Talk With Israel… Do not Be Afraid….. by Jamil Shawwa

Dear Arab and Muslim countries,


I have a modest request, as an Arab American, and as a Muslim and as someone who was born in Beirut- my mother is Lebanese from a Lebanese family- and my family from my father’s side is from Gaza and lived in Gaza for years, I ask you to pick-up the phone, or text message or email your neighbors and friends in the State of Israel and just say hello!

To the leaders of the Arab countries and the Muslim countries, do the same, talk to Shimon Peres, Bibi Netanyahu and Ehud Barak and all the leaders in Israel.

To the Palestinians, they are doing it daily, but why not more, do the same. Egypt’s Mubarak is doing it as well as King Abdullah II of Jordan and many, many others that do not publicize.

To the State of Israel, I know how it feels sometimes to be alone, a state and country in the midst of the Arab and Muslim countries, but do the same if you can, pick up the phone, or email and suggest a conversation.

Talk in the area, in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Cairo, Amman, Damascus, Baghdad, or Haifa- oh I love Haifa, the food there is amazing- no need to go anywhere else, your destiny is already written, and you will never be able to run from it, you are all there, The State of Israel, the State of Palestine and all the other countries in the Middle East.

Use civility and the power of reason, deliberation and mind to talk, discuss, and negotiate, nothing to lose and mountains to gain.

Talking is one thing, probably, that differentiate all of us from other God’s creatures, and we are blessed with the ability to talk if we choose to.

Talk on all levels, schools, sports, politics, just talk.

Pick up the phone, all of you, and dial the numbers, and if you do not have the numbers, just go ahead and Google them, just do something useful, different, if you have to, and productive today and not tomorrow. Do not wait, do not sneak around, do not pretend, and do not stab in the back. The power of conversation is the ultimate power, because it is endless, it cannot be stopped and it cannot be fought.