Crossing Borders issue 25

A Bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

Volume 5 No. 26 March/April 2005

In this Edition http://www. The Age of Technology http://www.New Palestinian Leadership http://www.Music Fills Your Mind http://www.Media Fosters Prejudices http://www.No More Video Games

Cover

3

3/14/05, 1:32 PM

Who Are We

A Bi-monthly Regional Youth Magazine VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

What is Crossing Borders Crossing Borders is an organization based at the International People’s College in Elsinore, Denmark. CB works with Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and Arab Israeli partners. CB is a bimonthly regional magazine whose readers and writers are Israeli (both Jews and Arabs), Palestinian and Jordanian youth.

CB is an interactive forum for youth in the Middle East. Articles or parts may be used provided that credit is given to the authors and Crossing Borders.

This magazine has been produced with grant from the EU and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The views expressed here, are those of the authors and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the EU or the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Suicide in the Israeli Army ○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

7

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

The Age of Technology ○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

CONTENTS CONTENTS

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

28

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

Letters to the Editor ○

○

27

○

Inside the Saudi Kingdom ○

○

22

Musical Reflections on Youth ○

○

13

Crossing the Borders of Love ○

Executive Board Mr. Martin Selsoe Soerensen (Chairperson), Ms. Anja Gustavsen (Vice Chairperson), Mr. Jorn Faurschou, Mr. Simon Bauer, Ms. Mie Roesdahl, Ms. Anne Gyrithe Bonne, Ms. Christine Binzel and Mr. Peter Andreas Bredsdorff.

Executive Secretariat Mr. Garba Diallo, Director Mr. Peter Fritzboger, Chief Financial Officer Ms. Nina Maria Klok, Project Assistant Contact CB Crossing Borders Headquarters c/o International People’s College, Denmark Tel:0045-49213371 Fax:0045-49212128 e-mail: cb@crossingborder.org Palestinian Coordinator Ms. Suheir Hashimeh, Jerusalem Times Tel: 00972-2-6286373 Fax: 00972-2-6289078 e-mail: suheirjrs@yahoo.com

ISSN: 1563-28365 www.crossingborder.org

○

CB Advisory Board Prof. Munther Dajani (Chairperson), Mr. Herbert Pundik, Ms. Else Hammerich, Ms. Lotte Lund, Mr. Hanna Siniora, Mr. Jakob Erle, Mr. Mossi Raz, Mr. Greg Newbold, Prof. Najeeb Nabwani and Prof. Eric Markusen.

○

30-31 ○

○

○

Jordanian Coordinator Mr. Khaled Shorman, Masar Tel: 00962-6-5858748,5815740 Fax: 00962-6-5815740 e-mail: kshorman@nets.com.jo Israeli Coordinator Mrs. Olga Paz, Givat Haviva Tel: 00972-46309280 Cell. 00972-547299344 e-mail: opazim@013.net.il Arab Israeli Coordinator Mr. Andre Kaldawy Tel: 00972-54-5299146 Fax: 00972-4-8120380 e-mail: kaldawy@macam.ac.il Editor in Chief CB26 Mr. Andre Kaldawy Language Editor Mr. Richard Ratcliffe Front Cover: Bakria Mawasi Layout & Press Production Orientation Ltd. Tel: 00972-2-5818183 Fax: 00972-2-5818203 E-mail: office@orientation.co.il Graphic Design Mr. Tawfik Gazal Annual Subscription Rates (6 editions per year) Individuals living in the Middle East: 30 Euro (40 USD)

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

Individuals living outside of the region: 60 Euro (75USD) Institutions in the Middle East: 60 Euro (75 USD) Institutions outside of the region: 100 Euro (125 USD)

EDITORIAL In Crossing Borders 26, our writers discuss the various impacts of technology on the world around us, good and bad.

Technology has brought about tremendous benefits to mankind. One example is the internet technology which allows people around the world to cross borders and break down walls of ignorance and misunderstandings.

Not so long ago, the most popular means of communication were by letter, telegraph and most recently by telephone.

Today internet technology has combined all these forms and more beside into one, via e-mail, the internet, mobiles and instant messaging. Internet cafes have mushroomed and popped up in the most remote corners of the world from China to the Middle East to Europe and the Americas.

Internet technology has made people’s lives, businesses and industries, richer and more beneficial. As Eliran Luzon reflects in his article, Milk Chocolate Technology, “With a click I can see my relatives from Paris or talk with my Jordanian or Palestinian friends. In this sense, technology has made people happier.”

Internet technology has provided us with a huge amount of information which enlightens us and turns information into an easy accessible commodity. Internet technology, has benefitted the business sector, making shopping at the tip of our fingers. Internet technology has turned our world into a small village.

The other face of technology is not as bright however. As Shereen Bahader says in her article, Technology and Politics, “Technology puts human lives at stake, because stronger countries can destroy weaker ones.” The misuses of technology can destroy humankind. Think of the chemicals we produce everyday, think of genetic engineering and the way it exploits and manipulates life to name but a few.

Technology is a two-way street that, when misused, can do more harm than good. Let not the hand that builds also destroy.

Happy reading, Andre Kaldawy Editor in Chief CB 26

CB Journalism Ethics There are some borders we should not cross. Ethical boundaries for aspiring CB journalists are essential.

Journalists hold tremendous power; the power of the media can do great good, but it can also do great harm.

Journalists must seek the truth and report it to the reader.

EDITORIAL

How to Write a CB Article

CB journalists seeking to become professionals are advised to abide by the following Code of Ethics: • Be Honest: Journalism is based on reporting the truth. For CB journalists, engaged in a dialogue of openness and integrity, this is especially important. Never report anything you know to be false, or only a half-truth, even if sometimes it can be a tremendous temptation to present things in a way to deliberately mislead your readers and make your case more convincing.

• Be Accurate: Always make sure your sources of information are accurate. Check your sources again and again before you decide to rely on them, and confirm them with others if possible. Also make sure you are not making unfair generalisations out of your information. And remember to be critical; not everything you find on the internet or hear is true.

• Be Discreet: If you interview someone, let them know that you will be using their words in your article. It is not ethical to use someone’s name without letting them know.

• Be Humble: Admit mistakes and shortcomings and be ready to correct them. We are all human. We also write for and about other humans. So respect your readership and be open with them.

• Be Yourself: Don’t copy something off the web, or pass off someone else’s work as your own. What you have to say is valuable. And we want to read VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005 it.

3

WAKING UP TO A NEW REALITY HOPES AFTER SHARM EL-SHEIKH 1,558 days. 37,392 hours. 2,243,520 minutes. Thousands of innocent people dead and wounded. These are the tremendous numbers of the Intifada.

We, Israelis and Palestinians, were trapped in a circle of blood, where there seemed no way out. We wondered if life would ever be normal again. On February 8th 2005, a new reality was created, a reality of trust, respect, and hope. The leaders of the region decided it was time to meet and show the world that they are committed to peace.

The meeting took place in Sharm ElSheikh, Egypt. You could feel the excitement through the screen of the television. It was an historic day, a great day to remember. The eyes of the world were watching the summit. Many people

wish for the agreements made in the summit to succeed, but many of them still question the possibility that they will.

To date, most of the agreements made between the Palestinians and the Israelis did not last long. There was always someone or something that broke.

Unfortunately, there are some groups that are trying to break the new peace process.

Some Palestinian organizations say that the agreement made between Israel and the Palestinian Authority does not apply on them, and they will continue to attack Israeli civilians. Some countries support these groups by giving them weapons and money for their activities. It is very difficult for us Israelis to continue to relieve the lives of the Palestinians while no one cares for our security and well-being.

When you want something from someone, you have to give them

something in return. Israelis cannot keep on restraining themselves while these violent acts are continuing. The next step has to be taken by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority leader. He should stop talking and start acting. Words by themselves will not stop the Palestinian militants’ aggression. Just as Israel is carrying out the disengagement plan under extreme difficulties from the settlers and releasing Palestinian prisoners, Abbas should start collecting guns and stop who ever tries to break the fragile peace.

The future never seemed so bright, nor so uncertain. I am hoping for a better tomorrow, more safe and peaceful. Still, for now, seeing all the promises and commitments made in the Sharm ElSheikh summit kept will be more than enough.

LIFE RESUMES AFTER SHARM EL-SHEIKH By: Nasser Barakat, Palestine.

4

A new step has begun. We have waited for this step for years.

We still aspire to live like other nations, but are afraid that this step will be like previous ones.

The first act of the new Palestinian government was to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit. We all heard the declaration after the meeting between Sharon and Abu Mazen where they agreed to hold a truce after four years of conflict.

It is not only a truce. We are promised to be able to travel through the Rafah international crossing. Many checkpoints in Gaza and the West Bank will be opened, the disengagement plan will be implemented soon, those exiled will be able to go back to Bethlehem, many Palestinian prisoners will get their freedom and Palestinian workers will get permits to go back to work in Israel again. The Israeli Prime Minister Sharon promised not to break the agreement, as did Abu Mazen.

Actually the Palestinians wondered about an agreement that took only one day’s negotiations between the two sides. They wondered because such issues need time to be discussed. We

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

also knew that this agreement serves Israel, because it has been Sharon’s dream to stop the Intifada since he became Prime Minister.

