May Peace Prevail !

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Daniel Barenboim: Israel’s security depends on wiser action :The Guardian

I have just three wishes for the coming year. The first is for the Israeli government to realise once and for all that the Middle East conflict cannot be solved by military means.

The second is for Hamas to realise that its interests are not served by violence, and Israel is here to stay. And the third is for the world to acknowledge that this conflict is unlike any other in history. It is uniquely intricate and sensitive - a conflict between two peoples who are both deeply convinced of their right to live on the same very small piece of land. This is why neither diplomacy nor military action can resolve this conflict.The developments of the last few days are extremely worrisome to me for reasons of humane and political natures.

While it is self-evident that Israel has the right to defend itself, that it cannot and should not tolerate missile attacks on its citizens, its army’s relentless and brutal bombardment of Gaza has raised a few important questions in my mind.

The first question is if Israel’s government has the right to make all Palestinians culpable for the actions of Hamas. Is the entire population of Gaza to be held responsible for the sins of a terrorist organisation? We, the Jewish people, should know and feel even more acutely than other populations that the murder of innocent civilians is inhumane and unacceptable. The Israeli military has very weakly argued that the Gaza Strip is so overpopulated it is impossible to avoid civilian deaths during operations.

The feebleness of this argument leads to my next questions: if civilian deaths are unavoidable, what is the purpose of the bombardment? What, if any, is the logic behind the violence, and what does Israel hope to achieve through it? If the aim is to destroy Hamas then the most important question to ask is whether this is attainable. If not, then the whole attack is not only cruel, barbaric and reprehensible, it is senseless.

If, on the other hand, it really is possible to destroy Hamas through military operations, how does Israel envisage the reaction in Gaza once this has been accomplished? One and a half million Gaza residents will not suddenly go down on their knees in reverence for the power of the Israeli army. We must not forget that before Hamas was elected by the Palestinians, it was encouraged by Israel as a tactic to weaken Yasser Arafat. Israel’s recent history leads me to believe that if Hamas is bombed out of existence, another group will most certainly take its place, a group that would be more radical, more violent, and more full of hatred towards Israel.Israel cannot afford a military defeat for fear of disappearing from the map, yet history has proved that every military victory has left Israel in a weaker political position because of the emergence of radical groups.

I do not underestimate the difficulty of the decisions the Israeli government must make every day, nor do I underestimate the importance of Israel’s security. Nevertheless, I stand behind my conviction that the only truly viable plan for long-term security is to gain the acceptance of all our neighbours.

I wish for a return in the year 2009 of the famous intelligence always ascribed to the Jews. I wish for a return of King Solomon’s wisdom to Israel’s decision-makers that they might use it to understand that Palestinians and Israelis have equal human rights.

Palestinian violence torments Israelis and does not serve the Palestinian cause; Israeli retaliation is inhuman, immoral, and does not guarantee security. The destinies of the two peoples are inextricably linked, obliging them to live side by side. They have to decide if they want to make of this a blessing or a curse.•

Daniel Barenboim is a pianist and conductor, and a UN messenger of peace danielbarenboim.com

Daniel Barenboim: Israel’s security depends on wiser action | Comment is free | The Guardian

Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

This last weekend, the Elders gathered a group greater than two hundred strong at La Maison Des Arts et Métiers in Paris to reflect on the last year of Every Human Has Rights. They stood alongside more than 30 award-winning human rights journalists, civil society leaders, and government and business leaders to amplify the voices of millions of people around the world; re-committing themselves to the goals of the Universal Declaration and calling on governments and individuals everywhere to renew their commitment to human rights.

On Wednesday, 10 December - the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Mary Robinson will highlight messages from Paris and the individual pledges and group commitments made throughout the campaign in an address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Include your own pledge and encourage others to join the UN General Assembly call. Make your commitment to stand up for human rights now.

On November 6, 2008 bloggers from all across the globe will blog for peace.
We will speak with one voice. One subject. One day.

Get Your Peace Globe HERE

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In 1948, compelled by the pain of war, Garry Davis gave up everything — a promising Broadway career, his well-to-do show-biz family, even his nationality – to become the world’s first official world citizen. He embarked upon a bold adventure, crashing borders, scaling cliffs, escaping a concentration-camp and challenging border guards, prison commandants and warring armies on a one-man mission to heal the wounds of war and to prevent World War III.

For 60 years Garry has travelled on his World Passport and lived as a citizen of no nation – only of the world. He’s 87 and still going strong! He has blazed a new trail to prove that we can be citizens not only of our cities, our states, and our nations, but also of the world.

In 2005, “One! The Garry Davis Story,” inspired by the true story of Garry Davis won the Moondance International Film Festival’s coveted Columbine Award. See it here

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change When we see - and treat - people as being capable of better things, this often leads them to better things. Dr. Dyer points out can work in a positive direction.
Wayne Dyer - When you change the way you look at things

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, “What makes a life worth living?” Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of “flow.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, fulfillment and flow