Longing For Peace

Israeli and Palestinians have been fighting each other for the last 61 years. I no longer understand the conflict. I only know that innocent women and children continue to die on both sides of the conflict.

Would peace ever prevail in the Holy Land? I doubt it.

You can't expect peace when children grow up in fear of the other side.

You can't expect peace without having the will to accept the similarities between you and your so-called enemy. Peace starts with dialogue between ordinary people, especially children and women, from both sides.

When the latest conflict started, I watched filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg's documentary "Promises." When the two sides reached a cease-fire this weekend, I watched the movie "Arranged."

Promises is a must-see documentary to understand the conflict from a children point of view. Children are the future. If we fail to bring them together, there won't be peace in the region no matter how much we try.

Arranged is a wonderful movie of friendship, understanding and tolerance between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a conservative Muslim woman both living in New York. The story shows how much both women have in common in a good way.

I gave up on governments in the Middle East to achieve peace for their people. I wonder if the people of the Middle East can reach a middle ground for peace - A word that lost its meaning in this long conflict.

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Promises

Arranged

Monks Gone Violent

When Jesus finished his journey on Earth, he probably didn't envision what happened today in Jerusalem:

Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion.

Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshippers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police.

Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross.

Shocked pilgrims looked on as decorations and tapestries were toppled during Sunday's clash.

And what was this all about?:

The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognising their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies.

It's very sad for this to happen at one of the holiest places of Christianity. It's worse to know monks started this brawl.

The Turkish Hijacker And The Pope

Pope Benedict XVI continues to make the news. This time, it's over the hijacking of a Turkish Airliner by a Turkish Christian convert. The hijacker allegedly wanted to communicate with the Pope by his act of terror. The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

Turkish officials had originally reported as many as four hijackers acting in protest against the Pope's planned trip to Turkey next month. The Pope angered Muslims in a speech last month when he cited a quotation calling Islam "evil and inhuman" and linking the religion to violence.

But it emerged the hijacker was a Christian convert who wanted to avoid military service in Turkey and wrote to the Pope several months ago for help to avoid serving in "a Muslim army".

It gets better from there. The report continues:

"While the chief stewardess entered the cockpit to ask if we needed anything, the terrorist entered by force. I tried to push him out but he was a big man and I failed to stop him," Turkish Airlines captain Mursel Gokalp told reporters in Istanbul.

"He said his only aim was to give a message to the Pope and then he would submit himself to the police. He said that if he failed to deliver his message his three friends at the back of the plane would detonate the plastic bombs they had."

Read more...

Whoever baptized this person should have taught him the peaceful manners of Jesus. How about sending a letter or an e-mail to the Pope? Nooooooo, he have to make a scene of himself and terrorize the passangers on the plane. I guess the Turks are obsessed with Popes.