tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65944391286744470462011-07-30T18:56:41.863-04:00David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-8244284177048908962011-05-30T15:21:00.025-04:002011-05-30T16:23:21.605-04:00

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, but I have to confess I was blown away when a few days into my first session at SPI in Lisa Schirch’s Strategic Media and Arts-Based Peacebuilding class, as we gathered in groups to think about some stories we might tell each other, I found myself with a gentle, soft-spoken Iranian colleague by the name of Fatemeh who told me she was thinking to talk about the

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-78397481881390539282010-05-08T14:54:00.002-04:002010-05-08T15:00:15.648-04:00

RAMALLAH - It is not easy for a Palestinian woman to say that she wants to work against violent extremism in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To begin with, as a woman, it is harder to voice criticism while still remaining a legitimate political voice. Moreover, being in a place of national and political conflict where life is continuously stressful, one can find different

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-9368960031400123642009-08-25T11:11:00.002-04:002009-08-25T11:21:11.622-04:00

Holy wars I grew up in Israel, in the aftermath of one of history’s most horrific tragedies. Traumatized and desperate after six million of their kin were annihilated in gas chambers and death camps across Eastern Europe, my first friends were Jews whose hopes for a sanctuary and a homeland converged in this place where their faith had been born. Sadly, their tragedy has given birth to yet

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-74411725960336543422009-08-24T22:13:00.006-04:002009-08-24T22:22:27.110-04:00

A growing number of Israelis are coming to realize that their security does not lie in military power, but in a negotiated friendly coexistence with their neighbors. And they are coming to recognize that they need the help of the international community to do so. A fascinating set of perspectives from some key people..

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-86756610316440314842009-07-09T18:22:00.005-04:002009-07-13T12:04:25.914-04:00

A just and secure peace in Israel-Palestine, a scenario in which Jews and Palestinians can coexist with mutual good will, whether in two separately-governed states side-by-side or within each who will undoubtedly govern a mixture of both peoples within their respective jurisdictions, will require a monumental restructuring to dismantle the monolithic economic and political structures that have

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-60586117136880215142009-03-28T10:26:00.002-04:002009-03-28T10:30:13.363-04:00

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-62597262163204384842009-01-31T15:52:00.001-05:002009-01-31T15:59:00.802-05:00

"...The defense establishment, led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, steadfastly refused to publicize the figures, arguing, for one thing, that publication could endanger state security or harm Israel's foreign relations. Someone who is liable to be particularly interested in the data collected by Spiegel is George Mitchell, President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, who came to

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-71920435012216322752009-01-31T11:58:00.010-05:002009-07-09T22:45:03.158-04:00

Security and socio-economic development are inter-related paradigms that profoundly impact our international geo-political relationships. Security and economic wellbeing are powerful human needs and represent forces that must work in concert or they will clash with disastrous consequences. Israel's national security strategy, particularly as it has come to play itself out in Gaza is a case in

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-47702721674727942402009-01-29T16:25:00.001-05:002009-01-29T16:27:10.680-05:00

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-882364334125466442009-01-29T15:19:00.003-05:002009-01-29T15:47:21.763-05:00

January 28, 2009Dear Mr. Kreider:Thank you for contacting my office regarding the conflict in the Gaza Strip. I appreciate your taking the time to share your views with me.As you may know, on January 8, by unanimous consent, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 10, expressing the Sense of the Senate on the conflict in Gaza. While the resolution affirms U.S. support for Israel's security and

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-16739300871698360402009-01-25T16:54:00.005-05:002009-01-28T23:40:08.650-05:00

My wife and I grew up across the lines between Israel and Gaza. For us to watch the growing anger and frustration between blood kindred, who as Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God, trace their roots to Abraham, and share a love for this sacred land, has been heartbreaking. The prophets we revere - Isaiah (58:6-12), Jeremiah (7:3-7), and Micah (6:8) - call us to live together with

