Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Angaangaq Lyberth: Moishe, did you know that where all the great religions stemmed from? As a native person they tells us that when you make a commitment to the Great One you will be tested, he will send you tests. And lo and behold the very land in which the great teachings of these books of the man who made us, in English we call them prophets, have given us has caused us to have incredible difficulties in the very birthplaces of those teachings. Moses, Christ and Mohammed come from that region. Zoroaster, Abraham-- Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Christ and Mohammed come from that region and those people are still fighting about the very beautiful teachings of those spokesmen, the prophets who gives the teachings to uphold for the safety of mankind and here we are fighting about it. Why don’t we have peace there yet? We’re still trying to translate things to all benefit, to put down others. What right do we have to put down such beautiful teachings like Moses, like Zoroaster, like Christ, like Mohammed, like [inaudible]? We have no right to do so. If we take on the teachings we will realize that it’s progressive. All of them are progressive. Remember when Abraham came nobody could read or write. When Moses came we was just learning to understand the significance of writing. When Christ came we were in there. When Mohammed came we were able to read more. With [inaudible] coming now we all can read and write. Everyone has a right to seek and to understand the truth. When everyone does, they will realize that with a progressive revelations we have nothing to worry, but to advance to a betterment of the world so we can come to a new level of reality within. Moishe I hope that I’ve been able to answer your question.

by Angaangaq Lyberth

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Anthony Arnove: Well, I think the question of why there is no peace in the Middle East is a complicated one, but fundamental to answering the question is the question of what is called a peace process and the assumption that the United States, the European Union and other countries are pursuing a process of trying to resolve a conflict and that it is often basically attributed to Palestinian or Arab intransigence and maximalism that that process hasn’t achieved its aim. The United States often refers to itself as an honest broker in the Middle East, but nothing can be further from the truth. Naseer Aruri has written a book called “Dishonest Broker” that shows the real history of the United States for all in actually systematically blocking the underlying issues that create conflict and tension in the Middle East. And really, if you want to understand the roots of the conflict in the Middle East, we have to understand why -- the way in which Israel was created as a colonial settler state and the massive disposition of more than 700,000 Palestinians, why that fundamental injustice has led to a situation that has led to such instability in the Middle East and in the world today, a situation that really threatens to engulf far beyond the Middle East regions in a more and potentially even nuclear war. And so, there is a fundamental inequality there, but there is also a greater inequality and problem which is that the United States has seen the Middle East as a region of concern for the same reason that before it was an object of colonial concern because of its geography in terms of its location, for the proximity to very important trade and shipping routes. But, increasingly, it is importance as a source of energy, the location of two-thirds of world’s oil, but also the great majority of the world’s natural gas reserves. So, it is an area of tremendous conflict because those resources are a value to the United States, a value to other states, and the people who live in those countries have been dispossessed and have been subjected to dictatorship, to oppression and tremendous violence by states that seek to control those resources and by their indigenous allies, the elites of Arab world and also by the state of Israel. So, the United States has backed dictatorships, backed oppressive regimes that will give it access to those resources and suppress movements for democratic change, suppress nationalist movements, which creates the kind of anger, which creates kind of frustration, which creates the kind of social circumstances that lead to instability today. But, really, ultimately, resolution of political conflicts could be possible.

by Anthony Arnove

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Anuradha Koirala: I think because there are some people who want to benefit from it by selling [inaudible], to increase economic and to show they’re powerful. That is why I think it is not ending.

by Anuradha Koirala

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Anuradha Mittal: I am quite sure that my colleagues sitting around this table from the Middle East can answer this question better than I could. I would use the example of my own country India and Pakistan and why we are not able to reach peace; a lot of that has to do with the politics. Politics is the game that is played by the people in power to maintain their power that they would like to see the conflicts remain. So, people are engaged in the conflict rather than be able to focus on the larger issues that confront us. It is international geopolitics. I think countries like India and Pakistan or the Middle East do not have peace because the international geopolitics does not want peace. In the case of Middle East, I do know from my friends who live there that almost 80 percent of the population and more in both Israel and Palestine, for example, want two nation state, but there are vested interests and the ones who would like the sound of the war drums that they would continue promoting war, promote conflict instead of actually promoting peace. And that is the real reason that we have not yet been able to have peace and, of course, that there are many ways of promoting these ideas. You see, for example, in the recent conflict in Lebanon or the humanitarian crisis of Lebanon, the role that the Western media, the corporate media plays; and basically their ratings are going up. They would love conflict situations that their news programming is about spreading the lies and the myths. For example, Bush administration would like to use the media to have the whole world believe that if anyone disagrees with them, they basically have weapons of mass destruction. So as long as that is happening, we will not have peace in the world because peace has not been given a chance and it has not been given a chance by the people who want to ensure that there is conflict because they gain from that conflict. As long as there is conflict, there will be sales of weapons to Third World countries. U.S. will be dumping its weapons to Israel. Palestine and other people will -- some of the people will be looking at ways such as those of suicide bombings. So, there is somebody who gains from it; and I would say also follow the money and the answer comes from that. That’s why we don’t have peace in the Middle East or in other parts of the world.

