Myth of Zionist control on the US

Whether it is a myth, truth or propaganda, the idea that Zionists control the United States exists. Bulldozing or cursing it won’t go away, but finding a lasting solution will.

I am for Jews and Palestinians, and I am for Israel and Palestine, it’s not an irreconcilable thought, it has been floating since the creation of Israel. If we follow all the rules and resolutions, it will result in it.

A majority of Jews, Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians want to move on, while a few like to continue with the status quo, obviously there is benefit in it for this tiny weeny number of people to continue the conflict. They are either control freaks or they mint money through American generosity which is recycled to our senators and congress persons, everyone makes the money while the average American loses it, and average Israeli lives in continued fear.

A few among the rightwing Jews, Christians, Muslims and Hindus, do not give a crap about Judaism/ Israel, Christianity, Islam or Hinduism respectively. Their only interest is how to enrich themselves and control others. There's sadism in there.

These handfuls of men are really screwing up ordinary Jews and Israel by faking to protect them. None of their actions and talk will bring security to Jews or Justice to the Palestinians, it has not happened in 64 years.

The law of Karma works this way; you frighten someone around you, they may be frightened to obedience, but deep in their hearts there is resentment, and deep in your heart there is fear that they might get you in a vulnerable moment. Neither of you can live in peace and security. Everything balances out itself, that is the law of nature.

I am keeping up with this conflict, the mother of all conflicts in the world, if we can find a resolution to this, the bottom of conflicts will fall and a peaceful world will emerge.

You must read this article to fully understand the situation, http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2009/09/solutions-for-israel-and-palestine.html, it prevents you from falling into the trap of prejudice.

The United States and Arabs together have messed up the situation, when there was a conflict between the Jews and Palestinians, instead of getting them to talk, we supported one or the other, armed them to fight and kill each other, and caused them to dig in their heels and deepen the chasm. Who are the losers? Of course it is the Jews and the Palestinians!

The senators and congress persons were paid off to approve the funding and supplies to Israel on a continual basis, as opposed to preventing an aggression on Israel. Right now, these few men get their funds and pay a percentage towards these corrupt representatives. It’s a scheme to make money and certainly they benefit.

Peace means, no more monies to these rascals.

The Jews and Palestinians, and above all, the Americans need to wake up to this. We the people, the people of America, Israel and Palestinians are the losers, we are not funding Israel, but funding a few men, who in turn control us.

These few men have isolated America and Israel, in the name of protecting Israel. Much of the resentment they are breeding around the world morphs into anti-Semitism, we are goddamned alone in the community of nations. Even in the United States, the latent Anti-Semitism is caused by what people see; injustice to the Palestinians and the war trumpeting, illegal settlements and human rights violations.

When the world condemns settlements, we veto it, when the world wants to stop bombing Gaza, we remain silent, look at our record in the United Nations we have always gone against the world… we have gotten away with it because we are a powerful nation and bully or pay others to obedience. We have not done the investigation as to who is benefiting from the funding to Israel – is it serving its purpose?

The Senators and congresspersons can be bought off, but the informed public remains resentful and it is not good.

The best policy is to be just, and when you follow justice and the rule of law, you cannot go wrong. Your (individual or nation) safety hinges on justice to the people around you. When you take advantage of the weak, the equation goes off balance, you continue to live in the fear of your vulnerable moment, and they will continue to wait for the moment to get even or humiliate you in any fashion they can. The more injustice you do to others, the more vulnerable you become.

The Israeli public needs to demand that their leaders need to show progress they make in peace, and not get away by blaming the others, and on the other hand, the Palestinians public needs to demand the exact same from their leaders. Israel will continue to live in fears, as long as it pursues the current policies. The ordinary Jews need to demand a regime change. The Israeli problem is their leaders and not the Palestinians, and the Palestinian problem is same; their leaders and not the Palestinian people.

Peace hinges on hope and justice for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, anything short of justice will not produce sustainable peace" - If Jews and Palestinians can take the position that we cannot have peace when others around us don't and work on first removing bias and stereotyping from their own minds, conflicts will fade and solutions emerge.

The following video is in circulation, instead of banning it, or ordering off you tube, we all need to find lasting solutions, when we do this, this will be a meaningless video. By the way, both sides do their propaganda.

Zionist control on the U.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-qekYT93FU

REFERENCES:
Presbyterians will possibly be divesting in Israel, long before more will join.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11042

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 MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