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-79626396361384865202008-12-06T11:29:00.002-05:002009-01-25T18:07:02.811-05:00

Sameh A. Habeeb writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 3 December 2008Israel has further tightened the screws on Gaza, where some areas have been plunged into darkness as fuel shortages shut down Gaza's sole power plant 25 days ago.The power cuts affect all activities dependent on electrical power as the remaining power sources provided by Israel and Egypt cannot serve the

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-27758238331327633412008-01-15T20:26:00.000-05:002008-01-15T20:28:58.740-05:00

"As long as we are on earth, the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is a resetting of a Body of broken bones. Even saints cannot live with saints on this earth without some anguish, without some pain at the differences that come between them. There are two things which men can do about the pain of disunion with other men. They can

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-82614265603631848642007-11-10T10:42:00.000-05:002007-11-10T11:44:07.205-05:00

On 25 October, a Palestinian patient died at Erez crossing while awaiting being allowed to cross to Israeli hospital. A week ago, a woman died in Gaza hospital with her newly born baby, while awaiting permit to be transferred to Israel for medical treatment. These are not the first victims, and will certainly not be the last should the current situation continue Last week, the operation

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-16244450133841579522007-11-09T18:24:00.000-05:002007-11-09T18:57:59.062-05:00

In the weeks since Columbia University’s president, Lee C. Bollinger, introduced his invited guest speaker, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a “petty and cruel dictator,” the media have been full of support for Bollinger’s treatment of Ahmadinejad. Many of the writers piled on more insults. One prominent blogger described the Iranian president as a “brown-skinned, terrorist-enabling,

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-39783858098348166142007-09-22T10:32:00.000-04:002007-11-02T10:09:18.711-04:00

In reading Fisher and Ury's Getting to Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, a classic in this field, I was struck by several negotiating principles and observations they mention which I believe are key to the peace process for Israel-Palestine, elements which have been missing or inadequately attended to. Following is one quotation I believe merits consideration."Give them a stake in the

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-10085173946896555922007-09-13T17:10:00.000-04:002007-09-13T17:30:03.043-04:00

After a century of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the Geneva Initiative offers a real and mutually agreed upon possibility for ending the conflict between the two sides and obtaining a mutually acceptable peace that guarantees the vital national interests of both sides.The Geneva Initiative provides realistic and achievable solutions on all issues, based on previous official

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-13215848254176209932007-09-06T18:48:00.000-04:002007-09-06T18:55:31.812-04:00

I’m about to say a good word about materialism, but first… If I had to capture the current Israeli mood in two words, they would be “national disenchantment”. This is the result of a buildup of events that would discourage even the most patriotic of citizens: · A long list of sex, power, and money scandals among our top political brass (president, prime minister, justice minister, finance

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-78701760829712684712007-09-06T17:35:00.000-04:002007-09-06T17:36:48.301-04:00

Although the information has not yet reached the international media, we would like the world to know that women in Israel and Palestine are ready to make peace.For almost two decades, women have been the most vibrant, daring, and progressive part of the peace movement on both sides of our divide. Palestinian and Israeli women have been meeting and negotiating with each other for years, even when

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-65435030270967445982007-09-05T12:35:00.000-04:002007-09-05T12:41:57.855-04:00

With ongoing violence sapping the spirits of Israelis and Palestinians, and with the Iraq war generating shock waves throughout the Middle East, we call on our fellow Jews and Muslims to join forces with concerned Christians to transcend this cycle of death and destruction. Jews and Muslims should be spiritual allies, not adversaries.

