Saed and Elad I hope your words catch on like wild fire throughout the middle east.
Dear International Friends of OneVoice,
There are rockets flying into Israel’s Northern towns as far down as Haifa as we write this, while the people of Gaza are in fear for their homes and lives, without electricity and running water. People are suffering, people are dying and people are afraid. It’s a crisis. We are writing to tell you though not to give up on us, or to give up on hope for an end to the conflict.
The situation today makes it very difficult to talk about conflict resolution – to see an end to the conflict. Sometimes it is easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel, at the moment the tunnel is dark. But this crisis and this conflict will end, and we say that with sobriety and rationality. As much as we feel helpless today, as rational people we must see any crisis as an opportunity to rise up and overcome the reasons that brought that crisis.
The situation will come to an end, when we do not know. In the meantime both people suffer so badly. Believe us that no-one is happy with this life. We want everyone around the world to know that we, and many friends and colleagues like us at OneVoice, are working to change this situation. We are ready. We are ready to do anything necessary to help end this situation. We have done so many activities and introduced so many people to OneVoice and it always gives them hope and energy. We can not and will not lose all of this however hard it is at this moment. We will strive to improve this life.
A resolution to the conflict may seem like a dream, but let us dream it and keep helping us do whatever we have to do to make it a reality. The day will never come when Israelis and Palestinians are prepared to accept living with this situation. How far we are from the day when we have a situation we will accept is hard to say, but we will work for it, even as the fighter jets and rockets go overhead, we will work for it.
Thank you,
Saed and Elad
July 20, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Oh how I would like to say, you’re only a prayer away. I believe with all my heart, this is true. Attentions must be refocused, turned away from what one can do to assure their people rule; turned to what we all must do to accept God’s rule. What we beleive about God’s purposes for us makes us what we are. War occures where deceptions are taken for truth. Humanities survival depends upon our ability to reason together and surrender to One greater than ourselves. In other words, our survival is in His hands, according to His grace. May we be blessed with unified knowledge of who He is and what His heart desires for us; knowing above all, He reigns. Amen.
21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21
July 21, 2006 at 8:57 am
And don’t forget the annual Sulha weekend, Planned (hopefully) for late August.
People of all religions, especially Christians, Muslims and Jews meet to share experiences and try to find solutions.
Let’s hope this happens this year too, despite the current situation.
Last year it was held in Park Afek, near Tel Aviv.
July 21, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Great reminder Ed! Hopefully we’re at a place where everyday is Sulha.
July 23, 2006 at 2:26 pm
That Ed guy is really optimistic. What we REALLY NEED is a Grand Sulha with all the top Muslim leaders to sort out the rifts that have been in effect ever since The Patriach Abraham threw his concubine Hagar and thier son Ishmail from his camp. When God said he would “make of them a great nation”, He didn’t know the half of it!