Yet we were all happy to hear of the agreement after such hard years, and to see achievements like the freed prisoners, the returned bodies, and the opening of the Rafah border. We are still afraid that this is a kind of trap.

I think that the Palestinian public accepted this agreement. Many students now hope to study abroad like me, to achieve their dreams, and also to taste some freedom. Others want to see the world that we have been imagining in our minds. We were deprived of these rights over the last 4 years, and our life was a catastrophe during the closure and attacks.

So this agreement is a trial for both of us. Sharon and the Israeli government have promised to implement in July the disengagement plan. We watch, as the settlers will not leave the Occupied Territories easily.

I think that recent events are a page turned for the Palestinian issue. Yet there are still a lot of things to be achieved for the peace not to become again dangerously fragile.

© Tamara Barakat

POLITICS

By: Dean Solomon, Israel

SUICIDE IN THE IDF

RESPONSE TO “A TRUE DIARY OF MY BROTHER, A SOLDIER” By: Shani Gilmour, Israel

It’s difficult to hear stories like this firsthand. In a reality where there is always bad news, whether terrorists bombing or soldiers committing suicide, you often need to have a personal connection to really identify.

I can’t imagine the chill that was running along Eitai’s back as he awoke to hear his friend’s life ended. Nor can I imagine the relief he feels now, at the end of his army service. But I can relate to his comment about the endurance needed to serve in the IDF. Not every person is capable of going through the experience. The percentage of soldiers committing suicide over recent years has increased at the frightening rate of 30%. This fact arouses anxiety, frustration, and even anger that points a finger at the IDF.

POLITICS

“My friend took out his gun, put it into his throat and pulled the trigger. We immediately woke up, the entire base was alerted and a paramedic tried to save him, but it didn’t help...”

(A True Diary, CB23)

This is not without a good reason. Suicide has slowly become the main cause of death among Israeli soldiers. According to Ministry of Defence research, in 2003 30 soldiers lost their lives during operational action, 37 died in car accidents, 32 died as a result of disease, and 41 committed suicide.

The IDF is trying to develop systems that will reduce these numbers. Lectures are given to soldiers and their commanders, and many mental health officers are now accessible to soldiers at any time. These treatment systems are similar to those in the US and other countries. Yet the IDF’s systems are ineffective.

ELECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES NEW LEADERSHIP, NEW HOPES By: Emad Moussa, Palestine The Palestinian elections have drawn much international attention. All admitted they were transparent and free and proved the Palestinians’ political strength. They were a creative resistance to the Occupation.

They also created a strong leftist opposition along with the rightist opposition of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that promises well for Palestinian democracy.

The victory of Mahmoud Abbas, one of the doves of Palestinian politics, was seen positively. He has considerable credibility amongst Palestinians, and was portrayed as a saviour by Israel and the West.

Bush rushed to congratulate Abbas on his win, and invited him to the White House, breaking the norms of the extremist Christian and Jewish agencies who resist any settlement with the Palestinians. Abbas is

accepted by the US, and Israel has lost the excuse that there is no Palestinian leadership to negotiate with. The US is calling for coordination between the Palestinians and Israelis on the Gaza pullout in order to include it within the Road Map. It is even hinting to an Arab and Muslim world marked by its hatred of US double-standards that it might be a just patron for the peace process.

On the Israeli side, Sharon’s desire to meet Abbas comes in the context of wanting to strengthen his coalition. Shas refuses to join the government without “coordinating” the pullout from Gaza with the Palestinians, and Sharon

Moreover, the army refuses to take the blame for these sad statistics. They claim that most of those who commit suicide (80% to be exact) didn’t turn to their mental health officer in time of trouble, and that there is no evident connection between military service and suicide statistics in the 18-22 age group. They claim that this is a risk group, for other reasons such as family relationships. Of course, not everyone agrees Anywhere else on earth this problem would have become a burning issue in the army’s list of priorities. Just because we have so many urgent issues to deal with does not mean we should be different.

wants to get out of the difficult situation Israel has been enduring since the beginning of the Intifada.

Yet if the Israeli government places “security” conditions prior to the SharonAbbas meeting while neglecting the Palestinian basic needs like lifting the siege, then this will increase anger among Palestinians. It will strip Abbas of support and destroy the chance for compromise.

2005 offers a unique opportunity for settlement. However, if Israel returns to the policy of partial solutions and refusal to completely withdraw from the 1967 lands, it will create a tense atmosphere similar to that which followed Oslo, and could potentially lead to revolution once more. Should this happen, then like Arafat Abbas will turn into an undesirable man when he speaks of the Palestinians’ legitimate rights. In this, Palestinians are aware that there are no sanctities in Israeli politics. Sharon who once said that Nezarim was as sacred as Tel Aviv, now leads the fight against the rightwing to evacuate the settlements from Gaza.

© Tamara Barakat

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

5

TECHNOLOGY POLITICS

SINCERELY PREJUDICED THE MEDIA BUILDS ON AS WELL AS BUILDS UP OUR PREJUDICES By: Yara Sa’di, Arab Israeli A few months ago, the Israeli media (television and newspapers) were running stories about an Israeli organization’s endeavours to free Jewish female teenagers from Arab men who seduced them, married them and kept them in Arab villages against their will. The stories and the horrible pictures displayed were held to be credible by the Jewish communities both in Israel and abroad, who generously supported the ‘non-profit organization’ in its attempts to rescue the “seduced” Jewish young women from their “Arab prisons” and help them rehabilitate their lives. Many people, including prominent personalities such as the President of Israel, Mr. Moshe Katsav, and the Minister of Education, Mrs. Limor Livnat, believed the stories and supported the “organization.”

However, a few weeks ago an investigative TV program “Shomer Masack” discovered that the whole thing was a fake: that the movies weren’t real,

that their stories were fabricated, that the young girls pictured were middle-aged Jewish women who were never in a relationship with Arab men, and who only played their roles for the sake of money.

How could so many people sincerely believe the fabricated stories, although the numbers were exaggerated to amount to many thousands, without any police intervention? How could so many intelligent people be blindly manipulated?

Apparently, the weird stories found a response in the hatred, the fear and the stereotypes and prejudices most of the Jewish public hold concerning the Arabs.

At first, I thought this incident was only an example of the power of media. Yet reconsidering the whole case, I realize that this power is merely dependent on providing people with what suits their needs, rather than questioning them.

Regretfully, it seems that the Israeli Jewish community in general is too blind to see these clear lies. Apparently, they are also blind to notice the damage they are causing to themselves as well as to

QUIET, PLEASE DREAMS FOR TO DAY By: Yaalon Ravid, Israel In the year 2005, people are killing, people are dying. Reality must take a drastic turn to show any significant change, one that we all want to see.

In the last issue, I wrote about my dreams for the upcoming year. These dreams did not have to disappear, only my way of seeing things.

After Arafat’s death, both Arabs and Israelis assumed that the situation in the Middle East could only get better, and so it has. Israel began easing the pressure

6

on the Palestinians and the disengagement plan has technically already begun, even at the cost of creating a split within Israel. Also the Palestinians have begun to take action against terrorism and have begun to deploy their troops around the borders of Gaza.

Silently, slowly, things are finally taking form, finally building up.

Even though right now things are fairly quiet, the situation is very delicate. It’s like walking through a mine field; one wrong step can blow things up.

I can’t help wondering: Was it necessary to go through all this pain, to go through all this useless waste of precious human lives, because of bureaucracy, because of politicians? To me it has always been clear that you cannot take away from people the rights given to them as human beings, as children of this world.

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly CROSSING BORDERS Regional Youth- Magazine A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

others, and far blinder to the black glasses they are wearing over their eyes.

As for the media, it seems that for many of its members, making headlines is its motto, and never mind the damage it causes, or the truth it obliterates.

Right now, all I can do is sit still, and check whether things last, to put these developments to the test of time.

Hopefully, they will get a good grade.

I believe that it was clear to Israelis that this is an impossible situation, where Palestinians were refugees living in conditions like those of a third world country, while just across the border there are Israelis living in good conditions. Such a situation is unfair, inhuman and even unbelievable.

“Quiet”, a word which my area is not so familiar with. It’s a word that describes a dream, a wish. This quiet has visited the Middle East about five times before, when the leader of each country stood up, and gave a speech full of hope, full of good, and full of quiet.

If I were one of those leaders, I would have stand up and say: “You all know what needs to be done. Let’s just make it happen.”

TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS By: Shereen Bahader, Palestine Politics is about power and land. Countries have been fighting about sovereignty over land since the beginning of time, and they always will be.

Technology has made our lives easier in some ways and more difficult and dangerous in others. It made our lives easier by providing electric appliances, better transportation, better communication etc. Yet it has made our lives more difficult because of the development of nuclear weapons, machine guns, tanks, and aircrafts. This technology puts human lives at stake, because stronger countries can destroy weaker countries even if they are thousands of miles apart. This increases the possibility of countries going to war.

The differences in technology mean that

superpowers, such as America, can decide who is terrorist, based on their perspective and definition of terrorism. Because of their advanced technology and strong military, they can act on these decisions.

