Schalom 5767 – German Jews interfere for peace between Israel and Palestine

Seventy Jews living in Germany launched a petition called “Schalom 5767 – Berlin Declaration”, calling upon the German government to no longer tolerate the Israeli policy of occupation of the Palestinian territory and to strive earnestly for a peaceful solution of the conflict in order to ensure an existence within internationally recognized borders for both the Israeli and Palestinian nations.

They are calling upon all people living in Germany – Jews or not – to sign this declaration.

I think this is quite an important thing. A friend of mine, who is one of those “seventy”, told me that up to now, not many Jews in Germany have this attitude towards Palestine and the Palestinians. The declaration is now being spread in the weblog, and me, of course, I signed it, too.

Link to the Berlin Declaration: http://www.schalom5767

Link to the English translation: here

Tags: Israel, Palestine, Peace, Schalom 5767, Salaam 5767

Idomeneo – A Mozart opera and Islam

At first, I was quite angry that the opera performance was cancelled just for fear that Muslims could be offended and react in the usual way of extremists; I think these artificial exaggerated “offended” reactions should just be ignored. But now I think that it was good, because it brought about a reasonable discussion.

 

The participants of the Islam Conference organised by our Minister of the Interior decided that they would like to see the opera performance in order to form their own judgement about it. This is a good thing!

 

Had the opera been performed without notice, some islamistic fundamentalists would have taken the opportunity to incite the usual riots, in Pakistan or somewhere, without anybody knowing exactly what it is about. Now, things are channelled in a reasonable way; I do hope the opera will be performed and many Muslims will see it, make up their mind and discuss about it.

 

The action of the opera is about the relation between humans and their (Greek) Gods. The stage manager of this performance emphasizes the idea of emancipation of man from religion; he shows this in the last scene when King Idomeneo shows the decapitated heads of the founders of religions Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed, and the Greek god Poseidon. Religious believers may not be happy about that. But this can be discussed without violence.

 

Tags: Religion, Islam, Opera, Mozart, Idomeneo, violence

German mission to Lebanon

Today our Unifil mission fleet left Wilhelmshaven for Lebanon.

I do not like it.

German industry has been delivering arms to Israel, and now German soldiers have to prevent arms smuggling, and this is called a mission for peace. Isn’t it cynical?

 

I would have preferred that instead of arms, we would have delivered to Israel technical or financial means for the establishment of sea water dessalination plants on a large scale, so to solve the water problem in the region – that would help to establish peace!

 

Tags: German fleet, Unifil, Lebanon, Israel, peace, water

The Pope and Islam

I am fed up, and cannot take it as serious any more: I have the impression that Islamic Fundamentalism employs some people to do nothing else than looking around all over the western world whether they can find any tiny expression – drawn, painted, written or spoken – that they can use to raise up people in violent protest against what they call “insult of Islam”.

 

This time it is the Pope who quoted a sentence from a lerned discussion between a Byzantine Emperor and a Persian Scholar. The whole thing was in a lecture about God, religion and reason.

 

Fortunately, this time I see in the English-speaking, partly Islamic blogosphere, that many bloggers do not take that as serious as well and understand how it actually ridicules their religion to use violence in order to protest against the assumption that their religion be violent.

 

Tags: Religion, Islam, Christanity, Pope, Byzantine Emperor, violence, cultural dialogue

A Palestinian boy who prevented a suicide bombing

Today, I read in http://paljew.blogspot.com that the former Iranian President Khatami, touring the USA actually, condemned suicide bombing.

This reminds me of an article I just read in the magazine “Chrismon” of September 2006. There they tell a story that happened four years ago in the town of Um el Fachem in Israel.

A 17 years old Palestinian boy came to a bus stop where another Palestinian boy of same age was already waiting. In order to sit on the bench, he removed the bag of that boy, noticed that it was very heavy, and from the behavior of the boy he realized that he probably intended a suicide attack in the bus that was bound to arrive. He managed to secretely call the police. When the police came and asked the two boys for their papers, the other boy put his hand into his bag and lighted the bomb. The bomber and the policeman died. The young man who had called the police was severely injured. But he had saved the lives of a lot of people, mostly Israelis, who sat in the bus that arrived shortly afterwards.

The young man was in hospital for a long time and had to undergo several operations. No Israeli official ever visited him to thank him that he risked his life to save others. He is disabled, cannot work any more, he obtains no aid. His fellow Palestinians either hate him and threaten to kill him, or are afraid to confess that they approve his action. His fiancé left him upon pressure by her parents. He is a hero, but his life is destroyed

 

Tags: Israel, Palestine, suicide attacks, terrorism, peace, heroism

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Finally a blog that seeks some understanding

For quite some time, I have been looking in the blogosphere, whether there are some other voices than those of hatred between Israelis and Palestinians, but I only found, if not hatred, then only the setting up of the crimes and injusties both parties are doing each other. This is so fruitless!

