Earl Shugerman at Nes Ammim Focolare
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There will be a second Nes Ammim Focolare event this year. Last year we were the first Jewish guests in the thirty year history of the activity. The activity is sponsored by The Focolare, which you apparently know is the largest Catholic outreach movement. Jews, Catholics, and Muslims from both Israel and Palestine will attend. Vatican representatives will be present.
I would appreciate your help in educating readers to the peaceful side of life in this region. Please advise me how to best promote this wonderful event if you are interested.
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Best Wishes;
Earl Shugerman
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Comment by Earl Shugerman on 1 July 2010:
MANIPULATION OF THE PRESS: The Flotilla!!!
How many of the Flotilla’s crews were Palestinians? Many were not!!!! They were individuals or groups of individuals presenting their own agendas!!!!
There are two types of wars. Very sadly, there are conflicts that are settled by bullets and tanks, and there are wars fought in the media. I’m writing this article from the perspective of an American immigrant to Israel of three years. However, I do have forty years experience as a “media spinner”. The Press can be a valuable and dangerous weapon.
The incident of the ships entering Israel’s territorial waters is another example of supporters claiming to represent the Palestinian cause, but actually may not. These individuals and groups of individuals spoke for themselves. They claimed to speak for “The Palestinians” even though many Palestinian including President Abbas who claimed otherwise.
Sadly, the perception of much of the world is that Israel is a military state. I find this unfortunate because this is not true. Since the founding of the state, Israel has been busy conducting wars of bullets and tanks confronting every Arab nation surrounding its’ borders.. Israel has always been a small nation surrounded by an enemy many times its’ size. Yet the nation enjoys one of the world’s highest standard of living and is a budding yet imperfect democracy. Manipulation of the media contributes to this distortion.
The most basic responsibility and right of national leadership is self defense. The President of the USA is considered the commander in chief. His primary duty is to defend his nation.
For example, the leaders of America, including Obama, feel that the presence of 150,000 soldiers in Iraq and 40,000 in Afghanistan is protecting the American citizen. This is in response to just one major terrorist attack within the continental USA. We have been attacked thousands of times since the first day of our existence. Yet, much of the world brands Israel as an aggressor.
The leaders of the Arab League rejected the 1947 United Nations resolution granting statehood to the Jews and Muslims in Palestine.
Many of these leaders felt the need to prevent implementation through acts of war. The first act of war was the Arab League invasion in 1948. The Palestinian exodus was the result.
The Myth of the Nagba: The Palestinian Exodus:
Time Magazine of May 3, 1948, reported from Haifa:
“The mass evacuation, prompted partly by fear, partly by orders of Arab leaders, left the Arab quarter of Haifa a ghost city. More than pride and defiance was behind the Arab orders. By withdrawing Arab workers, their leaders hoped to paralyze Haifa. Jewish leaders said wishfully: “They’ll be back in a few days. Already some are returning.”
On the day that Israel declared its independence (May 15, 1948), Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League, at Cairo press conference, (reported in the New York Times, May 16, 1948) declared “jihad”, a holy war. He said that the Arab states rejected partition and intended to set up a “United State of Palestine.”
The Arab League and committee governed the West Bank and Gaza until the 1967 war, while the Palestinians lived in refugee camps in abstract poverty. The Arab league’s justification was that the Palestinians should only gain control of any part of Palestine only when all of it was liberated!
The people of Israel have been forced to cope with this mentality since 1948. Efforts within this region have been made to confront this mentality both by the people of Israel and the people of Palestine.
I don’t understand why the media neglects this other side of life in our regionl, the side that tries to settle differences with words and not weapons? I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate in some of these efforts.
blogs.rj.org/reform/…/update-from-haifa-jews-christi.html -prayer vigil during war in Gaza
hiram7.wordpress.com/…/earl-shugermans-corner-the-focolare-movement/ -retreat at Christian Kibbutz
video.google.com/videoplay?docid… -youth sports event at Haifa beach Run 4 Unity
Earl Shugerman from Haifa