December 2008 Blog Posts (53)

We Could Argue Until The Cows Come Home...Or...

On the surface, at least, the purpose of a system of justice is to bring justice. In America, however, every defendant has the right to legal counsel. Every once in a while a sharp and crafty lawyer can get the defendant off, even if he was caught with blood on his hands. Such is the power of a persuasive argument. But is justice served when legal arguments and loopholes are used to subvert the truth?

We see unfolding before our eyes a tragedy in Gaza. Innocent civilians are losing… Continue

Added by Nissim Dahan on December 31, 2008 at 8:51pm — No Comments

Celebrating mepeace.org's birthday and our commitment to peace in 2009

Dear Peacemakers,

On this day exactly two years ago, i registered mepeace.org. Happy Birthday and thank you for helping us grow as an organization, community and platform for peacemakers.

We advanced Middle East peace this year, online and on the ground: Online, we attracted visitors from 176 countries and 6, 877 cities, from New York to Sidney and Tel Aviv to Gaza City, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, etc... This year we… Continue

Added by Eyal Raviv on December 31, 2008 at 2:29pm — No Comments

Happy New Year, Wish That 2009 Will Bring Us Peace and Justice

Added by Hiba on December 31, 2008 at 1:31pm — No Comments

Happy New Year- May we envision a year filled with light, love and most importantly justice and peace

Despite all of the chaos going on in Israel and Palestine, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. Everyone must have faith that peace will come. Do not give into violence. Remain true to your heart and continue to find peace.
Peace is a ray of hope-- hold on to it and rise above those around you that give into violence.

Love and Blessings
Stephanie :)

Added by Stephanie Chase on December 31, 2008 at 8:06am — No Comments

Jenin

I came back to Jerusalem from Jenin, supposedly the hotbed of violent militancy, yesterday. It was an amazing and heart-wrenching experience. I met real peace wishers and makers who are at the same time victims and was literally overwhelmed by their hospitality, generosity and warmth.

What was so heart-wrenching was that in the midst of their suffering, poeple were so mild-mannered (as was everyone I met in Jenin) and patient and restrained - unlike the popular sterotyping that… Continue

Added by Rivka on December 31, 2008 at 1:14am — 4 Comments

Can We Find Peace in War?

Can We Find Peace in War?

When in the midst of war, of carnage, of sorrow, of anger and frustration, how does one find the peaceful place inside? And is it reasonable to ask it of a human being in the midst of terror?

If people have never known inner peace as a constant state of being, then when tragedy strikes, it is very likely that they will succumb to all the old habitual responses of anger and revenge. Only the most practiced and experienced peacemakers can… Continue

Added by Cia Khakaura on December 29, 2008 at 10:32pm — No Comments

Raise your Voice against Violence

World events concern you? ? Politics is your forte? Want to discuss, comment, learn, rant about these and more?

Blog/ Write on a site that helps you take your opinion to the world and make your voice heard. Let your opinion make a difference in the world. Share your thoughts, views, express your feelings, voice concerns on Allvoices.com. Allvoices is an open and highly relevant social media site "unedited by humans", where anyone can report and add their voice from anywhere. Allvoices is… Continue

Added by Hannahkelly on December 29, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

ENOUGH

Dear Peacemakers,

There I was, standing amongst several hundred mostly Palestinians chanting anti-Israel slogans along with "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" in front of the Isaeli Consulate in New York City.

As I hugged one of the organizers, a Palestinian friend, I whispered in his ears "this is a missed opportunity."

Yes, a missed opportunity.

The point of the protest was to call for an immediate stop to the violence and killing and for an immediate… Continue

Added by Jeff Rudy on December 29, 2008 at 12:00pm — 4 Comments

Gaza

so much to say...

i'll start with - why won't they surrender? israel is much more powerful, & the attacks can stop at once if they'll surrender. don't they care? where is the self responsibility?

& they could have avoid it all...

& they committed war crimes on a regular basis, & still are - the missiles keep flying from Gaza strip to israelis cities...

but then again - what an horror. around 300 people dead & a 1000 injured so far.

& the… Continue

Added by adi silberberg on December 28, 2008 at 11:41pm — No Comments

Come on, did you really need an attack on Gaza to know what's going on?

For 8 years Israeli civilians who live in such places as Sderot, Ashkelon and various villages and Kibutsim around are under attacks from Gaza.

Saturday morning, and some youth decides, hey, today I am going to make some impression on my friends. Let's fire some missiles on Israel and see what happens. I may even get to kill a child, a pregnant women or an elderly man. YAY!