Today I found the blog “Palestinians to Jews/Israelis” http://paljew.blogspot.com, by one Palestinian who wants a discussion and obviously some understanding between Palestinians and Israelis. Unfortunately, his blog does not allow comments from blogs with other hosters, and my user name was refused when I tried to register there (I do not want to take another user name, because “oldowl” is my identity here).

So I could just put him on my blogroll in order to read his entries from time to time. It’s a pity!

(It makes me angry that some blog hosters do not allow clients of other hosters to comment on the blogs of their clients. It makes discussion impossible!)

Tags: Israel, Palestine, Peace, Weblog, Commenting

World Equestrian Games in my town

Although there is a world-known equestrian competition in my town every year, I am not extremely interested in horse-riding. For me, this sport in its sophisticated way seems more a pass-time for sons and daughters of a wealthy elite – maybe this is a prejudice. Moreover, I do not like much sports that force animals to do what they would not do by themselves – or do horses like to compete, in jumping for example?

 

Nevertheless, since these World Games seem to be an extraordinary event, in general, and for my Aachen especially, I cannot help to take notice of it. Yesterday I switched the TV on a bit late, so that I only saw the end of the opening show with part of the speach of the FEI President, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein (where does she come from? My local newspaper says Jordan, the TV said Dubai, the FEI homepage says nothing – journalists better make up their mind! ), who seems to be a very friendly person. The show, of which I saw some parts later on, seemed to be quite nice.

 

Today, I strolled through the town which tries its best to wellcome all the visitors: nice decoration (all kinds of horse sculptures everywhere), all kinds of small events and attractions, some are called “Aachen typical”. Well, very “Aachen typical” was the weather: rain, of course! As I said two posts ago, it rains here only once a year, i.e. always, with few interruptions. Today in the afternoon, the interruption was not the sun, but a cloud-burst so strong that you could hardly see anything in front of you, and you certainly needed no shower for the rest of the day.

 

Poor endurance riders! Their course of 160 Kilometers through Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany is normally difficult enough without this weather! No wonder that the two Sheikhs of Dubai, who are certainly not well accustomed to our climate, overstrained their horses and, what a pity, where disqualified.

 

Sixty-five nations take part in these Games, in seven disciplines. Among them quite a lot of Arab states, and Israel. But Israel starts only in one discipline, the reining, and no Arab nation participates there. Is that intentional?

 

Did the friendly Princess Haya think of this, when she said in her speech:

“The horse, who has no understanding of borders, political differences, class or languages, cements us in the simple common bond of friendship and unity. I ask you to broaden that bond by opening your hearts and minds to the stars of as many disciplines and nations as possible.”?

 

Tags: Sports, Horse-riding, World Equestrian Games, Aachen, Arab World, Israel, Rain

Israel – Palestine – when will the People be listened to?

Cease-fire – and what is next?

When reading the blogs, I see hatred, hatred all over.

Only some very low voices, most anonymous, that are urging for peace.

And then you see in some TV spots, read in some small articles in some small magazines: the people, Jews and Palestinians, are able to live together, they want peace. Fishermen who worked together as friends. Israeli young soccer team, Jews and Palestinians together represent Israel on international soccer cups. Peace initiatives, Jews and Palestinians together, are trying to make themselves heard – when will their Government hear them?

When will all these, when will the people who want and are able to live in peace together – yes, they are able to! – make themselves heard and force their governments to make peace?

Ceterum censeo: Israel must provide for a fair water distribution in the region.

Tags: peace, Israel, Palestine, water, hatred

If Israel wants peace, she must settle the water dispute

 Here in our cool North, where it rains only once a year, i.e. from January 1st to December 31st with small interruptions (this summer, the interruption was six weeks , we do not think much of water. Yes, we have a pollution problem, but not a problem of quantity.

It was only the discussion about the Litani water that drew ma attention to this problem, and I searched as much as I could in the Internet in order to bring myself up-to-date concerning the water issue in Israel and Palestine. And I was horrified about the Israeli water distribution policy, about the way how the Palestinians are deprived of water.

Water is a matter of life or death. I can live in poverty, I can live far from home, under political oppression, even when my dear ones have been killed I can keep on living – but without water, I cannot live.

Who can be astonished when this Israeli action, trying to get hold of most of the Water in the region, when her policy to make water scarce for Palestinians (and partly also for the neighbour states) makes the people concerned deeply anxious, anxious for their lives! And when from this anxiety results a deep hatred, hatred that can be easily used by all kinds of political forces for their own interests.

If Israel ever wants to live in peace, then she must settle the water problem in the region. Israel must see to conclude treaties for the fair distribution of water.

There is the project of desalination of sea water, and there is much hope that this could solve the problem. Well then, go ahead! I think financial and technical help for that could be obtained. It only needs the will to do it and the will to cooperate for it in the region.

Tags: Water, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Peace