Arab and Jewish diplomats emphasize human engagement
Wednesday, July 5,
2006
Almost always we send news only about citizens in the public peace process --
not government diplomats.
Not today.
Often and sadly, Arab
and Jewish citizens remain (1) dependent on governments and (2) spectators who
don't understand the supreme importance of their engagement with each other in
Change.
Equally sadly, government professionals arrest their
own ability to succeed by not recognizing, empowering and funding the public
peace process.
Today are two articles about two Israeli diplomats --
one Jewish, one Bedouin -- both unusual and inspiring.
Each validates from a government and very human
perspective how Change must happen through human relationships.
Not just treaties and decrees.
Read about these two men who just might finally maximize
the government AND public processes to help true Change happen.
Ismail
Khaldi, age 35, will be the new Israeli vice consul
general in
A Bedouin Arab, until he was 8, he slept in a tent
with no electricity or running water.
In boyhood he walked more than four miles to school
and back every day.
The third of 11 children, he did his homework with the
aid of an oil lamp and helped his family tend their flock of sheep and goats.
The first Bedouin to graduate from Israels
Foreign Service course and work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
To say he is part of a new breed is an
understatement. It is also true.
From the early 1900s Khaldi's
family has a history of successful Arab-Jewish cooperation in the
He knows what is possible.
The Muslims and the Jews came from two different
worlds then, he said, referring to the 1930s pre-state
But they were able to build strong relations.
Its a human story
above everything its not political.
"Its an important
story because it shows how people of different backgrounds can live together if
they have the same goal: to live.
He recently spoke to a polarized crowd at the
He was able to convince the pro-Israel crowd and the
pro-Palestinian crowd to go out for pizza after his talk.
He said: I didnt expect to
make a shidduch [a match, as in a relationship] or
love story, but people should just talk and meet each other.
"Im not coming to
convince people to change their way of thinking, but I can at least try to talk
to them about coexistence and talking to each other.
Alexandra Wall is a gifted journalist. Read her
story about Ismail Khaldi
in this week's press.
Published in j. the Jewish news
weekly of
From
shepherd to diplomat
Israeli Bedouins odyssey leads
to S.F. consulate
by alexandra j. wall
https://www.jweekly.com/2006/06/30/from-shepherd-to-diplomat/
Yaakov Setty, 43,
serves the Israeli foreign service in
"Condescension" is how he describes people's
attitudes toward the "other."
"We don't take them into account at all," he
preaches, "we don't know them enough, we don't
invest effort in studying their thinking. We
treat them like an anecdote, a spot on a talk show. But these are giant,
multifaceted, weighty cultures."
Setty says: "From my
experience, it is possible to change the other side's views through dialogue
and offering respect. The fact is that despite the difficulties, the
relations have registered achievements and breakthroughs."
Read as the diplomat undoes old stereotypes and
describes how we Jews and Arabs mirror one another in our attitudes and equal
humanity.
Published in Ma'ariv
-- Wednesday, July 5, 2006
YAAKOV SETTY: I AM ARAB-JEWISH
by Jacky Hugi
Yaakov Setty, the press
officer at the Israeli embassy in
Apparently, the visitor mistook the Israeli diplomat for Mohammed Salmawi, chairman of the Egyptian writers
association. This would not
have been worthy of mention, if Salmawi had not been
one of the most vociferous opponents of the peace with
so the man got confused," said Setty.
Instead of an opponent of
Setty, 43, is considered one of the foreign service's most polished Arabic speakers, although he
was born in
seen on live broadcast, during the press conference in which President Mubarak hosted Ehud Olmert a month ago in Sharm
el-Sheikh. Setty served as the Egyptian
president's interpreter into Hebrew, and was complimented by both sides.
But as someone who serves in
fluent in the local language and is considered a permanent guest at
performances of Umm Kulthum's songs-he says that the
State of Israel
does very little in its relations with the Arabs.
"We don't take them into account at all," he preaches, "we don't
know them enough, we don't invest effort in studying
their thinking. We
treat them like an anecdote, a spot on a talk show. But these are giant,
multifaceted, weighty cultures."
The Egyptian mediation in the affair of the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit has suddenly
revealed that
dependent on
that for the most part, the State of Israel looks upon its neighbors with
condescension-and it is completely
All because of the distance
Yaakov Setty represents an
unusual voice in the Israeli establishment. He believes that
with
The arguments raised by MK Yuval Steinitz, according
to which
have no interest in arguing with him," responds Setty,
"the opinions he voices are regrettable. I would reply to him as I
reply to people here
who talk that way about
Q: This does not have to be a contradiction. It is possible to improve
relations on one side, and arm on the other.
"
in the question whether we want nuclear weapons or not."
Q: What is the attitude in
"
image of
insufficient exchange of information. True, they do not open their media
to Israelis, and do not permit students to visit here, but before
you blame them, you must correct yourself. Often I am talking to an
Egyptian, and when it becomes apparent that I am an Israeli, the
reaction is 'you don't look like one.' Because of the distance, the image
of the Israeli he has in his mind is created by the media."
Q: Why are there manifestations of anti-Semitism in the Egyptian press?
"Just as there are anti-Semites everywhere in the world, there are
[anti-Semites] here too. From my experience, it is possible to change
the other side's views through dialogue and offering respect. The fact is
that despite the difficulties, the relations have registered
achievements and breakthroughs."
Q: What interests them most about
"Matters concerning the Jewish religion. The common questions
relate to the Sabbath commandments, for example, when it is permissible to ride
and when not. They look for similarities with Islam, and because such
similarities exist, it is easier for them to understand my answers.
Fortunately for me, I come from a traditional family and can give them
answers."
"One of his great loves is Arabic music: Umm Kulthum,
Farid el-Atrash, Abdul Halim Hafez and Abdul Wahab.
"I grew up on them, the words speak to me," he says. "This
is the music that my father listened to at home. I regularly attend concerts
with the songs of Umm Kulthum that are
staged by the Egyptian Opera. Incidentally, the Egyptians are very glad
to hear that performances of Arabic music have also become a trend in
Q. So you practically live like an Egyptian.
"Mostly, yes. I do not look at life in
Q. How do you define your identity?
"I speak, read, listen to and understand the Arabic language. The
culture in which I grew up in home is Arabic, and I am a consumer of Arab
culture. Many Egyptians define me as Arab-Jewish, and I accept that. In
practice, I am a Jewish-Arab citizen of the State of Israel."
Q. Is there hope for relations between the two countries?
"I am convinced that in the end everyone, we and they, will understand,
that there is no other choice. When you only imagine what will happen in our
region when there is another atmosphere, without conflict, you realize how
important it is to strive for that. Many people in