This is why the rest of the countries are afraid of America and do whatever she says. If they don’t, they are branded “terrorists,” and are “taught” a lesson. This is what happened with Iraq. The U.S.A. invaded Iraq claiming to search for weapons of mass destruction, which the Iraqis did not have Libya on the other hand paid money to the Lockerbie victims and got rid of her nuclear weapons, as America requested. Therefore they are now safe. Yet since America is a Superpower, she herself has weapons of mass destruction, and allows them to her allies.

The positive effect of technology on politics

is that today people can see and hear what is happening in the whole world and do not have to stay in the dark anymore. The radio, satellite T.V., and the internet bring news from all parts of the world into our homes in a split second. Years ago it took people a long time to discover what had happened on the other side of the world.

Moreover, different channels provide different perspectives on any given subject.

Further, using telecommunications people can participate in conferences with people from different continents. Technology has allowed man to reach outer space and other planets. Given current trends, I see that in the future it might also allow man to determine the politics of these extra terrestrial places.

TECHNOLOGY POLITICS

THE POWER OF AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY

EVER WONDER WHERE IT WILL LEAD? IRAQ AFTER THE ELECTIONS By: Jamil Hanayneh, Jordan Over the past weeks we heard a lot about the Iraqi elections in Jordan and we saw a lot of advertising that aimed to persuade every Iraqi citizen, wherever they were living, to go out and vote so that these elections could succeed.

Since this campaign began, I have been wondering how an election can be fair and successful in the middle of the crisis that is currently going on in Iraqi territory, and whether the situation would give all Iraqi citizens the opportunity to vote peacefully, so that it would be fair and square?

The news told of a man who committed a suicide bombing inside a voting booth. I don’t think that this situation encouraged

citizens to come out and vote.

But let’s say that they were able to vote for someone, and let’s also assume that whoever they voted for actually won. The wonder then is whether this leader will really have the chance to rule his country freely while the numbers of American soldiers in the country is still increasing, and more and more bases are being built in Iraq everyday?

It feels like it is a play going on in Iraq. What we all see is not the truth. America, and the White House in particular, is controlling every single thing in Iraq. The elections will not bring the government that Iraqis want.

Whoever wins these elections is no more that a toy in America’s hands. They can control him as they please. Common

sense tells us that America didn’t do all the things they did, leading a war and having hundreds of soldiers killed, besides all of those injured, just to end it by letting Iraqis vote for a new president and then getting up and leaving peacefully. Their plans go way beyond this. We cannot know for sure what is being planned beyond, but we can trust our instincts.

Finally, more than anything this has left me wondering until when will we stay the way we are? I look at this propaganda and I think how easy we are to fool. We have to change, and I hope that this day will come sometime, somehow.

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

7

TECHNOLOGY POLITICS

WHO SAID NO? LOYALTY SHOULD NOT REQUIRE MILITARY SERVICE By: Firas Mattar, Arab Israeli Who said no? Who said that I, the Arab Israeli, don’t want to be a “normal citizen” in Israel? Who said that I want to continue being considered as an “internal enemy”, as a disloyal citizen, as a third- or fourthclass citizen? Who said that I want to continue being neglected and unwanted in many places, being looked at as an alien who is desecrating the Holy Land, being victimised at airports and borders, being suspect in every case, being the black sheep of the country?

I consider myself a totally loyal citizen, but what really matters is how the government considers me. I pay my taxes, I respect and live within the law, and I’m completely loyal to my

government.

But still they say: “You don’t serve the army!” Should I join the army? Should I take part in killing my brothers and sisters in Palestine? Should I take part in destroying my own people’s houses?

Should I be the pilot who’ll press the button and be responsible for killing tens of my people? Should I be the sniper who’ll compete with his sniper friend on “moving targets” in the villages of my people? Should I be the machine-gunner who’ll eliminate a group of people only because they look suspicious? Should I join a body for whom my principles and beliefs are exactly the opposite if its principles and beliefs?

These days a large part of the Israeli community and the Israeli army are

working against the disengagement plan.

A large group in the army, including officers, say that if they get the order to evacuate Israeli citizens from their homes and their villages they will refuse to obey it.

Now let me ask you something: How would you feel if not only were you asked to evacuate your own people from their homes, but were also ordered to go into their villages and bomb their houses, destroy their schools and places of work, and often to kill those who tried to defend them, exactly as we are ordered to do in your army with our brothers and sisters in Palestine? I think that you would object to the body which tried to make you do these horrible things. So why do you think we should be different?

ARMY RECRUITMENT THE OBLIGATION TO SERVE YOUR COUNTRY By: Shalev Goldfarb, Israel What are you going to do after high school?

If you ask me, I would say that this is one of the toughest decisions every teenager has to make. So many options and subjects, and as hard as it is, we know we have to make the decision ourselves.

Israeli teens don’t have to make this decision after high school, but at least two years later for the girls, and three years for the boys. Right after we finish high school, instead of partying as we should and getting a rest for a year, or going to a university, we are recruited into the Israeli Defence Forces.

Since the Declaration of the State of

Israel in 1948, we have been in a state of constant war. Some of the time, this has been more of a “cold war”, and at other times, far too many times, it has been a really “hot” war. Because of this situation of constant war, there is a “Recruitment Law” for everyone who graduates from high school to join the ranks of the army. Breaking this law is a criminal offence.

Ever y citizen in Israel knows how important it is for us to have a strong army to deal with any kind of situation that we may encounter in the future, and with the situation nowadays. The Israeli citizens who join the army either do it because they think it is important, or they do it because it’s an obligation. Those who think it is important to join the army

8

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

think so for various reasons, such as understanding the fragile situation of our countr y, wishing to ser ve their countr y, or simply because they believe the army will open new possibilities for them.

I believe, as an Israeli, that joining the army is important and I will be happy to do it, and by this to serve my country.

In conclusion, joining the army in Israel is an obligation, and Israelis who join the army do not necessarily agree with everything the army does - but nor do they control it.

YOUR SUN WILL SHINE TOO By: Lauren Tabak, Israel As I was on the bus to Tel Aviv today, looking out of the window at the cloudy skies, watching as the rain dripped down, suddenly a huge sadness overcame me. I began thinking about all the negative things in life; some would even call them evil.

I thought of the bodies of the children in Africa and the homeless on Bosnia, the situation in my own country, the on-going Arab Israeli conflict, the division between rich and poor, the loss of lives and property in the tsunami areas.

I thought that we talk about peace and freedom. We talk about a calm, quiet future where we can all live together in harmony, and yet we allow individuals to decide our

fate for us. If you think about it, the destiny of the entire world is in the hands of a few individuals. How can we be ruled like this?

I thought that our whole world is a mess and our peace is an illusion. My hope seemed so drained up that if I used anymore, I would have had nothing left to hope with.

On my way back from Tel Aviv, once again on the bus looking though the window, the skies had all cleared and the most beautiful sunset was shining through. I found myself smiling for no particular reason.

I know everyone has their share of up and downs because that’s what life’s about, but sometimes it just

doesn’t seem fair for the people who have a constant cloud above their heads that includes so much pain and suffering.

As hopeless as I sometimes feel, I hope with all my heart that those clouds too will clear up someday, that the sun will come out and brighten up the hearts of those that have been so dark for far too long.

I also know that what I write is not going to change anything and no words will bring back the dead or stop the ‘evil’, but I do believe that where great evil occurs, great good is bound to follow.

There will always be times in our lives when the sun’s going to shine, and times when the rain’s going to fall. All we can do is smile because in the end, everything is going to be all right.

TECHNOLOGY POLITICS

EVEN THE DARKEST CLOUDS CAN LIFT

THE OLIVE TREE DEFENDING THE SYMBOL OF THE OLIVE TREE Palestine and Syria are known as the origins of the olive tree. From these countries, it spread to most of the Mediterranean countries.

Three quarters of the agricultural land in Palestine is planted with olive trees, which reflects its importance to the Palestinian economy. The olive tree forms 15%-20% of Palestinian agricultural production, depending on a given year’s harvest.

The olive tree has a strong symbolic relationship with the Palestinian struggle against Israel, as this tree means a lot to the Palestinian peasants. They see in this tree their income. Also the olive tree has been mentioned in the holy books as a holy and blessed tree. Therefore people in Palestine regard it as special.

The oil which this tree produces has tremendous benefits to the human body, including many vitamins and minerals. It is used to help people recovering from a lot of diseases, and it plays a big role in giving a face a brilliant, healthy look.

When it is the time for the annual olive harvest, it is a real festival. All the members of the family go into the fields for days.

Friends, relatives and even volunteers come to help. Schools, along with many

© Athar Zaghal

By: Maher Zaghloul, Palestine

other institutions, are closed, so that the students can join their parents in collecting olives.

Given the symbolic importance of the olive tree for the Palestinians, the late Mr. Yasser Arafat, our former President, raised the olive tree branch in the U.N. General Assembly calling for peace.

Because this olive tree is holy for Palestinians, they have defended it by all means against the Israeli Occupation, and also against the settlers who uproot huge numbers of these holy trees to build their settlements, or to build the wall of discrimination which prevents Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands.

In spite of these obstacles, the Palestinian peasants stand firm, strong, and stick to their lands. They keep looking after their olive trees by fertilizing and ploughing the lands.