TIMELINE: Remembering Yitzhak Shamir

TIMELINE: Remembering Yitzhak Shamir TIMELINE: Remembering Yitzhak Shamir By JTA Staff · July 1, 2012 http://blogs.jta.org/thearchiveblog/article/2012/07/01/3099591/remembering-yitzhak-shamir Yitzhak Shamir, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, passed away June 30, 2012 at the age of 96. Below is a brief biographical timeline featuring relevant articles from JTA Jewish Daily Bulletin reports, pieced together from items mentioned in various obituaries: Oct. 22, 1915: Born Icchak Jaziernicki in Ruzinov, Poland. (alternate sp. Yezternitsky) 1935: Yezternitsky leaves Warsaw, where he was studying law, to move to Palestine. Continues study at Hebrew University. (In November 1935, reports of agitation emerged from Warsaw University. 1937: Yezternitsky joins Irgun Tzvai Leumi. 1942: Avraham Stern, leader of Stern gang, is assassinated by British. Yezternitsky becomes one of a triumverate to fill the leadership void in the group. July 1946: Following the bombing of the King David Hotel, Yezternitsky is arrested by British during mass searches for Stern Gang and Irgun members and identified as one of 35 'extremely important' members of said groups. Menachem Begin was identified by the British as a prime target in these raids. 1955: Shamir Joins Mossad. 1961-1964: Involved in Operation Damocles, targeting German scientists engineering rockets for Egypt. 1970: Joins Herut Party, led by Begin 1973: Elected to 8th Knesset, sworn in in January. 1975: Elected Chairman of the Herut Executive, becomes party's number two man. June 1975: Shamir present when Israel releases 20 convicted terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Stern gang members. The two were hanged on March 23, 1945 for the murder of Lord Moyne, British Resident Minister in the Middle East 1977: Elected Speaker of the Knesset. 1979: Moshe Dayan resigns from the Cabinet; Shamir replaces him as Foreign Minister. 1980: Uzi Benziman profiles Shamir for JTA. A month later, Shamir is sworn in as Foreign Minister. 1981: Foreign Minister Shamir warns that U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia could ‘cloud’ U.S.-Israel relations December 1981: Shamir says Egypt has no basis for complaining about the Golan Law April 1982: Following murder of an Israeli diplomat in Paris, Shamir warns, "we will use our force to crush these terrorist organizations, their leaders, their centers and their bases everywhere our long arm reaches. We will hit them without mercy because we have decided to live." February 1983: Following Lebanon War, Kahan Commission report is released, saying Shamir "erred in not taking any measures" to help prevent the massacres at Sabra and Shatila. 1983: Gil Sedan profiles Shamir for JTA. 1983: Begin resigns as PM; Shamir assumes premiership. 1983: Shortly after the swearing in of his cabinet, Shamir is thrust into national economic crisis, implements austerity measures December 1983: On 40th anniversary of Irgun's declaration of rebellion, PM Shamir says that peace on Israel's borders would be assured by a renewal of the old underground fighting spirit. January 1984: Shamir meeting with Israeli-Arabs is first of its kind held by a Likud leader. September 1984: As part of PM Shimon Peres's new coalition government deal, Shamir is tapped for role of premier in second half of government's tenure. September 1985: Shamir denounces AJCongress mission to Cairo and Amman, Bronfman mission to Moscow April 1986: Addressing Irgun veterans, Foreign Minister Shamir declares Hebron a "liberated" Jewish city that "will never be given back." March 1988: Shamir warns American Jewish leaders on a mission to Israel that criticism by diaspora Jewish organizations of Israeli policies "does much more harm than any...violent demonstrations in Gaza and elsewhere." June 1988: With guarded optimism towards the U.S.S.R.'s diplomatic overtures offering to restore diplomatic relations with Israel for the first time since 1967, Shamir meets with Soviet Foreign Minister. September 1988: A former Stern Gang member confesses to 1948 assassination of Swedish U.N. mediator Count Folke Bernadotte but says Shamir was not one of the four men involved. Sweden demands a renewed apology, but Israel refuses. November 1988: PM Shamir butts heads with American Jewish leaders, refuses to take 'Who is a Jew' question off the national agenda. 1991: After a warm send-off to the Reagan administration in 1989, Shamir has a harder time warming up to President Bush and Secretary of State James Baker leading up to his first official visit. The Gulf War marks the first time in history that a foreign military (the U.S.) would land on Israeli soil to partake in its defense, putting Shamir on the defensive. Shamir's policy of restraint in the face of Iraqi SCUD missiles is welcomed by the U.S., but angrily rejected by others in Israel, including Ariel Sharon. June 1991: One month after Operation Solomon, Jewish Agency chairman Simcha Dinitz discloses that PM Shamir decided to leave 3,000 Falash Mura converts behind in Addis Ababa. June 1992: After Labor party upsets Likud in Israel's elections, Shamir steps down, announcing, ""I am at the end of the road." 1998: Shamir and Peres call on lawmakers to repeal a law that created a direct election of prime minister separate from the Knesset. July 29, 2011: Shamir's wife, Shulamit, dies at age 88. June 30, 2012: Shamir dies at age 96, after living with Alzheimer's disease for six years.

Hateful rhetoric against Palestinians- Rabbi Yosef

Hold your guns, there will be pieces on " Hateful rhetoric against Jews" as well. These articles are to acknowledge the existence of rhetoric that does not build bridges. My goal at this blog is to understand all issues and bad mouthing done by both sides and find solutions. -  Mike Ghouse

Rabbi has said God should strike the Palestinians and their leader with a plague

http://blogs.reuters.com/gbu/2010/08/30/rabbis-remarks/

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An influential Israeli rabbi has said God should strike the Palestinians and their leader with a plague, calling for their death in a fiery sermon before Middle East peace talks set to begin next week.

Abbas, Palestinians should die: Israeli rabbi


“Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from this earth,” Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual head of the religious Shas party in Israel’s government, said in a sermon late on Saturday, using Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s popular name.


You report on offensive comments by an Israeli rabbi, but Arab imams say much worse every day. Additionally Arab media, schoolbooks etc. Are loaded with Nazi-like rhetoric.


Why do you refuse to report on Arab incitement? This is extremely unfair and a manifestation of bias.  


The comments were news in part because they were not typical. Yosef is the spiritual leader of a key partner in Israel’s governing coalition, which was a compelling reason to do the story.


The timing – just before peace talks are to begin – provided more reason to write about the remarks, which were also given prominence by the Israeli media.


We have reported in the past, for example, on Hamas clerics who have made anti-Jewish remarks and even Hamas children’s TV shows that portrayed Jews as bloodthirsty killers: GBU Editor

A Shas campaign poster depicting the party’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is posted on a public bus in Jerusalem in a 2006 file photo. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

A Tipping Point for Israel

http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2012/05/tipping-point-for-israel.html

Until the Israeli majority speaks up, the leadership of Israel will continue to pursue policies that will make Israelis less and less secure, and until American public takes the stand that Israel needs to end the conflict and make peace with the Palestinians, the bad governance will continue. It is neither good for Israel, America or the Palestinians. 


If Israel makes peace, then the $4billion aid to Israel will stop, and that will drain the pockets of the men who have made a business of the conflict. The $4 billion in a vicious circle... it funds the congressman and the Senators and the Presidential candidates, who will make sure the funding remains in place or increased.  Do these men really care about Israel?  Do they care about Justice to the Palestinians and security to Israel? Their interest is their pockets and I hope they realize that the draining cannot continue.

Mike Ghouse committed to building cohesive societies.
www.MikeGhouse.net 

A Tipping Point for Israel

by Philip Giraldi, May 10, 2012

A tipping point is where physical momentum, inclined in one direction, reverses its course, stabilizes, and then begins to move the opposite way. Those of us who have been arguing for a sane United States foreign policy in the Middle East have well understood that the odds on shifting the prevailing narrative have been heavily against us thanks to the overwhelming resources possessed by a powerful domestic lobby. 


Ten years ago in America, it was impossible to place even a letter in a mainstream newspaper or magazine that was in any way critical of Israel. Apart from Pat Buchanan, no one on television provided a critique of Israel and its policies. In the U.S. media, Israel was ever the beleaguered little democracy surrounded by savage Arabs.


But then, all of a sudden, the conspiracy of silence began to break down. It began with the revisionist history of the antecedents of the Iraq War as that conflict continued to drag on. Many began attributing Washington’s initiation of the fighting, at least in part, to Israeli interests. Philip Zelikow, chief counsel for the 9/11 Commission Report, famously noted in March 2004 that the war was “to protect Israel,” surely an exaggeration but containing more than a kernel of truth. Many also began to observe that the agitation for a new war with Iran was following the same pattern, with supporters of Israel leading the charge.


In 2006, former President Jimmy Carter published Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. It provoked considerable outrage and highly publicized resignations from the board of the Carter Foundation together with charges that Carter was supporting Palestinian terrorism. But the big breakthrough came with the publication of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer’s The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy in the following year. It became a New York Times best-seller, and it suddenly became acceptable to talk about Israel without the usual bromides. For the first time, people in America were taking notice of the power of the Israel lobby and the inherent downside for U.S. national interests.


