Friday, December 7, 2012

an interview with Noa dec 2012


Israel was at war a few weeks ago.

How did you live the war?

 

Noa: My heart was bleeding. The seemingly unbreakable circle of violence is so desperately frustrating, futile and miserable! On a personal basis, we were safe where we live. But so many others, in gaza, sderot and other places, were not as lucky!

 

We have the feelings that only one voice emerges from the country: The voice of the government for many many years. How can you make your voice hearable especially when the voice of the government is so powerful and strong?

 

Noa: I have raised my voice on countless occasions. In blogs, in articles, in demonstrations. I have paid a high price for my views, many who disagree with me hate me, they do everything in their power to hurt my career and my image, but I continue! And I am not alone, there are so many wonderful people here in Israel fighting for peace, for Israel’s character as a pluralistic, humanistic society…and yes, this government is strong, they are bullies..but as the saying goes say, “it aint over till it’s over”…everything can change still!

 

The vote of the Palestine as a non member state at the UN.

How did you live this vote?

Were you for / against? How in this case, would you express your voice?

 

NOA: here is what I posted on facebook:  I would like to join millions of people in Israel and the vast majority of  the international community in congratulating the Palestinian people for their important achievement in the UN, hopefully a step towards their full independence in the near future, living side by side peacefully with Israel, with good relations on every front. I admire President Abbas and his adamant adherence to ways of peace, his outreach to Israel in every possible way and his infinite patience. My dream has been, for years, to sing in the signing of the peace agreement between our two countries…who knows? It may still come true J !

 

During the bombings in Tel Aviv, in Israel, where were you? What did you feel for your country, the Palestinians? For yourself, for your family…

 

NOA: I live outside of tel aviv. In my area there were no sirens. We were lucky. I felt great fear in my heart when the sirens went off, and relief every time a bomb was felled by the defense system. But I also felt terrible for all the gazans suffering from the Israeli bombs. And above all, I felt disgust with the “easy” way both the Israel government and the hamas in gaza are taking: the way of war, the way of cowards!! Peace is for the brave of heart, the real heroes are those that dare to talk, to fight for life and a dignified way of living, not those that hide behind the dogmas of religion, the rhetoric of jaded politicians and the  bodies of  the dead!!

 

We have the feeling that some artists in Israel represents this left side of the politic, some might represent the voice of peace. But, when we are talking really about what to give, in order to make peace, settlements and some part of Jerusalem, it becomes harder. Are you really ready to “give” some part of what is now part of Israel? Until what/ should we go?

Are not you afraid to give too much, and then, to be in danger, for your, for your children?

How to “give” and keep being an citizen of Israel?

 

NOA: I am not afraid to give, no, not at all. Of course, any give-and–take must be done responsibly, but have we not been there already? Have not agreements been made, drafts drawn? Have not very wise men sat and deciphered a decent, plan of action? In Oslo, Wye Plantation, Camp David, Geneva, just to name a few?? Everyone knows the solution. It simply has to be implemented. Two states for two nations, based on 67, with some land swapping and other adjustments. Jerusalem shared, according to neighborhoods. I did not invent this. It is well known. Am I willing? Of course!! Because the alternative is to send my son, my grandson, and all generations after to an eternal and abominable war!! Or to move to Australia, or to the moon.

 
 What do you think of american or british artist who refuse to perform in Israel?

 

NOA: I totally reject their attitude! As I myself try to demonstrate throughout my own career, it is the role of those within the artist's community, who have an opinion, to voice it in Israel and abroad, loud and clear. Those in Israel who share these artists' views and swarm to their concert should be rewarded, not punished! Many great artists have chosen to do so. Role models such as Leonard Cohen came and expressed their support for dialog and peace. Moreover he has personally donated his profits from the concerts to a wonderful organization call "Parents Circle" which consists of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli Parents mourning their lost loved ones together, and at the same time working for dialog. Many many such organizations operate in Israel, very often far from the public eye. They are the "frontline" in the battle for peace and they could use all the support these boycotting artists could summon. On many occasions boycotting Israel, both academically and artistically is a result of unfortunate brainwashing by sworn enemies of peace who demonize Israel and achieve nothing but generating more and more disappointment and resentment within Israel. On other occasions it is simply a case of Artists and managements caving in pressure because they care more about their pockets  than about the issues themselves.  As I have previously stated Israel is a democracy and every voice can and should be heard.

