By Joshua Rosenstein, Assistant Editor, JTNews
"A good parent is
not necessarily a parent that gives their child everything
they want," said former Israeli Knesset member and peace
advocate Avrum Burg on October 12 at Seattle University’s
Campion Ballroom. "Rather, a good parent is one who gives
their child what they need."
He used this
metaphor to illustrate the relationship between American
presidents and Israel. Burg’s strongest words to his
American audience concerned their role in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He urged them to go out this
November and vote. He emphasized the importance of American
leadership in working for peace and compromise in the Middle
East.
Finding Common
Ground, a local, nonpartisan group that educates people
about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, brought Burg and
Palestinian civic leader Yasser Abed Rabbo to Seattle to
talk about the Geneva Accord. The accord, an unofficial
peace proposal, is hailed by some as the first credible
attempt at a peace agreement that would resolve the most
difficult issues on the table. FCG, which is composed of
Jews, Christians and Muslims, also seeks to actively engage
Americans in the peace process.
Burg and Rabbo
gave public debates at Seattle University and University of
Washington. They also met with local interfaith groups and
leaders of the Jewish community. Over 200 people attended
the reception following the UW debate. Senator Maria
Cantwell and Congressman Jim McDermott attended a pre-debate
dinner, as did many religious and community leaders.
Rabbo and Burg
were the main architects of the Geneva Accord, along with a
small group of Israeli and Palestinian civic leaders. They
negotiated and signed the accord in December of 2003, which
called for the formation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and
the West Bank, and granted Palestinians sovereignty over the
Temple Mount. An international security force would
guarantee Jews access to the site. The accord gave
Palestinians the right of return in their state but not
within the State of Israel. According to a recent poll,
slightly over 50 percent of both populations supports the
Geneva Accord.
"There is a
spreading despair in the Holy Land these days," said Rabbo,
addressing his audience in articulate but heavily accented
English. "Terrorism feeds on despair. If we want to dry the
swamp of terrorism, we must conquer the reasons that lie
behind it." Rabbo, the former Minister of Information and
Culture of the Palestinian Authority, served on the
Palestinian Liberation Organization’s executive committee
and acts as head of the Department of Information and
culture. In 1968, he founded the Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, a leftist group in the PLO. Rabbo
also participated in both the Madrid and Oslo peace
negotiations.
"To understand
the core of the conflict you must understand that it is
about icons," said Burg. "The practical components of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be solved in a matter of
half an hour. The real conflict is about symbols. Every time
an Israeli is killed, we see the Holocaust continuing, and
every time a Palestinian is killed they see colonialism
eternal."
Burg was the
youngest Speaker in the history of the Israeli Knesset. He
was a senior member of the Labor Party and also served as
the head of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist
Organization.
Burg spoke in a
whirlwind of metaphor and poetry.
"Anger is a very
bad strategist," he said. "Hatred is a poor political
advisor."
He has six
children, four of whom are currently serving in the Israeli
army. While he no longer serves on the Knesset, he continues
to be a leading advocate for pluralism and tolerance in
Israeli society.
While the local
Jewish community is often at odds over the Middle Eastern
conflict, audience response to the debates was positive. Bob
Borish and Corrie Golub-Borish of Seattle came to hear the
debate because their daughter is currently living in Israel.
"It was
heartening to hear people willing to be respectful of each
others’ stories," said Golub-Borish. "I was especially
impressed with what [Burg] said about our role as Americans
in voting for an American president."
Malka Maizel of
Mercer Island is a member of FCG.
"People somehow
think we are anti-Zionist or that we hate Israel," she said.
"My nephew was killed in a terrorist attack three years ago,
I deeply support Israel, but hatred is not a solution. As
American Jews, we have the perspective not to be caught in
the cycles of fear and hate, we must serve as mediators,
working for peace and compromise."
Cindy Corrie of
Olympia attended the debate with her daughter Erin. Cindy’s
other daughter Rachel was killed in Rafah while protesting
the Israeli occupation in March 2003, and has since become
an icon on the Palestinian side of the conflict.
"I was pleased at
the size of the audience," Cindy said. "It is terribly
important to forge these relationships and to work for peace
on a grassroots level. I also think it is important for
Americans to understand our role in the conflict and the way
we effect the solution."
Audience members
at the debates were asked to suspend their applause until
after the debate, but toward the end, it became difficult to
contain.
"One of the best
things we can do as Jews, who strive to leave the world a
better place then we found it, is to humanize the conflict
in the Middle East, and create opportunities for paradigm
shift to solve the present conflict," said Barbara Lahav,
FCG member and co-organizer of the event.