Driven by the prospect of unending warfare in an attempt to remake the Muslim world by force, letters and op-eds critical of Israel and its policies began to appear in the mainstream media. There weren’t a lot, mind you, and they were always “balanced” by more numerous contrary commentaries, but there were enough to demonstrate that a shift was taking place. Mainstream Jewish organizations, always vigilant in defense of what they have perceived as Israel’s interest, resorted increasingly to discrediting critics by calling them “anti-Semites.” Indeed, they succeeded in equating any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and even managed to pass legislation in Canada and several European nations that made any criticism of Israel ipso facto a hate crime.


Some American Jews have always been bothered by the dark side of Israel’s story, beginning with the Nakba expulsion of the Palestinians from their homes and including the more recent settlement policy, “security” wall, and the denial of civil and human rights to the Arabs living in Israel and the occupied territories. They were convinced, correctly, that Israel had no intention to permit the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Many began to protest, though their voices were at first confined to the alternative media and they had to work through many progressive groups that were advancing a much broader peace agenda in response to George W. Bush’s horrific “global war on terror.”


But now we Americans have finally reached our tipping point. Recently Peter Beinart, a Zionist and defender of Israel for many years, released The Crisis of Zionism, which explains how Israel has become an armed camp dedicated to repressing and even expelling its Palestinian helots. As a liberal Jew, he rejects the militant values that drive the Israel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has even gone so far as to support an economic boycott of Israel, similar to the pressure that was put on South African apartheid. The book has predictably provoked a firestorm of criticism from the pro-Israel establishment, but Beinart is not alone. Tom Friedman and Paul Krugman of The New York Times, both Jewish and both longtime friends of Israel, have voiced the same concerns, namely that Israel no longer represents the liberal and humanistic values that they themselves cherish. It has been noted in passing that young American Jews increasingly do not view Israel in positive terms, a sign, if one was needed, that the older generation that believes Israel is always right, no matter what it does, is passing into history.


And it does not end there. Even the mainstream media is now, perhaps reluctantly, on board. On April 22, 60 Minutes, the most watched television news and commentary program in the United States, aired a segment on Israeli persecution of Christians. The program was a real shock for the many fundamentalist Christians who have viewed Israel through rose-tinted glasses. Many evangelicals have promoted the myth that Israel is actually a protector of Christians, which it most emphatically is not; it seeks instead to marginalize them and force them to emigrate, as the 60 Minutes program demonstrated. Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, who tried to kill the story and called it a “hatchet job,” was interviewed as part of it. His performance was alternately smug and angry, and it is widely regarded as a public relations disaster. He even said that mainstream Christian churches are “known for their anti-Semitism.”


Benjamin Netanyahu’s office supported Oren’s contention that the broadcast was a “threat to Israel.” It was Netanyahu’s second venture into public relations in a short time, having previously denounced German Nobel Prize–winning author Gunter Grass. Netanyahu banned Grass from traveling to Israel and said that his writings had “hurt Israel profoundly.” Netanyahu was responding to Grass’s rather mild declaration in a poem that the Jewish state’s nuclear program is a threat to an “already fragile world peace.”


Netanyahu knows that the tide is running against him and everything he represents, particularly as the criticism from former senior officials in his own country continues to mount, but he is too obdurate to do what must be done. One of Israel’s darkest secrets is the extent to which young, educated Jews are fleeing the country for greener pastures, most notably the United States. By some guesstimates, one third of university-educated second- and third-generation Israeli Jews have left the country. 


They are leaving behind the recent Russian immigrants, many of whom are not actually religiously or ethnically Jewish, and the Islamophobic racists who constitute the core of the hard right in Israel. Israel publishes no statistics on the brain drain, which has intensified the country’s demographic problem and lessened its competitiveness.


So we have reached the point where the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Everyone, with the possible exception of the U.S. Congress, has become aware that there is something terribly wrong with Israel. In Israel itself, where there is often ferocious debate over the country’s policies, it is time for a reckoning. Does Israel want to become a normal state with correct relationships with its neighbors, including an independent Palestine, or does it want to continue down the road that it is pursuing, which is folly and will lead to ruin? The choice is ultimately Israel’s, but, for the first time, Americans are actually beginning to talk and write freely and openly about the problem.

A dark Easter for Palestinian Christians

A dark Easter for Palestinian Christians

There is so much to know and so much to attend.  However, we tend to attend to issues that are shared by friends. The following two pieces have compelled me to respond.

As humans, we are instinctively inclined to take sides and give strength to one of the two positions in a given situation. We do that because standing for a friend, a fellow you know, even the family members sounds like the right thing to do.

It is not.

The right thing to do is to find lasting solutions and not emotional solutions for the moment.   

That is what the United States and Arab Nations have done in messing up the security for Israel and justice for the Palestinians. Both of us have recklessly and unconditionally supported the conflict and positions of each side, rather than focusing on getting the parties to sit down and find lasting solutions. They would have done it, had we, the Americans and the Arabs not beefed up their positions.

In the two notes below, I see the same pattern and I chose to remain not taking sides. As  a peace maker that would be wronging the Israelis and the Palestinian Christians.

Until the myths (to the other) and facts (to the other) are cleared up, where both sides agree to the "agreed facts" Ill-will continues.  We cannot deny the issues, and neither should be brush them aside – they will be nagging eternally.

This is where you and I can serve as guidance to create a balance in a society based on agreed facts by all sides, and the American Administration should stay out of it, peace comes from understanding and not influencing, enforcing, bribing or appeasing. No nation or individual will live in comfort, when injustice remains in currency.

It is in Israel's interest to have a public forum with open invitations to discuss this including the writer of the article below. They must avoid temptations to bring “their” folks to the conversation, bring the ones who see the issues. Truth is the only thing that triumphs; it will restore the trust in the society and removes on more battle off the field.

What is your take?

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, commentator on national radio network, writes weekly at Dallas Morning News and bi monthly at Huffington post, and other periodicals. His daily blog is www.TheGhousediary.com

From a friend:

False information that drives wedges between people should be exposed. I hope you pass the word along. Hope this finds you and your family well. We are blessed by a 3 week visit from our son from Tel Aviv.

Earlier last week the article below appeared in the Washington Post. It claims that Israel unduly restricts Christian travel to Jerusalem. Ambassador Oren has written a passionate response (also below) in which he declares that this is nothing short of libel against the Jewish State. I believe Amb Oren’s response includes information worth knowing. Although the Washington Post is not widely read in Dallas, this still may be a topic of conversation among our friends in the Christian community.

A dark Easter for Palestinian Christians

By Richard Stearns| Religion News Service, Published: April 4

Each year during Holy week, Christians around the world anticipate what come call the “Old Faithful” of miracles.