 

When you are for your concerts outside of Israel, abroad, how is it to cope with the questions, sometimes rude, of the people who, for some of them, have it all in mind, and do not know much about the complexity of the region? How do you explain it, if you have to? In a way, if you are for peace, you always have to define yourself as an Israeli, a citizen of a country at war. Isn’t it tiring? How is it to be part of a country which is more and more isolated on a diplomatic level?

 

NOA: Yes, it’s tiring, but I understand it is part of my responsibility towards the state of Israel, my home and my people..especially my children! They will know their mother was a warrior for peace! . As a famous Israeli abroad I very often encounter blind, uneducated hatred towards Israel. It is frustrating. I work hard to balance the perspectives. But above all, it is my duty, as it is the duty of every human being to be as kind and compassionate as possible, to be generous, to respect all human beings regardless of race and religion, and to work for a society in Israel that will live according to these universal values. At present Israel often justifies the antagonism it has been experiencing, due to the very irrational, almost suicidal policies of the present government. We in Israel must do everything to rid ourselves of these destructive forces! To end the occupation and congratulate the Palestinians on the birth of their new state! and then to work HARD to build trust, to start a dynamic of positive thinking and growing, educating and living.  Luckily, Israel has other representatives beyond her government: her writers, dancers, musicians, all her artists, and many wonderful Israeli citizens living and working abroad. As I see it, they, we, are the un-paid, un-biased and un-politically-correct  Israeli ambassadors, the true face of Israel.

Monday, November 5, 2012

a moment before election day in the US....


This goes to all my friends and relatives in the USA (but could be good reading for the rest of you too..)

 
Please do not buy the Bibi-Sheldon rhetoric! to the best of my judgment Israel's government seems to be following a most dangerous track. It ignores all voices of sanity from within and without. It rejects all signs of peace (see Abu Mazen’s historic interview on Israel’s Channel 2 news! Or his speech at the UN GA, and that’s just one of many examples) with downright tautological arguments. Today 17 years after the murder of Rabin, (May he rest in peace! As for us, we are destined to UNrest without it..), We face a paranoid and suicidal leadership and a scared torn society that desperately needs your help. We need you to teach us the values of liberty, freedom, equal opportunities and separation of church and state, and a humane constitution which is well equipped to preserve and amend itself.
 
The values which brought you to America and gave you a home there? Don’t keep them to yourselves! Share them with us! You know: all men are created equal, freedom, liberty and justice for all, etc…all that good stuff!
If you care so much about the Jewish people and if that care has led you to believe that Israel's mission is to be an eternal warrior on behalf of the Jewish people, then let us please switch places. Come here! Send your children to the army! Leave the great American dream with its values and comfort and make “Aliyah”! Practice what you preach! So many of us would be happy to find shelter in America.
But if, on the other hand you have the slightest doubt regarding your certainty as to "what's good for Israel" - follow your heart! follow honesty and truth and human values such as " ואהבת לרעך כמוך " …Love your brother as you love yourself…no manipulations, no paranoia, rather courage and faith.
We are strong here. We know how to fight when we need to but at this point we prefer the risks of peace to the horror's of certain war.
 
 
Guess you should know who to vote for by now! And we will do the same when our election day comes, not too far down the road.

 

Noa and Gil Dor

 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

הקיפאון שבלב


 

 

הגישה המחברת בין מצב החברה בישראל מכל הבחינות לבין תהליך השלום עם הפלסטינים, או יותר נכון הקיפאון בתהליך, נאבקת בתפיסות יסוד המושרשות בעומק ההוויה הישראלית.
 

לתפיסתם של רבים ה"בעיה היהודית" היא היותו של העם נתון בסכסוך נצחי במימדים מיתולוגיים עם כל העולם. סכסוך שביסודו מושגים כמו: העם הנבחר, ההבטחה האלוקית, "עם לבדד ישכון ובגויים לא יתחשב" .אלו מן הצד היהודי, ולמולם שנאה, טינה, וקנאה מצד הגויים:
הנוצרים משום שהרגנו את בן האלוהים. המוסלמים - כי אנחנו כופרים במשיח מוחמד. וכולם כולם גם בגלל צרות עין, קנאה נוסח קיין והבל, או לפי ראיית הגויים, בגלל שאנחנו מסדרים אותם, מתעשרים על גבם וצוברים כח. ובקיצור אנטישמיות.
 

