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EU Lawmaker: Israeli-Palestinian Coexistence Begins with Small Steps

(Makor Rishon-Hebrew, 18May12) Asaf Gabor - A unique meeting occurred last week in Brussels with the visit of a delegation of people who live each day with the problems and challenges of life in the West Bank, including Sheikh Hader al-Jaabri, a Palestinian leader from Hebron, and Gershon Masika, head of the Samaria regional council. The vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Fiorello Provera of Italy, explained how he saw the conflict: "The suffering of Israel and the Palestinians is not caused by the disagreement over land. The fact is that the steps Israel took such as the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 and from Gaza in 2005 didn't bring it closer to peace or improve the conditions of the Palestinians." "During my last visit to Israel...at the university in Ariel I saw scenes that many who speak of a two-state solution have never seen. Jewish and Arab students are learning there side-by-side and preparing joint academic projects to improve their economic situation. In the Barkan industrial park I saw factories where Palestinians and Jewish settlers work together in the same factory. Against this wonderful reality, the chairman of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, is working with all his might to prevent joint projects between the settlers and their Arab neighbors....In my opinion, small joint steps like these will lead to more serious progress than talk of a far-reaching agreement."
2012-05-25 00:00:00
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