The olive tree gives hope to the Palestinians, as it is a symbol of peace and love. As Palestinian people, we should look after this tree. As we say in Arabic, “A tree is known by its fruit.”

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

9

POLITICS R.I.P. POLITICS

POLITICAL AWARENESS IN JORDAN IS ON THE PATH TO EXTINCTION By: Razan Nasser, Jordan Three years ago just before I started university I remember being very excited, looking forward to the experiences that lay ahead of me. With this experience soon to come to an end, I am filled with disappointment as well as some unexpected, wonderful memories.

Anticipating my university days, one of the things I was very much looking forward to (besides the independence, partying and the driving licence) was the political activities of college: the debates, the political parties, the causes. Yet when I found out I would be staying in Jordan I knew that I would not experience these things with the intensity I desired. I found that I was not going to experience them at all.

While the standards of education in Jordan

have risen to a very a high level compared to the past, political awareness on Jordanian campuses has gone in the other direction. Most Jordanian youth are not even slightly interested in what is going on around them I asked people around me why this is so for them. The same answers came over and over again. It is simply an act of surrender. Jordanian youth feel that they have no power. They cannot change anything around them, not even the smallest thing, so why bother? Why fill your head with all these ideas and aspirations when you can do nothing to implement them?

This has caused the Jordanian youth to suffer a huge wave of indifference.

It makes their lives revolve

NEW YEAR IN THE INDIAN OCEAN THE DEVASTATION OF THE TSUNAMI By: Serene Najdi, Palestine What do you think of having a vacation in Sri Lanka or Indonesia? If this question was asked to you couple of months ago your answer would be totally different from now.

On 26 December 2004 the world’s most powerful earthquake in more than 40 years, struck deep under the Indian Ocean, killing more than 150,000 people in a dozen countries. The Tsunami, the sea surge disaster, hit the Indian lands, Sri Lanka and Indonesia leaving thousands of dead or injured people behind it, not forgetting the children who became orphans and the destroyed villages.

The Tsunami didn’t only kill thousands of people. It is also going to make these people face deadly diseases because of the bad conditions that they are living in.

10

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

around mundane things, and leaves a huge void due to their lack of purpose.

Personally, I tried filling this void with different activities that I searched hard to find, such as volunteering in several organizations and participating in Crossing Borders. It has been a very satisfying experience. Yet I wish more people could enjoy similar experiences.

I believe this issue will have serious implications for the future of Jordan. The government is trying to strengthen political awareness by reviving the political parties. This work is not concentrated on the youth but I believe it might make a difference if it was. Yet more efforts should be put into making the college experience for students a more fulfilling experience, filled with diverse and selfactualising experiences, through being active not just politically, but socially as well.

“Diseases could kill as many people in devastated areas as the tidal waves themselves unless emergency aid reaches the region within weeks.” reported David Nabarro.

The money donated in response has reached over 2 billion dollars from different sources such as governments like Japan which donated the highest amount of money, about 500 million dollars, the US, which donated 350 million dollars, and Pakistan who sent army medics and engineers. There were also people from all over the world who tried to help these people gain a normal life again. One project is SOS Children’s Village, which is supporting about 2,000 families (about 7,000 people) in finding their own way back to leading a normal life.

Scientists say that there is a possibility of having another sea surge over that part of the world again. That’s why people are leaving the places where they grew up and are moving to other places. Perhaps not only because of what the scientists said, but also they don’t want to stay in these places because of the miserable conditions and because they want to try to forget what happened to their families and homes.

In a matter of moments, a devastating Tsunami took lives, homes and dreams and created a humanitarian crisis that left hundreds of thousands of children and old people homeless without any shelter or food. We should thank God every day that we weren’t there, and should try to help those who were there in every way we can.

By: Gal Bachar, Israel

Partition Plan, Israeli independence brought war and turned the Arab people The concept “co-existence” relates to a into a conquered people, and the Jews common way of life of two peoples, who into a conquering people. have learned, on the whole, to live From the establishment of the State until together harmoniously. today, no government has succeeded in The concept of “co-existence” here is instilling a sense of equality among the connected to the continuing problem of Arab people. In spite of peace agreements the Arab population which has always lived with neighbouring Arab states, Israeli Arab in the land of Israel. citizens do not feel part of Israel. It is true Throughout history, the Arab people have that some Israeli Arabs may feel part of settled here and see it as their homeland. the country, but is it enough that some They don’t understand how it can be that feel ruled, like a conquered people. This suddenly a strange people has come and was enough to cause the riots that demanded areas that had belonged to the erupted in 2000.

Arab people for generations.

Moreover, the Arabs who are not Since the beginning of Jewish Israeli citizens justly feel that they “From the establishment of the immigration to Israel as early as the have lived as refugees for more State until today, no government 19th century, there were problems than a generation. If you look for between us and the Arab explanation for the violence, it has succeeded in instilling a sense an population. The Jews came with can be found in the difficult life of of equality among the Arab the impression that the country those who live in sub-human was simply waiting for them. They conditions in the Occupied people.

In spite of peace were certain that they would be Territories which were conquered agreements with neighbouring received with flowers, that they 30 years ago. would be given everything they If I were able to sit with Arab states, Israeli Arab citizens asked for. They would be helped in representatives of both sides, I do not feel part of Israel.” establishing a state for the Jewish would tell them to give an equal people. opportunity to everyone. I would During the beginning immigration, tell them that if children would live when the Arab population saw that the together in the same good conditions, as “White Paper” made both of the involved Jews were determined to work the land, children should live, with schools and sides feel that Britain was inclined to their they decided to sell them land, but activities, such children would grow into side, whoever read between the lines obviously not the land that was most loyal citizens. In addition, there wouldn’t understood that the British were inclined workable. They sold them swamp land. be hatred on anyone’s part because no one more to the Arab side.

This did not prevent the Jews from would fear the next terrorist act.

As long as two completely different people working long and hard on the land to make “Co-existence” is the will for common lived here and were ruled by a third people, it fruitful. This was the beginning of the way of life, understanding, and readiness the violence each inflicted on the other, dispute. to help and contribute to each other. however horrible, was reasonably equal.

Throughout history, it might have been The situation changed when the British possible to prevent the many disputes finally left and the Jewish state was between the Jewish and the Arab established in Israel. Although the country peoples, disputes which have not still led was established according to the UN to some kind of solution. Each side is adamant in its position and, if someone from either side tries to take some sort of step, he is immediately undermined and the entire process is set back.

If we step back and look at some disputes throughout history, we can see how great the gap still is.

After the declaration of the British Mandate in Israel, anti-Jewish riots by Arabs broke out. Consequently an investigating committee was sent to Israel to investigate the causes of the riots.

Winston Churchill, the British Colonial Secretary, released the conclusions of the investigation in a document called the “White Paper”. The “White Paper” concluded that not all of the land of Israel would be a national homeland, but such a homeland would be established in Israel.

The Arabs saw this paper as a victory. In practice, they felt they had the upper hand and they would remain the majority in Israel.

The rest of the way was not easy for the Jews. Eight years later, there was another wave of anti-Jewish riots. Consequently another investigating committee was sent to Israel. Although the conclusions of the committee were that the Arabs were guilty of the riots, there were clauses in the “Second White Paper” against the Jewish community in Israel.

Although parts of the conclusions of the

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

POLITICS

CO-EXISTENCE IN ISRAEL

11

REASONS FOR DISENGAGEMENT THE ADVANTAGES OF DISENGAGING FROM THE GAZA STRIP

POLITICS

By: Yiftah Kolnik, Israel In Israel there is a plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The man leading this plan is Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The Disengagement plan includes the evacuation of Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. This move is supposed to be taken unilaterally, although it is obvious that it cannot be fulfilled without coordination with the Palestinian authorities.

There are many reasons for Sharon’s decision: First, he has realised that it is impossible for the small Jewish settlements to live safely in the middle of occupied, crowded and hostile Arab areas.

Second, the military difficulty in defending these settlements has meant an increase in the military resources required to make the life of these people possible. Third, the military difficulty in fighting against guerrilla

forces who fight from the heart of civilian populations.

Also there is the suffering of the Arab population, including suffering from being directly hit by bombing or shooting, suffering from the checkpoints and curfews that disrupt everyday life, and from the economic difficulties that result from such conditions. These conditions also make it difficult to represent Israel to the world in a positive way.

What would the results be if the situation remains unchanged?

Most likely, they would include international pressure on Israel for withdrawal from Gaza, an escalation of the battle between Israel and the Palestinian guerrilla forces until it involved other countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Syria, a rise in anti-Semitism on the back of this escalation, increased isolation of Israel

from the rest of the world, economically, culturally and politically, with the danger of sanctions, and measures from the U.N. to enforce an Israeli ceasefire backed by military forces.

For the Palestinians, the Gaza Strip would continue to degenerate into a disaster area with death, sickness, starvation, and more refugees without land or shelter.

Disengagement from Gaza will bring the Palestinians another step closer to an independent country, and it will be the basis for future disengagement from the West Bank. For Israel, it will be easier to protect their people with minimum harm to soldiers and civilians from both sides.

