance Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and to petition are desired freedoms worth fighting for. Iran cannot get “the Bomb” The Arab world needs to stop using the Palestinians as pawns in a war against the State of Israel Israel has made mistakes and has behaved cruelly at times