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-65843306541554123792007-07-28T22:58:00.000-04:002007-07-28T23:32:59.696-04:00

..Abu-Nimer starts [his book "Nonviolence and Peace Building in Islam"] with an overview of the many studies done on just war and Islam. It is clear that there is a school of thought in Islam that justifies acts of war and the use of force under certain strict conditions.. [but, says Abu-Nimer] Jihad should above all be understood as a struggle for the individual Muslim to become a better Muslim

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-77634891381287569272007-07-27T13:41:00.000-04:002007-07-27T14:05:15.579-04:00

Your Excellencies, Allow me to begin by telling you about the secret meetings held between Palestinians and Israelis that began 15 years ago. These meetings were secret because it was illegal for Israelis and forbidden for Palestinians to meet in those years. A number of groups were then getting together, but only one group persisted over time - resolutely grappling with the most difficult

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-18740452223144541512007-07-27T09:53:00.000-04:002007-07-27T10:54:42.853-04:00

[Written December 16, 1998, ..still relevant.]Dear Mr President,There have been a great number of private meetings between Jewish and Islamic religious clergy and leaders in recent months, as you are apparently aware. The challenge that we face in terms of moving these meetings into a phenomenon that will have a major impact on the peace process, is that they must become public at some juncture.

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-22971805288306765212007-07-25T19:33:00.000-04:002007-07-26T10:00:58.910-04:00

I grew up in a home where Judaism was defined and practiced not so much as a religion but as a system of ethics and culture. God was present but not central. Israel and the notion of a Jewish homeland were very important to my parents, who survived Auschwitz, Chelmno and Buchenwald. But unlike many of their friends, my parents were not uncritical of Israel. Obedience to a state was not a primary

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-13706453427284743832007-07-20T14:33:00.000-04:002007-07-20T15:22:09.408-04:00

"The U.S. aid relationship with Israel is unlike any other in the world. In sheer volume, the amount is the most generous foreign aid program ever between any two countries", says Stephen Zunes, associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace and Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-8447772168782924442007-07-16T20:18:00.000-04:002007-07-16T21:44:09.122-04:00

The following was cooperatively formulated by Rabbi David El Harar, Sadek Shweiki from Abu Tor East Jerusalem, Eliahu MacLean and Sheikh Ismail Jamal and represents a beautiful statement of interfaith solidarity, understanding and common ground. It is a preliminary writing as recorded by Dr Rabbi Marc Gopin in his book "Holy War, Holy Peace, How Religion can bring Peace to the Middle East", pp

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-63609635642767626172007-07-16T14:08:00.000-04:002007-07-24T23:52:14.052-04:00

The hypnotic television footage of the Twin Towers collapsing.. horrified [the international community] no less than it horrified Americans. But they were nervous; America was a wounded elephant. Would we trample the world flat in pursuit of our flee-sized tormentors? ..[M]ost Europeans were anxious to calm us down and prevent a clash of civilizations with their Muslim neighbors.[T]he murder of

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-70693687352697950072007-05-31T07:10:00.000-04:002007-09-05T11:08:21.757-04:00

In Israel, the concept of “security” is a powerful one. It is used to justify all military activity, including the occupation of Palestinian territories and the vast budgets applied to it. Indeed, a mystique has developed around security – “national security” is a phrase invoked not just to increase military budgets, but also to silence criticism and prevent transparency. Recent efforts to

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-76240828475800236002007-03-30T21:27:00.000-04:002007-05-20T21:43:40.120-04:00

"You.. if you are pro-Israel, on behalf of Palestinian children I ask you, give further friendship to Israel. They need your friendship. But don't interpret that friendship as antipathy against me, the Palestinian, who is paying the price for what others have done to my beloved Jewish brothers and sisters in the holocaust, in Auschwitz and elsewhere. And if you sympathize with the Palestinians -

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6594439128674447046.post-39174337440173839732007-03-30T20:39:00.000-04:002007-05-20T21:54:46.468-04:00

Excerpts keynote address, Conference on Ending the Occupation, April 13, 2002Thank you for how you cared for us in South Africa during the apartheid regime. You showed solidarity with us, supporting us and supporting sanctions against the regime. You know we are free in South Africa because of people like yourselves, who cared. ..even when it looked impossible. I want to thank you for that, and

David Kreiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430055405453139291noreply@blogger.com0