Disengagement will be a huge step from the Israeli side for peace with the Palestinians. I hope this plan will be executed soon; we have to support Sharon as he takes this step.

GOOD BEGINNING AND BAD ENDING TO A GREAT SEMINAR By: Mai Tahboub, Palestine

12

We spent four days in Turkey at a seminar writing joint articles, learning journalism skills, and enjoying every moment. It was short, but we achieved good results.

We all left for the airport together, Israelis, Arab Israelis and Palestinians. We arrived four hours before departure to have time for Security. Our flight was with El-Al Israeli Airlines.

The Security employees started checking us. When they found the CB magazines, they stopped checking and started to ask why we were in Turkey: what our seminar was about and if someone was against peace. They knew that we were only youth, and that we were really looking to find a way to live together, yet they treated us

so badly. By us, I mean the Palestinian group.

After they wasted time questioning us, there was no time to check the bags. While the Israelis and Arab Israelis boarded the flight, we Palestinians were left with Security. We didn’t know what to do, as it was midnight and the flight was about to leave. At the last minute, they agreed to let the four who had foreign passports leave. They checked in without their luggage.

But three of us were not allowed to pass, because we were Palestinians from East Jerusalem. Rather they closed the desk and asked us to leave the El-Al desk or they would get airport security to throw us out.

We left the airport, and went back to the hotel. The CB staff were angry to hear what had happened. It was not easy to believe.

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

To experience such bad treatment specifically because we were working for peace between Arabs and Jews was a shock. It left me wondering what would happen if we had not been working for peace.

The following day we bought new tickets with Turkish Airlines. At the airport they didn’t ask any questions, so it took us half an hour to check out. I didn’t know why there was such a difference, except that El Al don’t want to have Arabs on board their flights.

What happened to me made me more and more determined to write in the CB magazine. Initially, I thought to leave the project, but decided to continue because we are strong, and we will achieve our goal with Crossing Borders one day.

MILK CHOCOLATE TECHNOLOGY By: Eliran Luzon, Israel It might sound silly, but technology reminds me of chocolate.

The first thing that pops in my mind when someone says chocolate is sweetness.

And like chocolate, technology has made our lives so much sweeter than they used to be. Nobody imagined how sweet our lives could be.

For instance, we use computers in our houses and workplaces almost every day.

This technology has become a routine and we take it for granted. The educational level and awareness around the world has greatly advanced, thanks to computers and the internet. If I want to, then with a click I can see my relatives from Paris or talk

with my Jordanian or Palestinian friends.

In this sense, technology has made people happier.

And do you know what else always makes me happy?

Chocolate. And it’s not just me. It has been scientifically proven that chocolate creates joy and pleasure when we eat it. It affects our brains, and that’s why it also increases our memory range.

But despite its advantages, chocolate can hurt us sometimes. First of all, who doesn’t know that it’s fattening? Chocolate is a city of calories. Also our teeth are not so fond of chocolate. The high level of sugar in chocolate does not do them much good at all. And yet in spite of its harms, we keep on eating it. Chocolate is irresistible.

The same is true with technology. People today complain that technology has ruined the quiet and simple life when everyone used to talk more and were together. I was born into technology, so I can’t actually say a lot about the life before, but I can tell that many people have become more technical and act less out of emotions.

However, just like we know that chocolate is fattening and bad for our health, and yet we can’t stop eating it, so we can’t stop “eating” essential technology - even if it sometimes hurts our personal lives.

Though with a little more attention to others’ feelings and to our teeth, we should be happy for the existence of chocolate and technology as one.

TECHNOLOGY

WHAT’S SO SWEET THAT YOU CAN’T DO WITHOUT IT?

STEPS FOR HUMANITY BUT WHAT ABOUT COMING CLOSER TO HOME? By: Amjed Shoughry, Arab Israeli In 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established to advance aeronautics, space technology, and even human space flight.

Since then, NASA has been working in order to explore space. It managed to land the first man on the moon, which then was considered a huge step for humanity.

NASA’s staff includes a number of scientists, experts and astronauts, who all together work to discover vital information about space.

But, what is space and why should we

explore it, or pay millions in order to look for life on other planets?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, space is the “unused or unfilled gap or area between two or more objects or points.”

Space is the huge gap between the planet Earth and whatever else we as humans still don’t know or can’t reach. Human curiosity has always pushed us to explore and to reveal what is hidden. However, some things are better hidden.

We live on earth, and we have our own problems. Our world is full of wars, illnesses, and disasters that all need our attention. NASA claims that studying space

can be important for helping us understand what is happening on our own planet. It can help us understand natural phenomena that happen on earth.

Sometimes it can even protect us from such incidents repeating.

Recently, a spaceship reached the moon Titan. This project cost NASA and others millions of dollars. In addition to the financial costs, this project took about 7 years, since Titan is far from Earth. The question is do we really need to spend this much time and money on such a project?

Have we solved our earthly problems to the extent that we should move on to Titan? Don’t we have homeless in the world, or people suffering in third world countries? We are constantly losing children in Africa because of famine and starvation, yet what research are we doing to prevent this? Why didn’t we use the many satellites that we have in space to warn the countries of the disastrous Tsunami?

We should reconsider both the money and efforts put into this field and better use them in human development projects that will benefit those suffering on earth rather than those who may or may not exist on Titan.

13 VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

CONSUMERS OF TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY

WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT NEW TECHNOLOGY COSTS US By: Yiftah Kolnik, Israel The world is developing very fast these days, and everybody wants to be a part of this development. Those who accept new technology first are usually the teenagers and the kids. We are still learning how to adapt ourselves to this world.

Although technology is making daily life more interesting and work easier, its effect is not always so good. Television is a nice thing to watch, but for many kids and teenagers it has replaced books. Instead of learning and enriching their language, children are watching television, whose programmes are not always appropriate for the age of the kids who are watching them.

While television can show educational programmes, these cannot replace books.

Another thing which represents technology is the computer. In the past, kids used to play together, but today computers are teaching us to play alone, and not how to deal with other children.

Another important thing is that before the internet, we had to look for information in an encyclopaedia or by asking people.

However, today the majority of pupils are copying work from websites. Also since information is accessible to everyone on the net, the status of teachers is not like it once was.

Almost every week I find new type of cellular phone advertised in commercials.

For some of my friends, it has become a contest over who has the most modern phone first. Today cellular phones include cameras, radios, video cameras, movies, internet access and more. Sometimes they forget what is the original use for the phone.

The form of technology, which develops the fastest and has the biggest influence on teenagers, is electronic technology.

Commercials and conformism are making kids believe that they must have the most

modern gadget or else they feel like they are missing out. Parents cannot say no to their children, so the kids are spending more and more money on things they do not really need.

I am not against modernization and I think it can do great things for us. But as youth we do need to think how we are going to learn from any new product and how much money it will cost us. And the key to success is still hard work.

THE TWO SIDES OF TECHNOLOGY

IS IT A CURSE? By: Nadeen Abu Tayeh, Palestine Technology has many good and bad effects on society and especially on its youth. These days the disadvantages somehow seem to be more than the advantages.

Satellite television and the internet have given us the freedom to share information with and from the outside world. This has brought about many changes in culture among youth. We can see these effects in the way youth dress and talk, and almost every aspect of their behaviour is influenced by what they view in the media.

Not all technology is used to benefit society, and may in fact be misused. The

Internet, for instance, is a powerful tool that is easily available to most members of society. Whether it serves to educate and inform or not depends on the user, which means that some online content can be really damaging to society.

Similarly, many teenagers try to imitate the violence they see on television.

Less dramatically, psychologists believe that technology workers who have little person-to-person contact may be at greater risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders.

As Palestinians, we should remember that technology alone is not enough to empower a nation. What is needed also is education about the efficient use and application of that technology, in order

14

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

to minimize the negative effects of modernization.

Technology also can change attitudes. For instance, attitudes towards drugs: In the 1960’s, students in the West took drugs to expand their consciousness. Starting in the 1970’s they reported taking drugs primarily to dull their pain and relieve their boredom.

In teen movies and television, school is virtually always viewed as negative.

Teachers and school administrators are losers, boring, ridiculous or malevolent.

There are exceptions, but in many cases, school is not seen as a positive learning or a social environment.

So let us try to make everything right and ensure that technology is no longer a curse, but a blessing.

DANGEROUS PLACES WHAT LIES ACROSS THE INTERNET? The internet, email, ICQ and many more.

What wonderful inventions. They can help you find everything that you want, talk to people, find information that is not available in an encyclopaedia.

But the internet can be a very dangerous place. We hear everyday about chat rooms where a 45 year old man can pretend that he is 16 and talk to a 14 year old girl.

Sometimes it’s only small talk. But sometimes these people meet, and cases like this can even end in rape, death and other horrible things.

Anther thing that can be very dangerous is that there are many incitement sites.

Anyone can get into them, and sometimes even access the site by mistake. In these sites you can find horrible things, for instance about Arabs or Jews. People can come to these kinds of sites and change their opinions. Sometimes this can be very bad and dangerous for people.

But there is another good thing about computers and technology: how easy it is now to write this article. With a computer you can write things quickly which everyone can read without any problems of bad handwriting.