תפיסה רווחת זו מונחלת מידי שנה לכל ילד יהודי, חילוני דתי או מסורתי בישראל, בליל הסדר. שירת "והיא שעמדה", המנציחה את הסכסוך וגם נותנת לו פתרון אמוני מיסטי, מבטאת עמדה זו בבהירות ("והיא ..התורה.. שעמדה לאבותינו ולנו, שלא אחד בלבד עמד עלינו לכלותנו אלא שבכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו,והקדוש ברוך הוא מצילנו מידם, וכו, וכו".

זוהי במדה רבה תעודת הזהות שלנו.
 

הציונות (מבית מדרשו של הרצל) הייתה נסיון לתת מענה ל"בעיה היהודית" בגולה לדורותיה. הכוונה הייתה לא רק להכיל אותה, אלא גם להתניע תהליך שיבטל אותה, על ידי טרנספורמציה של האומה עד למצב של "עם ככל העמים".
 

השלב הראשון היה הקמת מדינת היהודים, וביצורה. שלב זה הסתיים ב 67 לאחר מלחמת ששת הימים.
 

השלב המתבקש השני, בדרך לנורמליזציה של העם, הוא צמצום הסכסוך ממימדיו המיתולוגיים למימדים הניתנים לטיפול באופן פרגמטי. שלב זה החל אחרי מלחמת יום הכיפורים  ב73 והוא נמשך עד היום.  בשלב הזה אנחנו מזהים קושי רגשי ושכלי להפרד ממיתוס "והיא שעמדה".

לכאורה כולנו רודפי שלום, אך השלום הזה, הפרגמטי, מעבר לסיכונים הראציונליים שבו, מאיים לנשל אותנו מחלק מזהותנו, חלק קורבני ומתנשא כאחד, זהות לאומית המשלמת על חטאי העם כלפי אלוהיו, בחורבן, גולה ושואה, אך משמרת בקנאות את רעיון הגאולה. 
 

משבר זהות זה נותן ביטוי לקיטוב העקרוני בין עמדות השמאל והימין. בין האדם במרכז, לעומת הלאום במרכז: בין המדינה כמכשיר בשירות האדם לבין מדינה כמכשיר בשרות הלאום. 

 

 שורש הקונפליקט הציוני מתמצה בביטוי "יהודית ודמוקרטית". מחד מדינת לאום, ומאידך אידיאולוגיה הומניסטית שבה "עם ככל העמים" הוא ביטוי, ברוח ההשכלה והחילוניות, למדינה אזרחית בשירות האדם. 

 

על פי תפיסת העולם של השמאל, המטען הלאומי ההיסטורי הוא גורם בעל משקל עצום שעיצב וממשיך לעצב את דמות המדינה מבחינה תרבותית ולשונית, אך הוא איננו עליון על הרעיון שהמדינה מכשיר בשירות האדם באשר הוא אדם. 

מסתבר שבחברה הישראלית הלאומית, המעוצבת על ידי רעיון הסכסוך הקוסמי, אין כיום מקום לשמאל. למעשה יש ימין לאומי, מרכז לאומי, ושמאל המכונה קיצוני.  

ולמרות כל זה אזרחי המדינה ניצבים היום  מול הצורך לבחור בין זהות הומניסטית המנסה להתעורר מסיוט הסכסוך הנצחי - מן המוקטעה ועד לאירן, לבין זהות לאומית המקדשת את הסיכסוך, לפחות עד בוא המשיח אחרי מלחמת גוג ומגוג. 

למרבה האירוניה, המנהיגות היהודית שאחרי חורבן הבית, ובהמשך גם הרבנות בגולה, בחרו להתרחק מכל ביטוי טריטוריאלי של הלאומיות, וראו בו כפירה גמורה. על בסיס זה ראינו חרדים מפגינים נגד המדינה הציונית, נפגשים עם עראפאת ואחמדינג'ד וכו.  

אמנם הציונות ראתה בחרדים אויבי הציונות אבל לנוכח הגרסה הלאומנית והקנאית המתממשת, עמדתם נראית הומניסטית ממש!
 

 אז לסיכום:
 

הקיפאון איננו רק בין מדינת ישראל לפלסטינים. חומת הקרח עוברת בלב החברה. חוסר היכולת לוותר על הזהות הפוסט טראומטית מימי חורבן הבית ודרך השואה מותיר אותנו משותקים ובוהים שוב ושוב בשתי האופציות ההיסטוריות: מצדה? או גולה?