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — built over the traditional site that encompasses Jesus’ tomb and the place of his crucifixion — the archbishop enters the tomb after being inspected by Jewish authorities to ensure he has no means of lighting a fire. After saying prayers and worshiping the risen Christ, the candles miraculously alight.

The ceremony has been performed for centuries; records of the event reach back to the ninth century. Across more than a millennium of Muslim, European, or Jewish rule, the purported miracle has been an inspiration to thousands of pilgrims who flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to spread the fire into the rest of Jerusalem.

Once it is brought out of the tomb, the light is spread from person to person, candle by candle, and out into the world. It is a beautiful sight as worshipers from different Christian traditions line the darkened streets holding candles and spreading the light of Jesus Christ. The ceremony reflects the peaceful spread of Jesus’ message from one person to another. Called “Holy Fire Saturday,” this event also prefigures the Easter celebration the following day in which Christians celebrate Jesus’ triumph over death itself.

While Christians mark Christmas as the “silent night” in which God himself took on human flesh, on Easter we proclaim, “Christ the Lord is risen today,” in the words of the old hymn. It’s a miracle not of light, but of life defeating death.

But for the past several years in Jerusalem, the mood on Holy Saturday and the rest of Holy Week has not been one of rejoicing and triumph but instead one of trial and tribulation.

Because of travel restrictions in past years, the vast majority of Christians living in the West Bank have been stopped at checkpoints and prevented from attending one of the most important religious services of the year. Israeli authorities require permits for entering Jerusalem. Local Christians estimate that only 2,000 — 3,000 permits are provided, despite the overwhelming desire among the 50,000 Palestinian Christians to travel from the West Bank and Gaza for the Easter week celebrations in Jerusalem.

Those who make it across checkpoints and into Israel are still barricaded by numerous walls and other security obstructions. As a result, even many who have permits are unable to make it to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 2010, a Palestinian colleague of mine at World Vision, who had warm memories as a child of the Holy Fire service, was able to return to the Holy Sepulchre. She described the scene for those able to gain entrance to the church: “The crowd, striving to stay joyful, could still feel the change of what Easter had now become and the dark cloud of checkpoints, police forces, and denial of entry that had obscured the joy of this holiday.”

While the ancient Christian communities around Jerusalem await the miracle of the Holy Fire this week, I pray for another miracle — one that would give full religious freedom to the Christians in the West Bank and Gaza. Holy Week has long been a time of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; Christians have worshiped there since the birth of the church, and these sites are a core aspect of the devotion of Palestinian believers.

The restrictions on travel for worship are not only in force during Holy Week, but also for routine Sunday services, weddings, funerals, and baptisms throughout the year. Certainly, Israel can take care of its own security concerns while accommodating peaceful Palestinian Christian worship.

In a recent letter by 80 Palestinian Christian leaders, including the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians spoke out against the lack of religious freedom inside Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. They complained of being forced to endure an “assault on our natural and basic right to worship.”

Along with the rest of the world’s Christians, I celebrate a God who brings light from darkness and life from death. And I pray for another miracle this Holy Fire Saturday, one that would remove all restrictions on the freedom to worship for the Christians of the Holy Land.

(Richard Stearns is the U.S. president of World Vision, a global Christian humanitarian agency.)

A response from Ambassador Michael Oren

By Michael Oren| Religion News Service, Published: April 5

Following is a statement from Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren in response to a guest commentary by Richard Stearns, the U.S. president of the Christian humanitarian group World Vision, that appeared in Religion News Service on Wednesday (April 4):

“The claims made in a recent article by Richard Stearns (”A dark Easter for Palestinian Christians”) are completely without foundation and are libelous to the State of Israel.

“Israel has provided more than 20,000 permits this year for Palestinian Christians to enter Jerusalem for the Good Friday and Easter holidays. Five-hundred similar permits have also been issued to the remaining Christians of Gaza, though the area is under the control of the terrorist organization Hamas.

“With the exception of the very few individuals who have raised security concerns, and not withstanding the measures we must take to protect our citizens, any Christian from the West Bank can reach Jerusalem on Good Friday and Easter. All allegations to the contrary are flagrantly untrue and represent a reckless attempt to defame the Jewish State.

“Israel, the only Middle Eastern country with a growing and thriving Christian population, remains committed to maintaining its superb relations with Christian communities worldwide. Though we face serious and continuing defense challenges, we uphold the principle of free access to the Holy Places to all religions. On this year, as in all previous years, we wish Christians throughout the world a joyous holiday.”

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Board Members of the Israeli-Palestinian confederation

I am pleased to join the Israeli-Palestinian confederation committee to participate and contribute towards the peace process for the people of Israel and Palestine. With full empathy and affection for both the peoples, I have consciously chosen to remain detached from taking sides; however, you will find me critical of the leadership as well as a few individuals in the process.

It is based on the lessons I have learned from my parents, who remained objective on the issues of world affairs and being “just” was their approach to life. In an article at Huffington Post, I wrote about my life time (jihad) struggle in applying the “just” values to the conflict between the people of Israel and Palestine and I am pleased to copy the following two paragraphs from that article:

My father is my hero and had opened the doors of wisdom to me. He taught me one of the biggest lessons of my life in social cohesiveness and dealing with extremism that I continue to reflect in my speeches, acts and write ups.

During the communal (religious) riots in the early '60s, both Muslims and Hindus were killed in the mayhem. I wish every father in India, America, Israel, and elsewhere teaches this lesson to his kids. He told us the "individuals" were responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions; he would emphasize that you cannot blame an intangible like religion and expect justice, we must blame the individuals who caused it and punish them accordingly for disturbing the peace and thus bring a resolution to the conflict by serving justice. He was crystal clear: You cannot annihilate, kill, hang or beat the religion, so why bark at it?

We have to come to grips with the reality that other people's suffering is as legitimate as our own; it is easy to see ourselves as victims, but we must also see the perpetrator in us, when we don’t feel others’ pain,  turn the other way or not speak up when we see others are wronged.

When we strip the politics out of a conflict, we see hope; we can value others suffering without lessening our own; the overriding desire to highlight our own blinds us from feeling other's suffering, making a less of a human of us. A sense of responsibility for creating a better world needs to be awakened, and ultimately safety and peace for everyone should be driving our thoughts. One will never be at peace when others around are not.

In the many articles I have written, there are times when an Israeli or the Palestinian may feel that I have not stood up enough for them that is because of my struggle to be just; I rather fail in my struggle than lose my sense of fairness. Deep down I believe the Jewish and Palestinian people want the Americans to be honest and sincere and take a tough stand and end this conflict that is consuming them eternally. 