Who protested?

Who launched international conferences?

Who shouted and organized… Continue

Added by Or-Tal Kiriati on December 28, 2008 at 5:43pm — 13 Comments

Does anyone know of any protests against what is happening in Gaza within the US?

Hey everyone!
I am going down to Washington DC for a few days, and I am sure that there MUST be a protest against the War Crimes in Gaza. If anyone knows of any, please let me know ASAP.
Thanks

Peace be with you
Stephanie

Added by Stephanie Chase on December 28, 2008 at 3:32pm — 3 Comments

We will have our Peace Café this week!

We are committed to our Peace Café this week!

We will meet and exemplify peace, dialogue, and co-existence at our Peace Café. Like others, we are stunned by the strikes on Gaza and empathize with all who are suffering in this conflict. With that and because of that we are committed to showing the way for peace.

I spoke with Hiba Hamzeh and Moad Arqouv, my partners in Palestine, and we are in agreement. At our Peace Café on Friday… Continue

Added by Eyal Raviv on December 28, 2008 at 1:09pm — No Comments

I apologize if I do not get back to any of you sooner

Hey everyone!

First I just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Hannukah, A Merry Christmas and a Happy Eid! (and to any other holiday that I have forgotten! :S).

I just wanted to let all of you that I have not been online much nor have had a lot of access this past few weeks. School; not having my lap top and being in suitations where a computer was not accessible for me, has hindered me from being on mepeace for some time. So if you send me a message, comment or we have been… Continue

Added by Stephanie Chase on December 27, 2008 at 4:55am — 2 Comments

We Have Met the Messiah and He is Us

Many religious traditions espouse the notion of the Messiah, a person who will be sent to redeem the world from sin and suffering.

In Judaism, the Hebrew Bible doesn’t really mention the idea of a personal Messiah who will end evil and usher in an age of peace. But the idea became popular as a result of rabbinic teachings, after the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 C.E. It is understandable that in the wake of the Temple’s destruction, and the… Continue

Added by Nissim Dahan on December 26, 2008 at 5:12pm — 4 Comments

Please take time to sign. The World Peace Solutions. All it takes is 2 minutes and costs nothing at all.

The World Peace Solutions

Hello to all people, World Wide.

No money needed, to make Peace.

No war needed and no revolution.

A signature.

And lets start with all ours.

Tell your friends about it your family,

this is not to join a business.

It is to make World Peace.

Support our, Planet and

sign the Virtual Live Recorded,

World Peace… Continue

Added by aussiekeith on December 26, 2008 at 2:00am — 1 Comment

Merry Christmas & Hanukka

Added by Hiba on December 25, 2008 at 2:07pm — No Comments

New Report on the Cost of Conflict in the Middle East

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that:

My company, Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), a political think tank based in Mumbai India is launching a report titled "The Cost of Conflict in the Middle East”.

The Report is the first in 60 years to offer a comprehensive analysis of the costs of conflict in the ME. It analyzes the human, military, political, economic, social and environmental costs of conflict among others, using 97… Continue

Added by Gitanjali Bakshi on December 24, 2008 at 12:24pm — No Comments

On this day exactly two years ago...

On this day exactly two years ago I invited my friends to create a community of peacemakers. We met at a cafe in Tel Aviv. The mission statement: "Create a community for activists to meet, network and inspire each other regularly!"

I registered mepeace.org a week later and we were on our way.

So far this year, mepeace.org was visited more than one hundred thousand times. We received more than three quarters of a million page visits… Continue

Added by Eyal Raviv on December 24, 2008 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

Polarization Breeds Terrorism

The Mumbai attacks and a potential resurrection of the ‘War on Terror’ threaten to polarize the India-Pakistan, Israel-Palestine nexus. If not dealt with carefully, these attacks may exacerbate inter-state rivalries and consequently encourage the growth of terrorist networks instead of actually quelling the… Continue

Added by Gitanjali Bakshi on December 24, 2008 at 9:30am — No Comments

Sign Our Open Letter to President-Elect Obama-We Need a Change in Israel/Palestine Policy !

The US Campaign to End the Occupation is launching a petition of organizations and individuals to President-Elect Obama calling for a change in U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality for all. Sign the petition today.

I personally feel that the most crucial part of the petition that should happen is for Israel to end the occupation in the West Bank +East Jerusalem. It is not asking for much. It is imperative that we get our voices heard,… Continue

Added by Stephanie Chase on December 23, 2008 at 4:41pm — 2 Comments