Another “small” invention that most people

TECHNOLOGY

By: Noya Gilad, Israel

in the whole word carry nowadays is the cellphone.

In one respect, this invention is great! You can reach anyone, anywhere, and any time you want. And thank God, this cellphone has saved a lot of people in emergency situations.

But on the other hand, many researchers

have found that this cellphone can give you brain cancer, or other illnesses that none of us want to get.

The internet and cellphones are great inventions, but we should all be careful, because there are many wierd and scary things that can happen to you every time that you use these inventions.

TECH-KNOWLEDGE-Y CAN YOU KEEP UP?

By: Haitham Kadry, Arab Israeli As time passes, technology is becoming more and more meaningful in our lives, and there are crucial needs to use it.

Nowadays, there are numerous computer companies developing new computerrelated devices as well as programmes.

In addition, there are others working on patents essential to medical facilities.

Technology has become an integral part of everything: industry, agriculture, culture and education. All civilized countries are being evaluated according to the extent of their computer-involvement.

It is a well-known fact that technology has caused a revolution concerning mankind.

That is to say, it has made our lives much easier and more comfortable.

People are more aware of surrounding events. They are more curious regarding knowledge and science. Furthermore, technology is the issue of the day.

Everybody wants to be involved in it.

Students at universities study it, the media talks about it etc.

Israel is a country with an enormous number of electrical and computer engineers. It is remarkably advanced in this field.

The world is moving towards a new era where everything is done fast thanks to computers and the internet. A day may come soon when everyone will have a computer in their pocket doing all of their work, without them having to go anywhere. The world will be built on data as well as information.

As far as I am concerned, I am a great fan of technology. I always look for information and updates in books, internet and science magazines. I never take anything for granted in science. In addition, I am on an ongoing search for knowledge. I wish I could acquire as much knowledge as my ancestors had.

Getting an academic diploma in technology is a priority for me, which might lead me to join those who make the future of our country and the whole world.

15 VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

TECHNOLOGY

TIMEQUAKE REVISITED DO WE HAVE THE TIME TO CONTROL TECHNOLOGY? By: Nadia Amad, Jordan In a novel named “Timequake”

by Kurt Vonnegut, a timequake, a sudden glitch in the space-time continuum, makes everybody and everything do exactly what they have just done over the past decade, good and bad, for a second time.

It is a deja vu experience that lasts for ten long years.

When Vonnegut’s characters wake up after the ten years are over, they see the world through newborn eyes. After the repetition, they are able to see a wider picture, which their fast pace first time round had stopped them seeing.

The saddest part for me about reading this story was recognising halfway through that the same fast pace seizes our world just as it seized theirs. It is a pace that simply prevents us all from the larger view.

For instance, one cannot help but ask: just what is it that we are rushing to find online?

What happens when a society is saturated with technology? What happens when

should we try to stop the advancement. some of us only live in bubbles But it seems that in this continuous of modern appliances, with all movement we’re not always able to grasp the limitations and potentials its effects, nor are we noticing the they hold, and without important things happening around us: The connecting with the world wars, the bombs, the tyranny, the around us? Is this obsession destruction of the environment, the sharp with gadgets and materialism contrast between the people who control a reflection of the changes in and produce knowledge and those who our societies, or is it this obsession which can’t touch it. How convenient, this is changing them? accepting blindness of ours, for all the Despite the great things that have been decision makers. The youth are both the provided by these new worlds of victims and the benefactors: we still think electronics and plastic, the limitations of ourselves as lamps of up to date created by them are coming to block our information. view of the “real world” outside.

Vonnegut’s novel speaks of a world where Technology creates the illusion for each of people needed a decade’s repetition in us that we master the world, while making order to realize the mistakes they were us more and more dependant on a phone making, and the value of what had been line and a micro-processor. ignored first time What we often fail to “Technology creates the round. Perhaps realize is that all this information at the tip of illusion for each of us that that is just what we need as well, our fingers is not we master the world, to see ourselves actually a part of our while making us more in the bigger will. In no way do we actively control or and more dependant on a picture. Perhaps it might be enough contain this knowledge. phone line and a microif right now, we We are merely pause and look recipients of the processor.” around. We may information networks, see more than what we thought was there perhaps bright, enthusiastic, but passive. before. We may see what is our duty to Like the lamp that is turned on and off, see. dependant on the electricity provided to It is our duty, if we plan on living as the it, we receive and shed light on a small sons and daughters of a shared earth, to area, controlled by an energy much larger use this technology not only for our selfish than ourselves. convenience, but also to better the world Living in the age of technology is fast to and to reach out to the forgotten and the point of recklessness. In this forwarddisadvantaged. For the truth is that we’ve moving world, do we, the youth, have the got it all wrong. We are meant to be the strength to stop and look back? ones dictating the path this technology This pace is inevitable, and we cannot stop takes, not a population controlled by it. the flow of technology and inventions. Nor

16

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

SIDE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON YOUTH By: Joseph Hodali, Palestine Today technology is growing fast. Day by day it is increasing, and occupying so many aspects of our lives. Now it is found in medical schools, universities, schools, companies, trade centres, and nearly in every house. Almost everyone uses technology in a variety of different ways.

While technology is growing, it creates can be called side effects. Like medicines, it has side effects that can be positive and negative, and that inevitably affect the users of technology, particularly users who are young people.

Let me take computers as an example of technology today. Every 6 months,

computer companies produce a new version of computers. Not only computers, companies also produce different, new machines such as cell phones, satellites, and so on. These different machines produce electromagnetic waves that affect the human body and brain, and can even cause diseases like brain cancer.

In addition, technology also affects youth culture. For instance, the different TV satellite programs leave many new impressions, some of them are good and some are bad. The TV satellite made the world smaller, so that you can watch whatever you want. But unnoticed, it is changing youth behaviour and some of the ways in which they interact with others. The internet, similarly, has made

the world a small town where you can just go to it and find everything you want.

This plays a positive role in the education process of youth, so that they can surf the internet for specific information. By this way, they enrich their knowledge.

Nowadays, scientists are studying the possibility of connecting a small chip with the human brain so it can be controlled.

If we look closely at this great idea, and imagined if it came true, then what would happen? From my point of view, I think this step would make the whole world jump to the future. It would make the whole new generations completely different with new traditions, perspectives and culture.

TECHNOLOGY

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES CHANGING CULTURES

USE ME! USES AND ABUSES OF THE INTERNET By: Rakan Haddad, Jordan The internet has become something central to our daily lives. It has turned the world into a small village. It is now the way we get to know about other countries, and it helps both adults and children in their day-to-day homework, study, work and other things.

The internet has a lot of uses, as it is fast for searching and easy to use. It’s a way businessmen can deal with others from different countries and check on their work. Students use the internet to get information on any subject they need. They find most of what they need ready. This is easier than looking for it through many books. Also via the internet many women can stay on top of the latest fashions and cosmetics.

Although the internet has a lot of advantages, it has also some drawbacks.

One of these is that this generation can become addicted to and mastered by this technology. Instead of using their brains and creativity and reading books, they can now get what they need from reports and pictures without making any effort. Also there are a large number of websites which young people can access at anytime and which contain inappropriate information.

The downloading of music and games has made the internet an enemy for producers and games companies because anyone who used to buy music and games CDs for a high price can now download what they want only for the price of a connection.

Downloading makes it easier for users to find what they need, and gives a large range of choices in different languages all to your own home.

Internet chat has become very widely used among youth. You can contact your relatives in other countries and even see them

by using special cameras. It helps you to know new people from different countries and cultures, and to know more about their lives and civilization. Its low cost also makes it preferable to the telephone.

Its ease, however, can mean that youth spend too much time chatting rather than studying or sitting with their families. Chatting with inappropriate people can also be a problem. Trying to find partners, even for marriage, via chat can cause problems and destroy families.

Yet the internet can be helpful to us on the condition that we use it in the proper way.

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

17

TECHNOLOGY

www.internet.com/can’t_live_without_it IS THE INTERNET A FRIEND OR A FOE? By: Qamar Daher, Arab Israeli It has been discussed in T.V. shows over and over again. Newspapers and magazines write about its influence at least once a month, if not more. It is a phenomenon that has spread fast. It surely cannot be ignored. What started simply as a faster means of communication, has become an integral part of our lives. It is not a matter of how common its use is anymore, the real question that must be asked is this: Do its advantages outweigh its disadvantages? It is a coin flipped by two groups, one group considers it a blessing, and the other sees it as a curse.

Like most matters today, the internet is a controversial issue.

Some believe that the internet is a quick

way to communicate and find required data. Moreover, it is the easiest way to publish one’s perspective on a certain subject. In addition, we should not forget all the services the internet provides, such as downloading computer games, music, movies etc. all of which save parents a lot of money.

Yet with every day that passes, more and more people, and especially teenagers, are added to the so-called “internet addicts” list. The fact that all the necessary information and material a student can ask for can effortlessly be found on the web makes students in particular, the internet’s number one fan.

However, others claim that is leads directly to corruption and is a highly destructive tool in the wrong hands. Those who are known

as “hackers” use the internet in order to cause damage to other computers.

Furthermore, pornographic websites whose target audience is supposed to be adults, are available to children as well.

I see the internet as a needed medium.

