"Baardwijk, J. van DTO/SLWPD/RZO/BOZO" wrote:
> > > You will never be able to end hatred by using violence. The only way
> > > to accomplish that is through mutual understanding. And mutual
> > > understanding can only be reached by living together.
> >
> > So, the Jews in Israel should lay down their arms and trust to the good
> > will of the Arabs? Is this your serious recommendation?
>
> I am suggesting that they should get to know each other better, as only
> mutual understanding will lead to lasting peace. That process will take
> time; I do not think they will immediately become the best of friends. There
> will undoubtedly be plenty of incidents and agression at first, but like in
> any other civilised country, that would then be a matter for the
> authorities.
I'd have a lot more hope for that if they'd managed a lasting peace in
Northern Ireland by now. I think it's going to take an *awfully* long
time to get the majority of the folks in Israel to coexist peacefully.
I saw a TV show a number of years ago about a program in which they took
a Catholic child from Belfast, a Protestant child of the same sex from
Belfast, and sent them both to America to live with an American family
for the summer. (They did this with a good number of children, and I
think they all ended up spending the summer in the same American town,
or at least all in the same region.) Would you be willing to host a
Jewish Israeli and a Palestinian like this in your house, to further the
process of reconciliation? If not, would you be willing to make some
other sort of contribution to such a program? (2 questions here for
Jeroen, and anyone else is welcome to answer them on their own behalf.)
Also, I don't know how much of an impact the program in Belfast had.
What percentage of the population would have to go through a program
like that in their youth in order to make a lasting difference? Does
anyone have any idea?
Julia