by Anuradha Mittal

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Ashok Gangadean: I find this question very interesting in terms of what we mean by peace. And it’s obvious that there is continuing chronic patterns of violence going on in the Middle East but really all around the planet. And I think we should see this is symptomatic, the Middle East is symptomatic of chronic patterns of alienation and war and violence and the lack of peace. And it really calls to mind, what is a culture of peace and what it would be to achieve peace, true peace? And again, if we look at our global wisdom, and our global consciousness, the collective wisdom of the ages that recognize that peace is not just détente between people, but really comes from the heart and the deep connection when we celebrate diversity between ourselves. And recognize ourselves in each other across borders. And recognize our deep sacred interconnectivity in the fabric of life. It’s in that consciousness, awakened global consciousness and global spirituality, that we really find true peace. And, as long as we are in the egomental, egocentric patterns of culture, there is no chance of peace in that consciousness. Einstein is quoted as saying that, “The consciousness produces certain problems, that consciousness cannot be the very consciousness that brings a solution." And this is very appropo here as well. That the ego-consciousness inherently brings the lack of peace, and fragmentation, alienation and violence cannot be the cultural space in which we achieve true peace. This is the great lesson of what we are seeing, for example, in the Middle East and all around the world. There cannot be peace in that old cultural space. It’s functional and unsustainable. And it’s only when we can cross as mature beings into a culture of peace and to the peace alternative, the culture based upon love and compassion and care, that’s integral, and we discover the sacredness of our life, when we reach that culture form, there will no violence and war and the way that we see it. That’s the key to peace in the Middle East and peace across the planet.

by Ashok Gangadean

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Audrey Kitagawa: This is a very complex question, and it is grounded in a very, very long and complex history, but it has a lot to do with the political will of not only the countries that comprise the Middle East but the other countries that are not in the Middle East but have interests in the balance of power in the Middle East. It also speaks to the political will of the leadership of these countries in the Middle East as well as not located in the Middle East. It really speaks to the potential of a shift of power if these countries were to be divested of their respective positions. -- We do need to address the issues of justice, human dignity, and what is actually going on on the ground with the people actually live in the Middle East. Political will does not always translate to human justice, human dignity. And therein lies a significant problem.

by Audrey Kitagawa

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Avi Primor: Well, I believe the reason is that there are fanatic people on both sides. On both sides. There was a time when parts of the people in the Middle East thought they could sweep away the others from the Middle East. I mean, some arabians thought they could destroy the state of Israel. As long as they believed this and were convinced that it was justified, they had no interest in peace. The state Israel had to defend itself in order to survive, but has its own fanatics, nowadays known as the "settlers" who want to inhabit parts of the palestinian region as they assume that this country is israelian property from a godly instruction which cannot be ignored. Nowadays, I believe, most of the people on both sides , i.e. most palestinians, most arabians and most israelian people do know that there is no alternative, that they have to accept the situation, the others. The israelians know that they cannot rule another country, that they are not supposed to rule another country. And the palestinians and the arabs know that they cannot sweep away the state Israel from the Middle East. That they are doomed to live with a state Israel. Nevertheless there are fanatics, fundamentalists on both sides, who always turn the situation to riot and violence and thus worry and devastate the population. I believe if we somehow bring the democracy into lead, if the will of the bigger part of the population wins, then we will have peace because the way is very clear, how we are supposed to walk it. There hast to be a palestinian state, and an israelian state, and both need to cooperate. This is the only possible solution.