ומעבר לזה: הקיפאון הריגשי השתלט על כל תחום בחיינו. הפסקנו לראות אחד את השני, נעלמה החמלה והסולידריות, שלא לדבר על רחמים ורגישות כלפי עובדים זרים, מיעוטים וכל החלש באשר הוא. אנחנו מקדשים את החזק, העוצמתי, הרברבן, המתנשא, כל מה שקשה וחסר לב... כקרח. לא רק מקדשים אותו, גם מצביעים עבורו.

הצדק האבסולוטי שלנו, הצדקנות העצמית, היא המניע לאין סוף עוולות ועיוורון מצידנו. את המילה באנגלית לצדק - justice  אפשר לקרוא  just ice  ....לא יותר מקרח, ולא בכדי. 

 

על מנת להחלץ מן המשבר יש להתפקח, להניח הנחה מושכלת ששורשי הסכסוך עם העולם הערבי נעוצים בסכסוך עם הפלסטינים ולא בגוג ומגוג. לעשות הכל כדי לפתור אותו. לא מתוך נאיביות אלא להפך, מתוך הכרה בהצלחה האדירה של ישראל. מדינה שידעה למן הקמתה לעמוד על האינטרסים שלה, הן במלחמה והן בעליה. מדינה שעיצבה את גבולותיה בעמידה נחושה במלחמה הרחק מעבר לגבולות החלוקה של 47.
אנחנו יכולים וצריכים לפרש את הניצחון ב67 ואת המאבק של הפלסטינים בכיבוש כגורמים שהביאו בסופו של דבר את העם הפלסטיני להכרה מעשית ועקרונית בקווי שביתת הנשק של סיום מלחמת העצמאות.
אין צורך ,יכולת או תועלת לגלגל את ההיסטוריה לאחור, אין גם צורך להיות צודקים או טהורים. יש צורך להכיר בזכויות הפלסטינים בנרטיב שלהם, בצערם ובכאבם, כשם שאנו מבקשים לקחת את מנהיגיהם ונכבדיהם לביקורים באושוויץ וביד ושם. להתנצל הדדית על הסבל שגרמנו זה לזה, לחלק את הארץ על פי מתווים שכבר סוכמו בעיקרון, ולחתום הסכם שלום. החברה שתוולד מחדש לעידן השלום תפקח עיניה ותגלה עולם אחר סביבה ועולם אחר בתוכה. עולם של הזדמנויות, השקעות, יצירה, משאבים לחינוך, בריאות ועזרה לזולת.  עולם שבו שולטת תקווה ולא פחד, גאולה של ממש. 
 
 מי יודע? אולי לזה התכוון המשורר שאמר "ימות המשיח"?  

וכל זה יתחיל כשנפשיר את הקיפאון שבלב. 

 

 

 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Things I said in a Naples concert regarding a cultural Boycott of Israel

Hello all. I was very honored to perform in the opening and closing closing nights of the Naples Theater and Arts festival. The concert was beautiful, the audience, as always in that great city, warm and loving.

But, as we know, even the purest ray of light creates a shadow somewhere.

I would like to share with you some comments I made right before the end of the show. Here they are:

"Dear friends,
I am aware of the demonstrations against me, calling to boycott my concerts and Israel in general. I am not angry at these people, I believe their intentions are good. I prefer to assume they are simply misinformed.
I do not want to think in terms of left and right. For me, like race and religion, these are only semantic terms that serve to separate us, not bring us together. As I see it, there are only people. People who want to live, not to die. People who care for each other, who try to learn from their mistakes. People who keep their minds open always,  careful not to succumb to stereotypes and dogmas. People who are not afraid to sometimes change their minds and views, always staying true to one principle:  love your brother as you love yourself. To all these people, wherever they are, in Naples, in Palestine and Israel, in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, in America, Russia, China, Germany, Spain, Greece, in  India or Pakistan, on the smallest island or on the endless plains, in places whose names I have never heard……. to them, and to you, I reach out my hands in peace. "

May we know better days.
Love

Saturday, April 28, 2012

darkness falls upon the land

A few days ago I had the honor of participating in two Memorial Day ceremonies here in Israel. One was in Rabin Square, whose namesake gave his life for Peace right in that very spot (I was singing in the square the night Yizchak Rabin was murdered…circles open and close around us all the time..)



The ceremony was attended by tens of thousands , all sitting or standing in silence as a string of artists came up on stage and sang melancholy songs in memory of the thousands of Israeli soldiers fallen in service. I was proud to be one of them. It was a beautiful and moving event.



