Panel: "New World, New Peace"
October 28th, 2008

In Memory of Late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

On Tuesday, October 28th, the Peres Center’s tenth anniversary event’s concluding panel, entitled “New World, New Peace”, was held.

Ms. Christiane Amanpour served as moderator, with the impressive list of panelists including Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Professor Han Sung-Joo, Former Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Per Stig Moller, Foreign Minister of Denmark; H.E. Mr. Aleksander Kwasniewski, Former President of Poland; H.E. Dr. Alejandro Toledo, Former President of Peru; H.E. Dr. Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of Croatia; H.E. President Shimon Peres, President of Israel; H.E. George Vassiliou, Former President of Cyprus; H.E. Mr. Andre Azoulay, senior advisor to the King of Morocco; and Dr. Muhammad Shtayeh, prominent Palestinian politician and advisor to President Abbas.
 
Ms. Amanpour asked the panelists various questions: Is there a need to modernize peacebuilding? Do we include the grassroots populations? Peacebuilding must be decentralized and include the active participation of civil society. Her main question asked whether or not sustainable peace can be achieved between Israelis and Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab world. She also asked the panelists to consider the role of the United States. Overall, the topic posed to the panelists was: Can a sustainable peace in this region be achieved and if so, what does that mean and how do we go about building such a situation?

H.E. President Peres opened the panel with a discussion of Yitzhak Rabin, saying that “what made him unique is that he was ready to pay the cost of peace; He was murdered not because he was for peace, but because he had the courage to draw the conclusions necessary to make peace.” He continued on to discuss Israel’s history in regard to peacebuilding/conflict with her neighbors, saying that “Never in the past hundred years were we closer to peace than we are today.” In terms of the United States and the topic of external party involvement in finding a resolution to the conflict, President Peres stated that what is most important is that economies, perhaps rather than politics, are opened and made to be flexible and inclusive. He dais that the “the Middle East conflict is a serious thorn in the quest for global peace in today’s world”, and this situation can, and must, be healed in order to benefit not just the people of this region, but the international community in general.

H.E. Dr. Ivo Sanader spoke next, stating that “In a new world, where countries and people are more connected than ever, the expansion of peace becomes a global imperative.” He discussed essential human aspirations for liberty and democracy, claiming that “old paradigms of confrontation must be replaced by new paradigms of cooperation.” He discussed President Peres’ commitment to peace and the important work of the Peres Center. He also related his own personal experience in this realm, sharing Croatia’s “painful path to peace and freedom.” He said that today’s Croatia promotes human and minority rights, cooperation with neighbors, exclusion of racism and discrimination and education. He concluded by calling on everyone to be “partners in peace” and to build a new world of “peace, freedom, justice, dialogue and prosperity.”

Dr. Per Stig Moller addressed the audience, saying that peace in the Middle East is important not only to this region, but also to Europe and even the world. He said that we must examine what the citizens want, claiming that basic human desires include security; absence of conflict; good health; safety; and decent prospects for children's future. He also said that young people must support peace efforts and hold leaders accountable and actively participate to ensure peace is sustainable. Dr. Moller continued to state that “Building trust is what leads to peace; without trust, there would be no peace.” He called on the people of this region to fulfill this promise, citing a shared vision, a sense of urgency and a personal belief that peace is definitely possible.

H.E. Mr. Aleksander Kwasniewski spoke about the fact that people are tired and frustrated, and as such, we need new impetus and examples of how this peace process can happen. He then discussed his own example of a successful peace process, Poland, saying that it was not easy to transition, but it worked and today, Poland promotes important values, such as security, human rights, democracy and respect for minorities. He agreed with President Peres that “peace entails costs”, and he emphasized the significance of compromise and tolerance in processes of reconciliation. He concluded by calling for a focus on education, saying that “without education for peace and tolerance and reconciliation, we have no chance to achieve peace.”

H.E. Alejandro Toledo spoke next, opening by congratulating President Peres, whose “wisdom and leadership” he greatly admires. He then asked, “What is an Andean Indian doing over here in the Middle East, when there is so much trouble back home?” His answer was that “the world has shrunk, and whatever happens in this part of the world, will have serious repercussions in my part of the world.” He talked about his own struggles in Peru to achieve peace, and then said that he wanted to speak to the audience “from the bottom of my heart”. He stated that “Our true enemies are within our countries; Peace will not be achieved only by the silence of a gun, but also by the silence of the stomachs of the poor.” He passionately discussed the importance of educating children, even while they are still “in the tummy of the mothers”. He said that children’s hearts and minds should be pure, not contaminated as infants with hatred. Enemies within our own countries, he stated, include poverty, discrimination and inequality, but the most important factor is education. In addition to education, he concluded by calling for women’s empowerment.