Joining the Israel Palestine confederation is one more step for me in my quest for Justice for the people. I believe if we can be a tiny catalyst in bringing a resolution to the a sixty year old conflict, and not thousands of years as some politician point,  a majority of the conflicts that were mothered by this conflict will fade and solutions will emerge.

Mike Ghouse

. . . . . . . 

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS

About the members of the organization, copied straight from the website: http://www.ipconfederation.org/about-us.aspx  

The Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Committee is a group of volunteers who joined together to educate the public through symposiums, debates, dialogue and cultural exchanges about a possible mechanism for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Our members include Muslims, Jews and Christians from all walks of life.

We do not aim to benefit one side over the other. We have a comprehensive plan to improve relations between Israelis and Palestinians through education, engagement and dialogue. We believe that both the Israelis and the Palestinians in the United States can reduce tension and achieve more understanding through engagement.

OUR ORIGINAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
includes the following individuals:

Josef Avesar, President and Founder
Josef Avesar is an Israeli-born attorney who resides in Southern California. He has written numerous articles and commentaries, including: “The Israeli-Palestinian Confederation”; “Why Would the Israeli and Palestinian Government Accept a Confederation?”; “An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Creates a Fair and Balanced Mechanism to Resolve the Issues”; “Israeli and Palestinian Governments Too Busy to Make Peace”; “Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Could Have Helped Prisoner Exchange”; “An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Could Have Saved the Violence in Gaza”; “It’s Time to Take the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by the Horns”; and “Israeli-Palestinian Confederation 101. He is the author of the book “ Peace, A Case for an Israeli Palestinian Confederation.”
Phone No.: (818) 783-2934
Email: josefavesar@sbcglobal.net



Nicholas Allis, Founding Member
Nicholas Allis received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and is a graduate of Georgetown University Law School. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the California Trial Lawyers Association, and the President’s Award 1992 and Distinguished Service Award 1995 from the Beverly Hills Bar Association.
Phone No.: (310) 560-6923
Email: nallislaw@aol.com



Sumner Fein, Founding Member (Treasurer of IPC)
Sumner Fein is the treasurer of the Israeli-Palestinian Confederation. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics with an emphasis in accounting from UCLA in 1969. He is a certified public accountant licensed by the state of California since 1973. Mr. Fein has been employed by several national accounting firms and has been in solo practice since 1985.
Phone No.: (310) 701-9695
Email: sumner@keyway.net



Robby Gordon
Dr. Robby Gordon was born in Israel and lived there until the age of 21. He has been active in the peace movement since he was 14. In the United States, he has been involved in several peace movements for the Middle East, including Tikkun, Peace Now, and Seeds for Peace. He has been the co-chair of the Cousins Club, an organization of Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, Israelis, and others who are interested in peace in the Middle East. He is on the board of Al Amal School, which is the only school that teaches about peace in the West Bank. Dr. Gordon is the father of two children and lives in Irvine. He owns a mortgage company and is an independent financial planner.
Phone No.: 949-733-0607
Email: drgordon@yourloans.org



Dan Henrickson
Dan Henrickson joined the IPC board in April 2007. He became interested in its philosophy and plan and decided to help promote its activities. Mr. Henrickson is dedicated to peace and to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a fair and just manner.
Phone No.: 310-422-7773
Email: dan@henrickson.net



Abed A. Jlelati, Founding Member
Abed A. Jlelati was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1962 and arrived in the U.S. in 1983. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1989 and completed an MBA in 1997, both from California State University, Fullerton. In 1996, Mr. Jlelati started working in the skateboarding industry. He held a vice presidential post in World Industries, Inc. and various positions with Mastermind Distribution, Inc. as CEO and CFO. Mr. Jlelati is currently consulting in the skateboarding industry. By working with the Free Muslims Coalition, he hopes to curtail the ideology that fosters terrorism.
Phone No.: (562) 897-6800
Email: california2@freemuslims.org



Mohamed Awadalla, Founding Member
Born in Egypt Dec. 25, 1967, the time I born on has some impact how I perceive the Israeli Arab issue, when I moved to the US in 2000 and I started to know people from different background, and then start to learn a lot about others in a very dynamic diverse community, I spend many years work in the Hotel Management Industry in Hilton International Egypt, I have study Hotel management in Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern Switzerland (SHL), Now Iʼm Certified Real Estate Agent, and Iʼm started to combined this with being Financial Advisor career.
Email: Awadalla@aol.com


David Marcus, Esq., Founding Member
Real property attorney David Marcus is dedicated to a fair resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree from Loyola Law School. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1979.
Phone No.: (310) 528-8623
Email: dmarcus@mwsdlaw.com



Ferial Masry, Founding Member
Ferial Masry was born in Saudi Arabia. She is politically active in numerous organizations that support democracy and social progress. In 2005, Masry was invited to the International Jeddah Economic Forum to speak about her experiences with American-style democracy as a Saudi-born woman who ran for office in her adopted country. She joined many notable public figures, including former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Zbigniew Brzezinski, in recounting her fascinating experience. In 2005, she was awarded the Human Rights Award at the Ronald Reagan Library, and she was the recipient of the 2006 Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Democrat of the Year award. Masry is fluent in Arabic and English.
Phone No.: (805) 300-7226
Email: ferial_masry@yahoo.com



Aida Porteneuve, Founding Member
Aida Porteneuve was born in Lebanon. She is an American citizen who has lived in the U.S. for more than 42 years. A graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Mrs. Porteneuve worked for the California State University system, from which she is now retired. She is presently an activist involved in social justice and peace issues, and she chairs the Peace in Action committee of First Congregational Church of Long Beach.
Phone No.: 562-439-4162
Email: aidapa@yahoo.com



Kathleen O'Connor Wang, Founding Member
Kathleen O'Connor Wang is a field interviewer for the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Ms. Wang has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.Her interest in the Israeli Palestinian issue began in 2000 as the 2nd intifada brought Israel and Palestine more attention and concern. Subsequently Kathleen became involved in peace activism and appreciates IPC as a vehicle for peace and understanding between people.In August 2008 she became a volunteer passenger for freegaza.org and traveled with others on a 2 boat "flotilla" to Gaza.The 44 passengers were welcomed as the first foreign boats to land in Gaza's Seaport in 41 years.The culmination of that voyage included all being honored with Palestinian citizenship and Palestinian passport.
Phone No.: 562-435-1583
Email: Katowang2@aol.com



Harvey Youngman, Founding Member
Harvey Youngman was born in Palestine and received his education in Los Angeles. He is the owner of Deal Makers Machinery and is a broker of manufacturing machinery for aerospace companies and machine shops.
805-498-0703
CELL 805-796-1947
Email: harvster21@hotmail.com