by Avi Primor

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Benjamin Fahrer: Why is there no peace in the world? The answer in a way is very simple about peace. We must first ask, if we have peace within ourselves? How can we have peace anywhere if we are not at peace with ourselves? Mr. George W. Bush, who is not truly the president of the United States, has proven he’s not. Is he at peace with himself? How can he speak of peace? How can one speak of peace, when you’re not at peace with yourself? First, we must come to a peace with ourselves. Once we understand this, then we can start radiating out, rippling out into the world. In the Middle East, there is so much conflict. When there is so much conflict, it disrupts the groundation of the human spirit. When this is imbalance, it’s very hard to achieve an internal peace; therefore, it’s very hard to achieve an external peace. Hopefully, someday soon, there will be peace within our hearts that we can then express externally into the world. Peace exists within our hearts at all times, we just need to access this. We need to meditate on, why were here? And what we’re we doing? Need to review the effective of the sun and the beauty of this world. The peace that, that is ever present within the moment, we can tap to that moment of peace. This is truly the purpose of our life is to obtain peace, that we can sit here unaffected by everything. This is a very beautiful gathering. The people from all over the world, so many people are here for peace. The woman from Iraq, the woman from Afghanistan, brought here to help bridge this connections so we can learn from our indigenous friends and our professors on how to create a more peaceful world. And I believe opinions with oneself. Let’s make peace. Ohm shanti. shanti. shanti. Ohm peace, peace, peace Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti Peace is in every moment and breath.

by Benjamin Fahrer

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Benson Venegas: There is no peace in the Middle East yet because of historical reasons or decisions. Decisions of centuries that []. A beginning of peace in the Middle East should come in a process of wide reconciliation that involves different sectors and societies that are in conflict. This is a challenge. The challenge is that we have to solidarize ourselves until a process of change that seeks for peace and security in order to avoid innocent people having to pay for consequences political decisions.

by Benson Venegas

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Bianca Jagger: Answertext will be available soon.

by Bianca Jagger

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Bora Cosic: Because, both sides don’t wish the peace, at least not till predominance of one of them is satisfied. So each side expects that the predominance will remain on their side, until this doesn’t become real, no kind of peace suits them. However, this stalemate situation of the whole region suits the superpowers of the world. Through this their role, apparently as peacemakers, and actually of interventions and patrons, extends into the infinity. Superpowers love not only being judges in the ring where none stop the feasts are exchanged, but also supreme judges. In situations like that, it’s hardly possible to overcome the state where the peace exists only as truce or fire pause. This absolutely doesn’t end this war that is going on for decades.

by Bora Cosic

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Brian J. Weller: There are many ways to look at this question. One is that racial, ethnic and religious differences, political differences are not appreciated. When differences are a source of division rather than a source of richness and diversity, then conflict often follows. Maybe another way of looking at this is that there’s been a huge history of fear and in the Middle East particularly. I feel that based on old and very tired beliefs often stemming from a misguided sense of religion that has become patriarchal. This crazy idea of man and God-man being in charge, head of the thought; and what comes out of this is a whole ideology of control. There’s also a lot of economic competition and that’s not just true of the Middle East, but it’s also true of the world and we ought to shift towards cooperation. Another big thing that is not really appreciated by many people is that there is a huge shortage of water in the Middle East. I think behind a lot of the wars has been the desperate need to control water. If you look under those areas around West Bank and so on, there’s a lot of deep [unknown] there. I know that Israel is very concerned about water and as population increases then the pressure to secure water becomes huge. I think that’s one of the resource wars, if you think about it – I think behind a lot of this is a resource war. Then, another angle, of course, is the colonial imperialism and the Western powers have a lot to answer for here, particularly Britain and France; of course, America today, other countries. There’s been a lot of lies and deception and a lot of corruption and this is disguised as economics. It’s extremely poor behavior on behalf of our leadership. One of the things that inspires me is what’s been going on in South Africa after apartheid to the Truth and Reconciliation Councils, which I want to speak about more later. But the principle there is to use forgiveness to release us from the past. My feeling about them at least is that the past is running the show. We’ve got to make a collective effort to really forgive ourselves, and then from there to take this huge creative leap into the future. And so, what kind of future do we really want, and it’s got to be a future where we live together. I’m feeling deep pain about the Middle East.

by Brian J. Weller

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Catherine David: There will be no peace in the Middle East as long as the israelian question has not be solved, in a just way may be difficult, but in a coherent way, in a way which is acceptable for the palestinian people. So we have to create an autonomous state which diposes of its own suzerainty and which diposes of all the resources to preserve its authority. So as long as the Palestinian people do not dispose of an own state which is constituted and viable, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and this all the more as this region is abused and instrumentalised for a lot of economic wars which do not directly affects the region, and as a kind of iraqisation of the region takes place under the deranged view and in every case on the impassive and even less active watch of most of the european states and beyond, so there is no reason to hope that there will be peace soon in the Middle East if the situation continues to be like that and if we let it continue in this way.