But before coming to the square, I went to another memorial ceremony, held in a Hangar in the Tel Aviv Port. Ironically enough, I will be singing there in a few days with Bobby McFerrin (who will surely be urging me to not worry, be happy, tootoodoo. Ah, little does he know ). This Hangar is a popular event space and I was surprised the ceremony would be taking place there, as it is quite a large venue. I was even more surprised to see the place fill up completely. The reason for my dismay was the nature of this particular ceremony: It is an Alternative Memorial Day Service, and it is organized by a group called Combatants for Peace. This group is a joint Jewish/Arab organization striving to break the circle of violence between the two sides. You can read more about them here: http://cfpeace.org/?page_id=2. In this service, BOTH sides come to mourn their loved ones lost in the seemingly endless violent conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. People come to tell stories, sing songs, read letters, show films and present theater pieces, all centered around one simple idea: violence is not the answer, and LIFE , not death , is our common goal.


This ceremony started some years ago in a small, underground fringe theater in the south of the city but in recent years it has grown out of that small space and thus I found myself standing in front of thousands of people and couldn’t stop the chills from shooting up and down my spine and raising the hairs on the back of my neck. I was thinking of all those brave people sitting there, some of which had paid the highest price of all, seen their loved ones perish for, frankly, who cares what cause?! And there they were, Arabs and Jews, sitting together, seemingly “in the clutches of the enemy”, breaking the stereotypes, reaching out across the lines, turning their backs to hatred and violence, choosing LIFE! I felt fortunate and privileged to be allowed to lend my voice to such an important event. (see also this: http://www.theparentscircle.com/)


The next morning I started getting messages from friends and family, asking if I had seen the facebook campaign that was gaining momentum, calling to BAN me because I had sung in memory of terrorists on Israel’s Memorial Day.


I couldn’t really believe it. I though they must be mistaken or joking but this was very real. Could it be I thought , that in Israel of the 21st century people still think all Arabs are terrorist? Nawwww. But as the hours passed, more and more messages, calls and e-mails flooded my phone and computer, all dealing with this issue. Some wanted to know had I REALLY sung for terrorists? Some were blatantly violent and aggressive in language, a handful were supportive and sympathetic. What’s for sure, this had become an ISSUE and it was coming at me from every direction.


My friends, I am writing all this to you because it is important that you know that Israel is now going thorough one of the darkest periods of her short history. The amount of brainwashed people walking the streets here, the amount of RACISM and blind hatred, is simply mindboggling (and this goes for both the Jewish and the Arab population within Israel). I am but one of a long list of people and organizations with views similar to mine who have been bashed, banned, ostracized, ridiculed and marginalized, virtually OUTLAWED, since the present right-wing government has been in office. AN entire country has turned to talking in slogans, our minds have become little advertising sound-bits: we’re right, they’re wrong, they’re terrorists, we’re angels, god’s on our side, we did everything for peace, they refused, it’s their fault, there’s no partner, you’re either with us or against us etc etc ect.


The ensuing witch hunt, evoking medieval times, an Israeli take on McCarthyism, is a dangerous slippery slope that will lead Israel straight to oblivion.


SO, to all you Jewish/Israeli friends and family, I urge you, do not bindly support anything and everyrting Israel does! In such you are contributing to her demise! Rather, strengthen the sane, the humane, the caring and loving! Give those organizations working for a PEACE the support they so desperately need.


 And to you, whomever you are, you who are not Israeli or Jewish, and don’t really know exactly what’s going on here, to you I say, do not bindly criticize anything and everyrting Israel does! In such you are contributing to her demise! Rather, strengthen the sane, the humane, the caring and loving! Give those organizations working for a PEACE the support they so desperately need .


There is a long list of organizations who need you, here is very partial one, take your pick:
http://jstreet.org/
http://www.onevoicemovement.org/
http://umelfahemgallery.org/
http://www.theparentscircle.com/
http://cfpeace.org/?page_id=2
http://www.abrahamfund.org/main/siteNew/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_in_Hand_%E2%80%93_Bridge_over_the_Wadi
and on and on… may we know better days than these.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Israel-Iran love story, taking our fate in our hands

I don’t know how many of you are aware of the Israeli-Iranian”love” movement that has gain substantial momentum in the last couple of weeks.. it’s amazing. Some Israeli citizens decided to reach out to Iranian citizens with a simle message: love! People to people, heart to heart, mothers to mothers, children to children, a simple human message of love.