Oyun Puntsagdorj
Oyun Puntsagdorj was born and grew up in Mongolia. She graduated as a mining engineer with a master’s degree, highest honors, in mining engineering from Irkutsk Polytechnical University in Russia in 1986. She worked as a mining project engineer in Mongolia until she came to the United States in 1999. She has a California general contractors license, real estate brokers license, paralegal certificate, tax preparer's certificate, and is currently working as a paralegal while studying accounting.
Email: sanbudda@yahoo.com



Murad Salah
Murad Salah is a Palestinian citizen who resides in Ramalla. Mr. Salah has a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in business administration from Birzeit University. He is the financial officer for the Palestinian Businessmen Association in Ramalla, an organization with over 300 members. Mr. Salah is able to speak, read, and write Arabic, English, and Hebrew. He believes in the cooperation that a confederation can foster to assist both the Palestinian and Israelis achieve peace.
Phone No.:052-279-2024
Email: coolsmart20500@yahoo.com

OUR INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
Muhammad Mukhtar Alam,Ph.D from a village called Kishandaspur in Bhagalpur district of Bihar,India and based in New Delhi has been active in peace building since 1989 when he co-founded International Youth for Humanity and organized several meetings and seminars addressing the critical issues and building the voice of third world nations through active engagement with students and scholars while staying at International Student’s House,Delhi University as a student of Department of Psychology in 1988-1994. Since then he had been working in the social development sector with national and international organizations and government agencies through developing programmers in the field of education, health, gender justice , climate change mitigation and ecologically safe agriculture. He calls for preparing for the new millennia of peace and believes that the proposal of an Israeli Palestinian Confederation is not only good for a person of Palestine and Israel but it is geared for the ecologically safe and socially inclusive millennium for which all the world citizens seeking peace must contribute. His works can be seen at http://slideshare.net/mukhtaralam
Tel:09873061553
Email: mukhtar.ceasig@gmail.com



Jehad S.A. Aldairi
I reside in Ramallah Palestine. I graduated from the Arab American University in Palestine in computer information technology. I was born in Jenin but reside in Ramallah, West Bank. I speak Arabic, English, French, German and Hebrew. I would like to help make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Email: jehad_2004_2004@hotmail.com



Dr. Saleem H. Ali
Dr. Saleem H. Ali is Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Director of the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security at UVM's James Jeffords Center for Policy Research. He is also on the adjunct faculty of Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies and the visiting faculty for the United Nations mandated University for Peace (Costa Rica).Dr. Ali's research focuses on the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts and how ecological factors can promote peace. Much of his empirical research has focused on environmental conflicts in the mineral sector. His most recent book is titled Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed and a Sustainable Future (Yale University Press). Dr. Ali is also involved in numerous nonprofit organizations to promote environmental peace-building and serves on the board of The DMZ Forum for Peace and Nature Conservation and International Peace Park Expeditions. Dr. Ali is a strong supporter of the Israeli Palestinian Confederation since 2005 when he participated in its first symposium at UCLA.
Twitter: :) @saleem_ali



Orit Agami
As a journalist for print media as well as radio and television, I had my share of reporting on the news as well as other people’s work. Subsequent to Prime Ministers Rabin’s assassination I felt the need to make a difference. I joined Shimon Perez center for Peace as their spokeswomen until the second Intifada. I later worked for five years as for a nonprofit organization called Agenda helping a variety of nonprofits organizations develop and flourish. I now have an Internet business fulfilling contents and substance. I consider myself a mover and a shaker. This is why I joined the Israeli Palestinian Confederation. I feel that a third government for Israel and Palestine could move and shake the existing governments to find solutions for peace.
Phone No.:972-54-7722238
Email: orit.agami@gmail.com



Natalie Awad
Natalie Awad was born in Chicago, Illinois and currently lives in Southern California. Awad's mother was born in Haifa, Palestine and her father was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Awad has family in Ramallah and firmly  believes with the implementation of the IPC there can be peace achieved in the region. Awad works as a registered nurse for the State Dept. of Corrections within the Prison System and inmate population. Awad is a strong advocate for the oppressed and those who are denied their basic human rights.
Email: nattyawad@gmail.com



Anan B. Boshnaq
I was born in Tulkarem on August 29, 1983. I currently reside in Ramallah City and work as a marketing & shipping manager for Freight International Company. I have worked for advertising and marketing companies for several years. I am now obtaining my MBA through the institute of International Business Relations which is related to Steinbeis University in Berlin, Germany. I received my Bachelors Degree in Marketing from the Arab American University in Jenin. I speak, read and write English, Hebrew, Turkish and Arabic. I joined the Israeli Palestinian Confederation in order to promote peace and prosperity between the two people.
Mobile - PS: + (972 / 970) (59 / 56) 9727867
Orange - IL: + (972 / 970) 54 9055789
E-mail: boshnaganan@gmail.com



Hervé L. Cheuzeville’
Hervé Cheuzeville was born in 1960. He studied oriental languages and civilizations at the Institut National des Langues et Cicilisations Orientales of Paris, where he obtained several degrees in 1983 and 1985. Since April 1989, he spent most of the time working in Africa helping various humanitarian organizations. He also traveled widely in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle-East. He wrote several books on his experiences including the Israeli Palestinian Confederation as a mean to resolve the conflict. He gave many lectures about his work and books in several Universities, schools and conferences in Europe and Africa. When he does not work in faraway lands, Hervé Cheuzeville stays at his family home in the Mediterranean island of Corsica.
Email: achecer@yahoo.fr



Jill Davis
Jill Davis has a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Film Studies and Film Production and a minor in International Relations. Her interest in film and human rights lead her down the path towards political documentaries, which lead her to the Arab/Israeli conflict. She has made 2 student documentary films about the conflict. She has a Masters degree in Political Science, has obtained her Film Certificate and is currently working on her Religious Studies Certificate. She currently works at a law firm as a legal assistant. She has studied many aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through research, writing, activism and film; she is dedicated to resolving the conflict in a fair, humane and peaceful manner.
Email: jdmoviefrk@msn.com



Hanna Elias
Hanna Elias was born in Jish village near Nazareth, Galilee. Graduated from the Hebrew university in Jerusalem with BA degree in Sociology and Middle East Studies. In 1991 he graduated with MFA in film production from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He directed several short films, including "The Mountain" (1992). In 1997 he directed and produced the Israeli/Palestian co-production of Children's Television Workshop of "Sesame Street" (CTW, New York). Then from 1998-1999, he worked for the United Nations on a series of promotional films on democracy and women rights in Palestine. The Olive Harvest is his first full-length film. Hanna Elias participated in an IPC symposium in Santa Monica and strongly supports its goals for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians
Email: HannaElias7@gmail.com