by Catherine David

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

China Keitetsi: I think it's a matter of religion and maybe less interest that we have on these two countries. And if we want to help I think we should look at them not as Muslims and Jews, I think we should look at them as a country and people. That will help us more to understand and to solve their problem. And I think there is also a lot of influence and a lot of interests from the Arab side, from the European side, from the American side, but I also feel that these two countries, the leaders should - they are stubborn, but I hope that both sides of the leaders will encourage their people not hate each other. Because also the Palestine and the Jews, the Israelis should remember one thing, that it is the leaders and not the people. I hope the people should leave the politics to the leaders and get to know each other more, because the more you know each other the more you won't call each other Jewish or Arab, you will call each other people. And I think this could be a challenge to the leadership of the world and leadership of Israel and Palestine to make peace. Because imagine where your children will stay, how your children will live on when you will leave them with nothing but hatred and propaganda, which is not true. I think the two countries should be based on truth should be based on fairness. I think this could help them to achieve peace. We should also look close and learn more about those two countries so that we can try to help them. We understand; we will help. If we don't understand, we can't help.

by China Keitetsi

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Constantin von Barloewen: The Middle East is traditionally a region in the world, in which since many generations military conflicts prevail. Not least because also cultural conflicts, ethnical-religious conflicts are again-reflected here, which are ever more violent than purely national conflicts. But one must see that in the middle east world power politics are made in a very irresponsible way by America, by England, by Europe, by Russia. The central east is today a mirror image of world-political interests, which combine themselves, which again-speak themselves, from nuclear weapon industry on predominantly at all energy-political criteria by the oil field. Then may one not forget that artificial borders pulled of colonial powers, which absolutely do not correspong culture-claimant borders, i.e. conflicts since generations, it is regrettable that for instance the mediator James Wolfonson, the last World Bank president tried in every 6 points here in its switching readiness between United States, Russia, European community and the UN, every 6 points were not used in the Gaza Strip, in Palestine conflicts, in Israeli conflicts, i.e. again one has seen that even the attempt of an earned world politician failed. The American interests in Israel are considerable, i.e. Israel is still, as it the cluster bombs again and again used against Lebanon supported from America. That is dangerous, the central east is a ball of world-political interests and can in this way not an endogenous or better to find a companionship peace, which will remain also in the future in such a way.

by Constantin von Barloewen

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Cornel West: There is no peace because there is not enough justice there. Any context in the world, any region in the world there will never be peace until there is justice. When we talk about why there is no justice, it has much to do, of course, with the oil. There is no doubt that if the Middle East were littered with artichokes rather than oil, it’d be a very different set of foreign policy from America, Europe, Asia. There is no peace because of the lack of justice for Palestinian brothers and sisters living on their occupation of the state of Israel. There is no peace because of tremendous paranoia, understandable, of Jewish brothers and sisters, Israelis, fearful of over 20 Arab countries who rhetorically constitute a threat, no major threat militarily but rhetorically constitute a threat. There is no peace because U.S. foreign policy has been so biased in terms of its alliance with the state of Israel and refusal to really engage the suffering of Palestinian people. There is no peace because the autocratic rule of Arab politicians, who often use the Palestinian issue as a football, not seriously concerned about the suffering of Palestinians, but concerned about preserving their own hierarchical rule in respective Arab countries. And the combination of these forces produces just obscene levels of suffering in the Middle East and the relative lack of justice in the Middle East. Until there is justice across the board, security and justice for Palestinians, security and justice for Israelis, security and justice for the everyday peoples in Arab countries and justice in the U.S. foreign policy.

by Cornel West

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Dedi Baron: Answertext will be available soon.

by Dedi Baron

Sep 9, 2006 12:10:00 PM cite

Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas: If you are going to analyze why is there no peace in the Middle East, for me there is not yet a common recognition by the people who are living in the Middle East to come into peace. The problem is the politicians are not also trying to give peace a chance. Its leader wanted to prove their own strengths. But unless both parties will enter genuinely into negotiations that would make them agree that they have to make peace for themselves, that’s the time that peace will be realized in the Middle East. Maybe one of the causes why there is really no peace yet in the Middle East is the outside interveners. These people sometimes who are - who would like to intervene sometimes add to the problem, not make part of the solution. And the most important thing, I think, that we could as citizens of the world can offer to the peace situation in the Middle East is to pray for world peace and pray for the Middle East people to realize the beauty of being at peace in your own lands is sleeping very comfortably in your own land. So, may we pray that the leaders, especially the leaders in the Middle East will realize and come together genuinely and agree to themselves to make peace in their backyard for the benefit of their inhabitants because war does not lead to anything that is positive. It always result in negative, destruction, displacement, casualties and those are the things, I think, that we don’t like to happen in our own backyard. And we hope and pray that people in the Middle East will genuinely come together and say let’s make peace genuinely for ourselves. And often times to work for peace, you should begin by peace by yourself. Be a peaceful person before you work for peace, and that should be the qualities of the leaders in the Middle East.

by Donato Bayu Bay Bumacas