Peace Building Through Public Opinion
Dr. Morris Mottale, a Franklin College Professor, sat between the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators last Monday, but not because the meeting was contentious. In fact, Drs. Samih El Abed and Avi Primor seemed to agree on most everything, much to the dismay of the audience. In response to the question, “Is there anything on which you don't agree?” the two chuckled, consulted and quickly proceeded to the next question.
In a region racked with discord and violence, El Abed and Primor belong to an innovative coalition devoted to teaching and keeping peace. The Geneva Initiative is a joint Israeli-Palestinian effort that through two years of meetings crafted a mutually agreed-upon , detailed model to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group is committed to the possibility of peace in the region and sees as one of its primary missions communicating that possibility to the public.
The two gentlemen spent most of their time at Franklin College explaining the timeline of negotiations in the region, highlighting key stumbling blocks and overarching issues.
Primor shared in his remarks that all lasting and meaningful peace initiatives in the region have arisen from the public, not as top-down decrees from governmental negotiations or international involvement. One of the overarching issues, therefore, is educating the public in specific ways. El Abed said, “All we ever hear about Palestinians is that they’re terrorists.” He called for more thorough and accurate news coverage that would highlight a wider array of activities and initiatives on the part of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Primor noted that the Geneva Initiative arose out of an environment in which Israelis and Palestinians weren’t necessarily motivated or eager to work together, but recognized that they could no longer go on the same way. Something had to change. He argued that if media sustained and supported a sense of possibility and peace movement in the region, negotiations could go much more smoothly. Public opinion, he argued, is both key and stumbling block to lasting peace in the region.
Both the concrete, consensus-oriented plans outlined in the Geneva Initiative and these two mens’ visions of the future constitute and call for good news – news that features good works, deeds and intentions and news that does its job comprehensively and responsibly.
At the end of the evening, El Abed shared a story that had received little news coverage. “An Israeli soldier,” he said, “shot and killed a small Palestinian boy.” It’s a regrettably familiar narrative in news today. The story, however, did not end there. What didn’t get as much coverage was what happened next: the boy’s father donated all of his organs to Israelis.
These two men, the Geneva Initiative and the story of that small boy all hold out hope for a region marked by grief, turmoil and violence.
For more information on the Geneva Initiative, please see the organization’s Web site at: http://www.geneva-accord.org