It is clear to me that in this day and age, our only hope is for like minded citizens to reach out to each other across the borders, circumventing politics and working together for a common goal. It is the tragedy of our time that our political systems have come to so poorly represent us…I’d even venture to say, so dangerously misrepresent us. Throughout the world, be it in developing countries or in established economies, in democracies, quasi democracies, budding democracies, what have you…we are seeing the same pattern: The political system is dominated by bullies of all shapes and sizes. These bullies are often driven by either personal interests, the interests of influential power-groups, or religious fervor (I haven’t decided what’s worse). What’s clear is, the public good, the well being of every man woman and child and the natural world upon which we thrive, seem to be the last things on their agenda. Egos running amok, games of pride and honor, a russian roulette of fear and threats, all these have become our daily bread. We have, unfortunately, become almost desensitized to them. It seems natural to us that “bad guys” will be in power, wash our brains with stories of our own supremacy, and the dangers involved in opening our doors to the “other”….we are lead to believe that we must protect what’s our violently, that sharing is weakness, open communication pathetic. When finally a “good guy” gets elected into power (like Rabin for example, or Obama, of which I am a great supporter), we are stunned, and then we either murder him or do the political equivelant. I simply cannot imagine anything sadder than the what has become of almost all of us : a bunch of scared, dominated, paranoid, self righteous, self defensive whimps. And numb to the bone.

Key word: almost. not everyone...

In that context, it is so relieving to see simple people raising their voices to say: there must be another way!! A facebook page, a youtube video, a seemingly naïve message of communication above dogma, of humanity above religion and race, of dreams and hopes above and despite politics and the brainwashing of international media: these are the rays of light that will eventually illuminate our path into the future.

Whoever’s reading this, I beg you: don’t become a droid in service of the new age, drugged on i-gadgets and consumer mush, blinded by rhetoric and driven by an insatiable ego. We have all the tools to bring on change. Look to those who have risked their lives in demonstrations throughout history and throughout the world, from Ghandi to Mandella to M.L. King to the Iranian and Syrian resistance 2011/12. They are the heroes of our time. But it is not only with blood that we can change the world: we have words. We have one human soul. We have facebook. We have eachother.

So I say: hello people of Iran…I too, Noa from Israel mother of 3, laugh in the face of the political drug dealers and reach out to you . I send you my love.

https://www.facebook.com/israellovesiran

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hello all.

Monday we set out again to Spain for concerts. I have not been in that fine country for a while. Spain has given me some of the most exciting moments of my life, and also some of the most challenging. Writing this I have a specific incident in mind, and that is the demonstrations against me during my performance at the Catalonian National Day three years ago (I was pregnant at the time) by pro-Palestinian organizations, in my beloved Barcelona. (By the way, I was sharing the stage with a local Arab orchestra, great people). The event was traumatic but I overcame it, and finally the performance was a success. These kinds of demonstrations are very frequent against Israelis everywhere, myself included, even those who are very outspoken in support of peace, as I always have been.

I would like to share with you a letter I write to one such organization last June (!!), calling for peace between us. It is important to me that you, my friends, followers, foes, whoever is reading this, be aware of this call for communication, this cry in the night.

I never got a reply to this letter. I am still waiting and have not lost hope.

Very sincerely yours,

Noa

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The letter:

Hello friends.

It has been a long time since our unhappy mail interaction. Many things have happened.

I want to make peace with you. it weighs heavy on my heart that people who basically think the same and want the same thing, who share the same principles and are working for the same goal, who dream of peace between nations, cannot make peace with eachother.

I am not interested in any negative feeling with you. on the contrary, I think we should join forces and work together, to promote public awareness for a two state solution, for the rights of the Palestinian people alongside the Israeli people, for respect and equality, for dialogue and peace.

Here is something I wrote a long time ago, that is still my deepest belief and personal truth about peace in our region:



1. RECOGNIZE-

Each side must recognize the rights of the other to life, freedom, independence, identity, the right to flourish, the right to a peaceful existence. This is the first and critical stage of the plan. Without formal recognition, in writing, signed by the recognized leaders of each nation, no progress can be made.



2. APOLOGIZE-

Both sides have done horrible things to each other in the name of this and that ideal. Since the death of one life is parallel to the death of all of humanity, there should be a true and deep remorse for these actions, a heartfelt apology on both sides for the pain and anguish they have caused.



3. SHARE-

Each side should revoke their dreams of a complete ‘anything’. Only through compromise is peace achievable. In this way, on one small piece of land, we can create 2 countries, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully and respectfully alongside each-other.


I send you all my best wishes.
Noa

www.noasmusic.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsflPG3_C78