However, there must be a restriction to the material accessible, especially when it might have a harmful effect on someone who did not intend to view it from the outset.

Yet it is clear that we are not talking about a passing trend, and that we have all fallen in the net of the internet. Let us face it: we cannot live without it. Unfortunately, no one has yet found an answer to “THE” question: The internet: Is it our new friend or our new foe? What do you think?

MOBILES A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

THE COSTS OF TECHNOLOGY By: Mira Ansari, Palestine We as humans have always strived for what’s new, different and more advanced.

One form of technology which is always changing for the better is the mobile phone. We have come a long way from just a simple phone in houses and offices to phones we can carry around just about anywhere, and can use all over the world.

We have gone even further from regular mobile phones that used just to make straightforward calls, to various other uses such as connecting to the internet.

Nowadays it has become normal for every family to have several phones for each member, all needed for different reasons.

We have got so used to them that they have become an essential part of our lives.

We’ve become so dependent on mobiles that we can’t leave home without one.

18

Peer pressure among friends and classmates puts a strain on all of us to go

with the flow. These days you can feel an outcast without a mobile phone. The basic cliche used among my friends to justify having one, is that the current situation is dangerous, and that you want a phone so you can call your parents at anytime to tell them you’re OK. The more dramatic version is to exclaim what if something happens, what if I needed help, what if...

True, there are many good uses for mobile phones.

With the continuous advancement in technology, a mobile phone’s use has developed far beyond its original purpose. Yet wherever there is right, there is wrong. Somehow some of us have managed to misuse our mobiles, such that you can get addicted to them, rather than to benefit from

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

and advance your way of life.

The financial effect of owning a mobile phone is huge. In addition to the actual cost of the units, the cost of the calls itself is an extra burden at times when ever y family is striving hard to maintain their bare essentials and control their limited income.

We have to learn to control technology and its effects. We should use what’s best for us in a positive manner, always making sure it does not conflict with our culture and traditions.

ORGANS OF DESPERATION By: Razan Kafiety, Palestine Transplantation is the act of surgically removing an organ from one person and placing it into another person.

Transplantation occurs because the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged through illness or injury.

There are so many social problems caused by organ transplantation. The most obvious one is organ sales. As a human being, I do believe that people own themselves. Any alternative would involve some form of slavery. And as owners of themselves, it follows that individuals have the right to sell their organs, give them away, and even to allow themselves to be harvested if they so choose. In India this problem is widespread. There are even special markets for selling organs. Indians

sell their own organs such as kidneys, and in so doing risk their lives to support their families. It’s the poor who sell.

Yet is this truly freedom? Or is it a forced choice made in destitution and contrary to the seller’s true human nature? I see such a market as the most demeaning from of human oppression, and unworthy of any valid human freedom.

Besides it is against religion. Jewish law prohibits organ donation. This is despite the fact that most Rabbis and other Jewish scholars support the practice of organ donation. According to Christianity, it is forbidden to sell an organ, because they believe that the body is holy, and it belongs to God. I believe it is prohibited in Islam also.

There is a story that I once heard of a Jewish girl in Beer Sheva who was killed in a bus accident on her way to school. At the hospital, her parents were asked if they would be willing to donate their daughter’s organs. After consulting with each other and making a conference call

to the Rabbis, they decided to follow the positive mitzvah of Pikuach Nefesh, to save a life. The girl organs changed the lives of six people on the transplant waiting list.

Albert Einstein said: “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” In my opinion, if people are so desperate for money that they are trying to sell things that cannot be separated from them without significant injury to personhood, then perhaps their desperation is the social problem that the world should be looking at, before anything else.

SOCIETY

THE SOCIAL MORALITY OF TRANSPLANTS

SATISFY YOUR NEEDS

THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION OF THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY

By: Kfir Aberman, Israel It would be interesting to imagine what we would do without technology. I can’t visualize our lives as they were before the development of things like the internet or mobile phones. They have revolutionised our lives.

One of the biggest revolutions has been the internet. It has connected millions of computers and given us many new sources of information. It has caused a social and cultural revolution, as it provides ways to satisfy needs and wants. For example, one can find information in various fields, can reserve a flight or hotel, buy almost any item, meet new people etc.

The same internet can be hostile and harmful. For instance, it can lead to the invasion of private documents, or security and national secrets, the spreading of information like pornography, and to people pretending to be someone else to advance their bad intentions. The worst feature of

the internet is that many people become addicted to it and compromise their normal lives.

The cellular-phone is a technological advancement with many advantages.

Most obviously, it provides source of communication from almost any place.

This gives a feeling of security to its user.

In some cases it can make the difference between life and death.

Despite all its advantages the cell-phone causes much harm. Most of the harm is caused by the radiation it emits. Also many accidents are caused by people who talk while they are driving. On the top of all these disadvantages is the high cost of using a cellphone.

Technology has had many influences on our lives. It has affected us in good and bad ways. On the one hand, technology can help us to function better and

overcome our limitations but on the other hand, it can also harm us if we use it indiscriminately. We are now discovering that our overuse of technology is destroying our environment. Technology has become a monster that has turned on his creator.

Nevertheless, I prefer living in the Age of Technology to primitive times. Maybe in the year 2005, we will be able to do even more things by pushing a button, and so have more time to read and play sports.

And maybe even to advance peace.

19 VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

FAST FOOD HEALTHY EATING FOR FAST FOOD FANS

SOCIETY

By: Gal Bachar, Israel Since the development of the global village, we have been exposed to customs from around the world.

One of the customs people sometimes “adopt” is that of cuisine. In particular, people have begun to adopt the fast food culture. The savings in preparation time combined with low cost have made fast food a household staple. For some, it has even begun to replace our usual meals.

If we take a quick look at both a regular full meal and a fast food meal, we see that both contain servings of meat, carbohydrates, fats, and, occasionally even vegetables. So why are so many people against fast food?

Firstly, home cooked meals contain fresh ingredients as opposed to the many preservatives in fast food. Second, at home standards of hygiene are higher. It is impossible to know how many times oil has been used in a fast food restaurant.

Perhaps most importantly, when a meal is cooked at home, there is a feeling of togetherness. Everyone eats the same food, sits next to each other around the

table, and the experience is communal.

In contrast, when people buy fast food, the only thing in common is the noise of opening bags.

Not long ago, a filmed experiment was conducted. A man volunteered to eat only fast food for a month. At the end of the month, he gained ten kilos and his blood test showed dangerously high levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.

Public reaction to this experiment resulted in greater awareness of health.

Many families began to limit and reduce their consumption of fast food. They returned to home-cooking of fresh and healthy meals.

The result was immediate: almost every self-respecting company began to advertise their food’s ingredients, calorie count, nutritional value, and date of preparation. They also began marketing more healthy food, based on fruits and vegetables.

As in all things, including food, one must be moderate. If we choose fresh and healthy food and eat fast food only occasionally, we will maintain our health.

In light of the film, many people blamed their obesity on companies that tempt them with massive advertisements to buy their products.

They have begun to understand that they were misled: they were fed processed unnatural food, full of chemicals and preservatives, though it was often packaged as good quality food.

MAJESTIC LOVE CROSSING THE BORDERS OF LOVE By: Saad Amireh, Palestine

20

I can never stop thinking of her. Her name is spinning in my thoughts. Her soft voice rings in my ears, and whispers to me not to forget - not to forget her love, nor the sweet romantic nights that we spent together dreaming how we might live this difficult life, while holding each other’s hands.

We swore that we would never betray each other, nor hurt each other in any way. Nothing and no one could separate us, except the wall of death.

When she stands in the way of the sun, her hair becomes like a brown blanket that swivels before her face. Her eyes are like a pair of priceless gems, too good to see the evils of this world. Her smile fills my heart with joy. Every time I see her, I smile like the thunder after lightning. She is like the silence that follows a war, like the sun after a storm.

Maybe my life was empty before I met her. But now there is a person who warms me in my sad, cold winter, saves me from my loneliness, and calms me down after my horrible nightmares.

We were lying on the sandy beach, looking at the endless sea, wondering if we could fly over the sea to live in countries which believe in the holiness of

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

love, not like our country where love is considered a crime. The sea was calm with small waves and birds singing their songs over it. Lovers were sitting behind us, in front of us, and everywhere around us. This was a place where lovers enjoyed their few magical moments together.

I would like to share this great love with the young lovers whose customs and traditions and religions stand as a border that does not allow them to express their love for each other. I hope that one day that these lovers will be given the opportunity to cross the borders and go to their own special place where they can share their endless love, without any restrictions.

A TEENAGER’S GUIDE TO:

ICQ MANIA A coffee shop 2005. A man is sitting and drinking his coffee and tapping on his portable computer. Suddenly you hear the sound “oh-oh” sound. ICQ is everywhere.

Instant messaging has taken over the world. Every kid, every businessman, every old lady uses ICQ for their own purposes.

In Israel this mania reached our consciousness three years ago. Now, all the students use it to swap homework.

The main reason for communicating over the internet, whether through ICQ or MSN messenger, is to lessen boredom. Some use it to get a blind date. But this method can be risky. The most famous tragedy was when a Palestinian girl seduced Ofir Rahum RIP. Since then people have tended to check very carefully everyone they’re talking to before they actually meet in person. This is the only minus of this instant messaging. With this exception (and perhaps the viruses and Trojan horses that your anti-virus programme should be handling) the ICQ is great.

