Op/Ed: Channel Anger Into Change

The Jewish Advocate

April 11, 2008

By Hanna Siniora

As a Palestinian who recently visited your country, I can understand the anger and impatience in some of the letters in this publication, including Rick Blumsack’s letter in the March 21 edition, “No Case for a Cease Fire.” The long-standing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been a disaster for Jews and Arabs alike, and of late the level of danger indeed has risen.

But I say to you, please don't give up. Please don’t let your anger turn into cynicism and blind you to the openings for change that are still before us.

With all due respect, Abbas did not praise the yeshiva attack, as a letter here claimed. Abbas condemned it. It was an Arabic newspaper report that used the problematic words in referring to the killer, but it was Internet cynics who attributed them to Abbas.

Please, do not give up on Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas and the thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who are working day and night to reach a compromise acceptable to both sides.

In my opinion, Steve Masters of Brit Tzedek in his op-ed of March 14 was right that things can be done to help them succeed. Last month, my own organization, IPCRI, brought together 100 educators from both sides to Jerusalem to confront the very issue of rhetoric in the press and textbooks – to look each other in the eye and seriously start working on education for peace, not continued conflict.

Please, I urge you, from Jerusalem, to abjure cynicism and to channel your anger into constructive change.