The real solution to the Middle East crisis

Noni Darwish is the daughter of the leader of the Fedayeen guerilla operations, Lt. Col. Mustafa Hafaz, an organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Hafaz who took part in the murder of dozens of Israelis, including women and children, was eventually assassinated by the Israeli Defense Forces. Darwish chose not to heed the words of Gamal Nasser—then president of Egypt—calling for revenge, and got past the culture of hatred she was exposed to throughout her childhood, which included songs with the anti-Semitic: “Arabs are our friends and Jews our dogs.” Through a series of turning points, Darwish came to the realization that the real solution to the Middle East crisis lies in a severe reform of education as well as re-evaluation by Arabs of their religion. One of her early epiphanies was when Israeli officers were searching for her father in her home and left without harming women or children in the household. Another occasion that left a strong imprint was when her brother was injured and the choice was made by Egyptian authorities to send him to Hadassah hospital rather than to Cairo hospital. ...Darwish today states that “The true freedom fighters are the brave, moderate voices in Arab media who live in the Arab world, the brave voices of Muslim men and women who speak from inside the Arab world.” She longs for a revival of “the precious culture of exchange between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.” In the words of Golda Meir, Darwish indicated that “peace can be achieved when the Arabs love their children more than they hate the children of Israel.”read more