Sarwat Ezzeldin
Sarwat Ezzeldin, was born in Cairo, Egypt, received his bachelor’s degree in business administration / accounting in 1975, and diploma in computer science in 1977. He moved to the New York in 1977, held several managerial positions with some national & International Insurance and Reinsurance firms until he retired in 2007. He is currently a member of the Outreach Committee in the Orange County Islamic Foundation. Involved in many community service activities. As an avid reader of history, living thru the 1956, 1967, & the 1973 wars; and the historic Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, he is a firm believer that peaceful co-existence can be achieved with justice. Sarwat Ezzeldin joined the IPC in 2008 believing that an Israeli Palestinian confederation can solve many problems in order to achieve a long lasting peace and prosperity not only for the Israeli and Palestinian people, but for the whole region. Sarwat Ezzeldin has two children. And currently lives in Laguna Niguel, California.
Email: sezzeldin@msn.com



Dr. Fred E. Foldvary
Dr. Fred E. Foldvary, was born in British Palestine in 1946 and lives in Berkeley, California. He received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University, and teaches economics at Santa Clara University. Foldvary is the author of The Soul of Liberty, Public Goods and Private Communities, and Dictionary of Free Market Economics. He has spoken on and written several articles about peace and confederation plans for Israel and Palestine. Foldvary's areas of research and publications include public finance, governance, ethical philosophy, and land economics.
Email: ffoldavry@scu.edu



Yael Gidanian
Yael Gidanian is a master student in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the Islam and Middle Eastern studies department. She also had her bachelor degree at the Hebrew U. Yael is currently working in university, and active in several peace organizations in the holy land including the Israeli Palestinian Confederation.
Phone No.: 050-6535692
Email: ibexgg@gmail.com



Mike Ghouse
Mike Ghouse , was born in India and has chosen America to be his homeland for nearly 30 years. Mike has been a commissioner at the City of Carrollton and a board member of several organizations including Dallas Peace Center. He is president of the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence by respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us. He is deeply committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker, teacher, thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, politics, Islam, interfaith and Peace in India and Israel. Mike has spoken at several international conferences including a peace conference in Jerusalem, he maintains a Blog on Israel Palestine Dialogue and among many established events, the annual reflections on Holocaust and Genocides, Unity Day and other events to build cohesive Societies. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and several nationally syndicated radio talk shows. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and America. Mike's work is reflected in several websites and blogs indexed at www.mikeghouse.net.
Phone No.: 214-325-1916
Email: mikeghouse@aol.com



Jeff Goldstein
Jeffrey Goldstein was born and grew up in Long Island, New York. He is married to Leah Sadras and they have two daughters. He lived in Jerusalem, Israel from 1974-1977, and from 1994 until the present time. He has practiced Attunement and other energetic and spiritual healing techniques since 1974. He is a teacher of Attunement since 1995 and a co-partner in a DJ Business with Leah. Jeff started his spiritual journey in 1972 with the community: Emissaries of Divine Light. Through the years he expanded his knowledge studying Philosophy, Attunement, Spiritual Psychology, Reike, massage and various other healing modalities. Jeff Goldstein is a certified Attunement Teacher with the International Attunement Guild. http://www.attunement.org/ Since 1995- he has been teaching classes and seminars on the Attunement balancing technique and the philosophy that comes with it all over Israel. As well as having private sessions with people, in which he helps them to grow spiritually, to find their path, to help strengthen them physically and mentally or simply to calm them down and focus on what really is their heart's desire. For 13 years he has  voluntarily coordinated a yearly Spiritual Peace gathering, called Jerusalem Celebration of light. It is held in the Jerusalem forest. The gathering attracted several hundred people from all over Israel each time. They come from different religions, ethnic and age groups. The theme is to promote Spiritual Peace and to fill Jerusalem with light and peace vibrations. Jeff also volunteers in various spiritual peace groups around Israel and Palestine doing energy for peace circles. His Passion is to help the world become more peaceful and to help individuals play their part better at all levels; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Email: jeffleah@actcom.co.il



Dr. Mahmoud Haj
Dr. Mahmoud Haj, was born 8 years before the establishment of Israel state. He has studied medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and graduated in 1970. He was trained and continued to work as a qualified general surgeon at the Nahariy Government hospital until he has retired in 2008. His patients were Arabs and Jews, residents of the western Galilee in the north of Israel. During his life he was politically inactive but discussed his ideas of peace with his numerous Arab and Jewish friends. He believes in peaceful talks to solve problems of any kind. He is aware of the need of Arabs and Jews for living peacefully with mutual respect, neighborly and dignity. At the end of 2011, he decided to join the Israeli-Palestinian confederation as the suitable attitude for creating good environment for future peace resolutions.
Phone No.: 972 4 9920512
Cell Phone: 972-50 6590051
Email: mahmoud.drhaj@yahoo.com



Hatem .A.M. Harazin
I reside in Gaza Palestine. I graduated from the Al Quds Open University in Palestine in accountancy. I was born in Gaza on 14.12.1971. I speak Arabic, English, and Hebrew. I work as a representative of the international organization in the Middle East (American Medical Resources Foundation, Inc) www.amrf.com I would like to help make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Cell Phone: 00970599384828
Email: amrf1988@gmail.com



Bernard J. Henry
A national of France, was born in 1970 to a Frenchman and an Italian Frenchwoman. He is a disabled person by birth. Since 1994 Bernard has worked as a Human Rights Defender with several NGOs, most notably Amnesty International where he is a volunteer with the French Section, specializing in refugee issues. Bernard is Secretary-General of AFEMCI, a French-based feminist organization. He is also the External Relations Officer of the Representative Office to the United Nations in Geneva of the Association of World Citizens. Bernard is a paralegal by trade. He is also a part-time photo and video reporter.Bernard holds Certificates of Course Completion in Conflict Analysis and Conflict Management and Negotiation from the United States Institute of Peace Academy. In 2009 Bernard received the Israeli Palestinian Confederation’s main award, the Golden Heart Medal.
Phone 00 33 9 70466346
Fax 00 33 1 78769559
Email: bjhworld@hotmail.fr
Website www.awcungeneva.com



Todd Hoover
Is honored to be part of the Israeli Confederation and believes for peace to prevail and to move forward, we  will need to honestly review solutions with the next generation. Todd maintains and created several web sites with an extensive album of videos and photographs, a Democratic events calendar, important announcements and employment opportunities. Todd is a Community photographer and videographer. He is the Corresponding Secretary for the Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, a representative for the 37th AD for the California Democratic Party’s State Central Committee, the LACDP and the DPSFV. Professionally, Todd is a Systems Administrator, and has worked at Northrop Grumman 13 years. He is currently employed by Hewlett Packard. He holds a BA in Business Administration and Spanish from CSU, Chico. Todd is married to Minerva Leah Williams and they reside in Santa Clarita Valley, California.
Email: crazycatherder@car.rr.com
Website: www.scvyoungdems.org