Next was H.E. George Vassiliou, who congratulated the Peres Center on a decade of important work, stating that “In an effort to reach peace, it’s obvious that governments alone cannot do it – people have to do it.” He discussed the notion that “peace is not a static objective – it moves with the time”, and that “this is why, in order to reach peace, you need leaders that can have a vision who can achieve it and people who understand the need for it.” His overall discussion included the notion of peacebuilding, saying that peace cannot be imposed on people through power and military might; time that passes in a non-peace situation works against peace; in order to achieve peace, you need courageous, visionary leaders; peace is not a straight path, but rather, a road comprised of ups-and-downs, and the ultimate establishment of peace must be a win-win situation. Finally, Mr. Vassilious said that “you have to be patient and insist on your efforts to achieve peace”, and importantly, “if you want peace, you have to prepare for it – educate your people, speak about peace. This is why the work of the Peres Center is admirable.”

Dr. Muhammad Shtayeh was the next speaker, and he emphasized the notion of time, saying that “it has been 17 years since Madrid; 15 years since Oslo; and 20 years since the Palestinians accepted an offer for peace in 1988.” Those facts beg the question, Dr. Shtayeh said, of time, asking “how long can we continue to go on like this, merely talking about peace?” He passionately discussed the situation on the ground within the Palestinian territories, sharing the dire fact that today’s reality for many Palestinians is that of a humanitarian crisis. He called on Israelis to “re-generate hope for Palestinian people”, saying that in return, Israelis need to live in peace and security. He vehemently argued that “the clock is ticking”, and the main reason why we have yet to achieve peace is because “there has never been clear terms of reference during peace talks”, mentioning the various guidelines and laws – the United Nations proposals, terms of President Bush, the Road Map, the Arab Peace Initiative and more. He shared that Palestinians are suffering greatly due to checkpoints and the occupation, and he called on Israelis to form a coalition for peace and end the occupation. He fervently spoke about the need to remove all Jewish settlements and he concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for third-party intervention in finding a resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The next panelist to speak was H.E. Mr. Andre Azoulay, a Jewish Arab. He discussed what it means for him, as a Jew, to be part of the Arab-Muslim world (Morocco), citing his own experience as a positive example of coexistence and peace. He optimistically discussed a “new momentum” that he currently feels in his own country in regard to peacebuilding and the conflict, saying that even though it’s true that there is new momentum, the feelings are nonetheless “deep and complex and fragile”. He said that we need to “explore new potential” and “capitalize on this wave for the future”.

Prof. Han Sung-Joo then spoke, congratulating the Peres Center and sharing his own experience as a Korean. In discussing the process of peacebuilding, Prof. Sung-Joo said that it is “unwise to resort to pressure and sanctions before exploring diplomacy and peaceful processes,” and that “we should seek a peaceful resolution for as long and as much as possible; if war breaks out, everyone becomes a loser.” He continued on to state that “we must assign top-priority to peaceful resolution of issues.” He also discussed win-win solutions based on comprise, which, he claimed, is “more often than not a result of strength and good judgment.” He also mentioned that “we should place emphasis on long-term interests of parties, not just short-term solutions, especially when dealing with neighbors”, and that it “is important to approach issues on pragmatic and realistic bases.” Finally, he said that the leaders who can bring about such occurrences must be visionaries – “far-sighted and broad-minded” – and he cited President Peres and the late Yitzhak Rabin as examples of such figures.

The final panelist to speak was Sarah Ferguson. Her discussion was definitely contrast to those of the previous panelists, taking a more “down-to-earth” approach, and mainly highlighting the fact that she is a mother, and not a politician. She said that she has learned that “governments can speak, but people need to go out and action”, emphasizing teamwork and education. Her main point focused on children, saying that the children should be the teachers. She quoted Mother Teresa, who said that “Peace begins with a smile”, and discussed the real, human aspect of peacebuilding. She concluded with a mention of what she calls, “her three C’s:  communication; compromise and compassion”.

After the first round of speeches from the panelists, two participants of the Peres Center’s “Young Political Leaders” program spoke, one Israeli and one Palestinian. They said that through their participation, they were able to exchange personal stories and form real connections, stating that “belief is the key factor in peace”, “the new world belongs to us all”, and that “governments need help from the people; individuals themselves can make a difference”. They also expressed gratitude to the Peres Center for having been given the opportunity to participate in this unique program.

The final element in the “New World, New Peace” panel was a “question and answer session”, during which moderator Christiane Amanpour asked the panelists various questions and allowed a few minutes for responses. Issues raised included Palestinian-Israeli settlement, education for the values of peace, the role of leadership and more.

Overall, the panel was a major success, with audience members expressing great enthusiasm and interest in regard to the experience.