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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 18, 2008
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| June 15, 2008 |
War or Peace? – Palestine |
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| Peace Boat participants visited Baqa’a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Jordan on the 62nd Voyage (Photo by Stacy Hughes) |
Is a peaceful settlement still possible for the Palestinians over the dream to return to the land they believe is rightfully theirs, or is war the remaining option?
This is no simple question and there is certainly no easy answer. The 60 years of violence, destruction, frustration, denial and betrayal has left the future of the Palestinians, Israelis and the entire Middle East in limbo. |
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| Mr. Khazmo was the first member of the PLO Peace Boat has had as guest speaker |
Leaders have changed, peace negotiations have failed, wars have killed and families have been destroyed. Yet the conflict continues. Two guests with two very different perspectives came onboard the 62nd Peace Boat voyage to share their views on the situation currently facing the Palestinian people. The first was a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Communications Adviser, Wassim Khazmo who lives in East Jerusalem. He conducted lectures on the history of the conflict and was able to describe life after the ‘Separation Wall’ – the barrier Israel is building to surround the West Bank Occupied Territories – was built. |
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| Mr. Khazmo gave a quick Arabic culinary rundown to Peace Boat passengers on the Jordan Baqa’a camp tour |
Mr. Khazmo spoke in staunch advocacy for victory for the Palestinian people only through negotiations, arguing that violence was not an option and it would only act to weaken support within the international community for the Palestinian cause. As a PLO Communications Adviser, Khazmo is part of a team that consults with the PLO in regards to the ‘Final Status Negotiations’ with Israel. His team regularly meets with the Pale |
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| Passengers had endless questions for Ms. Al-Husseini about her feelings and experiences |
Mr. Khazmo said his main achievement has been achieved in regards to communication with the leadership of the PLO, saying “...we have used our expertise to make the leadership take a position on certain issues which they were otherwise hesitant to take for various reason. An example of this is bringing the case of the ‘Separation Wall’ to the International Court of Justice. This was achieved only because we managed to convince the leadership to approach the ICJ.” Eager to share the best of Palestinian culture with the participants, Mr. Khazmo taught Arabic lessons onboard and helped create an Arabic and Japanese language book to fundraise for the Peace Boat Sana'a fair-trade project, which supports Palestinian refugees in Jordan.
The second guest was 21 year old Suzan Al-Husseini, a third generation Palestinian refugee living in Jordan. Having been brought up with the stories of the trials her family faced under occupation, their forced eviction from their homes and the continual persecution of family still living in Palestine, she holds anger and resentment close to her heart. |
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| The Peace Boat film crew filmed Ms. Al-Husseini for the onboard TV program |
In contrast to Mr. Khazmo, Al-Husseini firmly believes that a peaceful settlement is no longer possible given the numerous failed attempts to negotiate peace. According to Ms. Al-Husseini “...anything that was taken by force should be taken by force. If war was the only option to achieve peace I would support it, and I will support each person that has the strength to go and fight. In the Koran it says that one day we will have a big war with Israel and we are going to get Palestine back”. As well as sharing her thoughts on the Palestinian politics, Ms. Al-Husseini also taught participants about Arabic culture and spoke about life as a Palestinian woman in Amman.
The different views expressed by Mr. Khazmo and Ms. Al-Husseini highlighted the harsh choices faced by those facing the reality of conflict, and demonstrated the challenges inherent in trying to follow a path of non-violence. This was a valuable experience for Peace Boat participants to hear two distinct views, and gave rise to much debate amongst passengers about the line between war and peace. |
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