Munjed Husseini
A Palestinian born in Jerusalem, has a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, and member of the Palestinian Engineer Association, I have a strong belief in peace with all the people. I joined IPC in Feb. 2011.
Email: Munjed@live.com



Linda S. Keough - Executive Account Manager/Tax Administrator
I was born and raised in California but now reside in the beautiful state of Oregon. About 15 years ago I met a woman who opened my eyes and changed my life. She is a professor of criminology at Haifa University and  visiting professor at USC and UCLA. She is a Palestinian, born in Israel. She is married to a Palestinian doctor and they live in Jerusalem within sight of The Wailing Wall. I heard first hand and for the first time what was actually happening between Israel and Palestine. I wanted to learn more and have studied and read everything I could get my hands on, both from the Israeli perspective and the Palestinian perspective. I joined the IPC in 2008 in an endeavor to help bring about change in the region. I firmly believe a confederation will bring about peace and I am honored to be a part of it.
Phone No.: 818.321.2529
Email: leschef2@yahoo.com



Jaber Kuhail
Email: mr.jab88@hotmail.com



Eli Meshulam
I am an attorney at Law practicing since 2001. I specialize in Civil and Commerce Law. I received my LLB degree in Law from the Law Academy in Ramat-Gan Israel and my Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 1998 after my military services, I joined Shulamit Aloni with the Peace and Civil Rights movement. In 1992 I joined the Meretz Party and managed one of their election centers. Since 1996 after the assisination of Prime Minister Rabin, I become a member in the labor party. During my political activities, I have participated in many peace conferences between Israelis and Palestinians as well as many demonstrations in Israel supporting peace and the two states formula for peace. In 1989 I have organized at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem major conference, which included Keneset member, Yosi Sarid, and Dr. Sari Nusseibeh in which both of them have presented a common formula to resolve the conflict with the Palestinian and Israeli states side by side. I joined the Israeli Palestinian Confederation as an alternative method to resolve this conflict.
Email: elimlaw@gmail.com
972-9-7712078
972-50-5716294



Ahmed Al Nammourh
I received my Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineer from Palestine Polytechnic University and a Master Degree in Engineering Management from An-Najah National University. I reside in Hebron West Bank Palestine. I have worked for Qalqilia Municipality, The Korean Palestinian IT Institute, An Najah National University, as a consultant and monitor and Survey Engineer. I speak English, French, Hebrew and Arabic. I would like to help the Israeli Palestinian Confederation make peace so that we cab prosper in this area of the world.
Phone No.: 00972 599 035791
Email: ahmadnmora@yahoo.com



Amer Mohamed Qabaha
Amer Qadaha is A Palestinian resident of Ramallah. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Egypt and a Master degree in Planning and Political Development. He Received training at the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Amer is a supporter of the Israeli Palestinian Confederation and is willing to utilize his international knowledge and experience to help create peace.
Email: qabaha.amer@hotmail.com



Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson is a peace activist and theatre artist. During the first decade of the 21st Century, she toured the world with A Single Woman, her performance based on the life of first US Congresswoman and lifelong pacifist, Jeannette Rankin. As a lifetime member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Simpson has traveled to the Middle East several times and is deeply concerned with the political and socio-economic divides there. She seeks to unite peoples through community projects that provide mutually beneficial resource development to everyone, with an emphasis on justice for women and children. Her new work, Mary's Joy, explores the life of Mary Dyer, the first colonial woman executed in the "New World." Simpson is a mother and a grandmother and is married to artist-entomologist Gene Hall. I have joined the Israeli Palestinian Confederation to promote peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Email: jeanmarie.simpson@gmail.com



Amnon Thaller
My parents immigrated to Israel from Germany. They taught me tolerance and understanding towards all people. As a child I had Arab friends. I practice my philosophy of tolerance and equality. I have discovered my ability as a coach to resolve conflict and the Internet gives me the added ability to do so. I joined the Israeli Palestinian Confederation to promote Peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people. On my blog called “Let’s Talk Peace” you will find a post that demonstrates my approach:
http://www.amnonthaller.com/2011/01/25/our-roots-the-world-peace-center/
Email: amnonthaller@gmail.com



Diana Luana Tzurianu
I was born Romania and immigrated to Israel with my parents when I was eight (8)years old. Today I am a mother of two boys and work as DJ and Party Producer. I graduated high school, top of my class in math, physics and English and since then have studied several subjects including computer programming, photography. I also attended dental school in Jerusalem for three (3) years. I believe the Israeli Palestinian Confederation would help both people of Israel and Palestine to get back to their life and enjoy life as it meant to be.
Email: id-music@hotmail.com
0773300698 - land
0523544651-cell



Minerva L. Williams
Minerva is a student of spiritual world community peace and a “thinker”. She believes solutions to the Middle East will occur when the US decides to educate, to act on, and to operate with integrity from the belly of all known truths and to bring honest brokers to the table. She believes, “Diplomacy will not be met with duplicitous greedy players representing either side”. Minerva is an African- American of Porache-Cree descendants, who vibrantly lives within the ferious dichotomy of political and economic intellectual exchange as an California licensed senior market insurance agent, fundraiser, community event planner, blogger, graphic artist, 38th Assembly District representative of the California State African American, Women and Progressive Caucuses in the Democratic Party, Sister, “Auntie”, ferocious reader and listener and foremost the recent wife (of Todd L. Hoover).
Email: minwilli@gmail.com
Website: www.scvdems.org



Liora Yahalom
The world of creativity revealed itself to me in words. I wrote poetry and it was as if I could see the text from the inside, spread out to me like a picture or a drawing. A strong visual sensation accompanied the text and would often take wings, grab the brush and start a conversation with the canvas and my inner soul - an intimate dialogue that was all colors. I feel the same way about the Israeli Palestinian Confederation. It is a mechanism to start a conversation with our inner soul. Peace is the conversion of all the colors beautifully displayed for all of us to see.
Email: zukish@gmail.com



Dr. Ouriel Zohar
Dr. Ouriel Zohar is the director of the Technion Theatre in Haifa Israel and a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Paris. He has also a theatre group in Paris, and in 2012 they will present a play by Balzac in the "Maison de Balzac". Prof Zohar wrote many theatre plays, 150 articles and essays in scientific reviews, poems, on the subject of the unity of humanity and our urgent need for Peace. He has directed major projects relating to the issues of Jewish Muslim and Christian co-existence in Israel. He worked many times with Palestinian theaters, directors and actors. He sees real and beautiful love between Israelis and Palestinians not only as a dream but also as a reality. He sees the Israelis Palestinian Confederation as a tool to enhance such corroboration to accommodate the needs of all people in this part of the world.
Email: theatre@technion.ac.il