On the plus side, it saves a lot of money when you use it to communicate instead of calling. For example, when your friends go to a party, you can send an ICQ message to everyone instead of sending them an individual SMS which costs a lot.

It is faster than SMS, and you can use it to send greeting cards on birthdays and

SOCIETY

By: Aviran Buhadana, Israel

holidays.

There’s also the MSN messenger which is less common, but more convenient and personal. The reason that MSN is less popular is because you can’t talk with everyone. You can only talk with people with e-mail accounts that allow you to send them messages. Otherwise, it provides the same features that ICQ offers.

These two are not the only programmes

in a competitive field. There is also Yahoo!

Messenger, Microsoft Windows Messenger.

ICQ is like electricity. It’s good if you use it well, but it can severely harm you if you don’t pay attention. If your computer is connected to the internet, then you should install the ICQ, as soon as possible (By the way, you won’t find these phrases on the ICQ network. You’ll find ASAP and BTW: our generation likes to keep it short).

IS IT STILL ABOUT MUSIC? LOOKING AT MODERN MUSIC By: Loor Awad, Palestine Everyday a new video clip and a new “artist”, everyday a new way is found to sell music and records...but is it really still about music? Does all the singing still depend on the voice of the singer and the quality of the music? I don’t think so anymore, because as we can all see, the world of music has changed into the world of good looks and video clips.

Without a video clip and without showing off the singer’s good looks, any song today is a huge failure, not to mention a disastrous waste of money for the record company. So they need a new way to make records sell, and what better way than using the most important thing

to young people today: It’s all about looks. Music and voice now come in second place - that’s if they are taken into consideration in the first place!

A song sells just if it has a video clip and an “attractive” one at that.

On TV you find talent shows all over the place, but what kind of talent are they really looking for? Some just showcase looks, which are the most successful ones, and others uncover real talent and voice. The shows looking for talent and real singers are the shows that don’t get as much attention as the ones that rely on looks. Why is this? It seems that it is because people don’t want high quality performance anymore; they want what’s fun and entertaining all the time. We have got no time for people who could really lift our heads up high

someday.

What happened to the days where music was music? And show business was all about talent? I guess we can’t stay at one point all the time. We have to move forward, we have to develop. But are we developing? I think we have moved from the days of Umm Kulthoom and the days where voice really meant something. But our movement wasn’t on the right track. Instead of racing forward we have taken a dramatic step - if not steps backward.

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

21

COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND BODY LANGUAGE SOCIETY

By: Mona Bustami, Jordan The rules as regards applying for jobs have been subject to enormous changes lately.

In the past, people preferred a hand-written application letter but it is becoming more and more common these days to find a vacancy on the internet, and to apply for it via the internet as well. Sometimes it is even sufficient to place your C.V on the web. Because of this, the application procedure often goes quicker, and how you can find yourself invited for a job interview before you know it.

You can find information on the internet about how to apply for jobs. Information can be found about how to write your application letter, the clothes that you should wear and how to carry out the interview itself.

The importance of body language is often mentioned, but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. After all, before a word has even been spoken, your body

language will have already given people their first impression about you.

Controlling your body language means that you can present yourself in a way people can trust, and can feel what you mean by the words used. This kind of language is part of communication skills. In other words, we can say that everyone should develop and improve their communication skills to deal with family, friends, teachers, and different people.

One of the most important situations where we need to be skillful in communicating is in job interviews. In this situation, you n e e d to express your feelings and reactions in a positive way. This makes people read your eyes, face, hands, and the way you sit.

Nodding your head while speaking is a good way of supporting your words or

adding meaning to them. Hand movements can also help to liven up the interview. The fact that you dare to make movements with your hands during an interview might indicate that you feel at ease quickly. In most cases though, it is better not to make too many hand movements at the start of the interview, but rather to add them slowly throughout the interview.

In this regard, you should perhaps pay attention to your interview partners as well: if they use their hands a lot to make things clear, you can definitely do this as well. It is also worth paying attention to inadvertent movements that you may make sometimes due to ner vousness. For example, shuffling with your feet or kicking against the leg of a table can be very irritating for other people.

Drumming with your fingers or clicking with a pen also won’t be a great contribution to the interview.

HAIFA CITY OF COEXISTENCE? By: Yara Sa’di, Arab Israeli

22

I’m a teenager who lives in Haifa. Many people look at Haifa as a model for Arab-Jewish coexistence.

The word “coexistence” is defined in the dictionary as: “to exist together in the same time or place, to exist together in peace.” I understand this to mean far more than just living in the same neighbourhoods and having friends from the other group, far more than celebrating the feasts of different religions in one festival.

Rather, I understand “co-existence” as community relations based on reciprocity, acceptance, respect for other cultures, honest relationships and treating others as you would like them to treat you.

I would like to take you on a tour to see the coexistence in Haifa for yourself. Let’s start from the malls, since many teenagers like to spend time there. Some might also seek a chance to make some cash during the school vacation.

However, this golden chance is not there for all. The job advertisements in the windows state clearly: “Only for those who served the army.”

Wandering in the streets of Haifa, anyone who knows how to read Arabic won’t miss the roadsigns. Usually they are either

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

mis-spelled or translated wrongly, distorting their sounds and rendering their meaning ridiculous.

As we reach the German Colony, we can’t ignore the Ben-Gurion Avenue headed by the breathtaking Bahai Gardens and Temple. One cannot resist walking along the promenade and pausing at the information boards, which tell the story of the small ‘Templer’ community’s life in pre1948 Haifa.

Continuing to Wadi Salib, which if rehabilitated could easily compete with the German Colony, we see nothing more than falling-down houses. These houses belong to Palestinian refugees. They are the remnants of the large pre-1948 Palestinian community in Haifa. Along Wadi El-Salib you cannot find an information board that states this fact.

Arriving in Wadi Nisnas, we are surrounded with artistic monuments symbolising Jewish-Arab coexistence. This is the place where eating and wandering make you a supporter of coexistence. You can take your camera and capture the Arabs’ “living reservation” with no history, no information board about its architecture, nor about the people who lived there in the past or today.

Our brief tour is over. However the question of coexistence remains: How does this attitude of disregard of the ‘other’, their language and history, fit with the meaning of coexistence?

A STORY THAT TOUCHED MY HEART By: Lina Najdi, Palestine One day a woman was working when her 9 year old daughter Reem entered: “Mummy, what are you writing?” “I’m writing a message for God. It is a private letter, and I don’t want anyone to read it.”

A few weeks passed, and one day while the mother was entering her daughter’s room, she saw Reem writing. “What are you writing?” the mother asked.

“Nothing, I’m writing a message for God, like you do. But do all our messages come true?” Reem asked. “Of course, God knows everything.” Reem refused to show her mother what she had written.

The next day when Reem came back from school, she overheard that her father was very ill and had only three weeks to live. She started crying that she could not do anything for her father.

The days passed, until one morning Reem stood beside her father and said: ”I wish you could drive me to school like all my friends.” Then she kissed him and left the house.

Her mother went to Reem’s room to see the messages her daughter was hiding.

After searching, she found them and read. They were innocent messages for God, and surprisingly every one of them had come true. Yet more surprisingly the little girl hadn’t asked God to cure her father.

Then the phone rang. It was the school.

A teacher said that Reem had fallen from the fourth floor, and had died.

Neither she nor her husband could say anything.

Years passed, until one day, while the mother and her husband were watching T.V, they heard a sound from Reem’s room.

She opened the door, and she found on the floor a frame of some words from the Quran. As she picked the frame up, she noticed a paper stuck behind.

She started reading, and then her tears fell.

It was one of Reem’s messages: “God, please take my soul

and let my father live.”

This story can go straight to your heart.

You feel bad, yet proud that there are still some people who sacrifice their lives for a greater goal. This isn’t just a bedtime story to tell our little brothers and sisters; it’s a story from life, which proves that as long as our hearts are clean and we are close to God, anything can happen.

SOCIETY

A DAUGHTER’S SACRIFICE

CONSUMER GENERATION THE DEVELOPING CULTURE OF AMMAN YOUTH By: Sarah Khatib, Jordan A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch with a friend who studies abroad and was back for vacation. She reflected: “Amman is different, something is weird.” Although the statement was flippant, even shallow, it had something. Yes, Amman is undergoing a change of some kind, a change that cannot be put into words easily.

For people living here, the shifts happen gradually. But for someone who has been travelling over the past five years or so, Amman is progressing and developing notably.

For instance, following the recent opening of Starbucks, we expected it to become the next big thing, or the new “hang out”

for Amman youth. In fact it did, but it did not just become a coffee place. For in developing into a hip hangout, I think that Starbucks lost its essential meaning as a coffee place and failed to meet its purpose, except to make money.

This became clear this New Year’s Eve. Instead of having a pleasant party, a lot of people like myself ended up witnessing violent clashes that resulted from alcoholic over-drinking. That night it was normal to step on alcoholic bottles that were all over the place, belonging to people of both genders and varying age groups. I have been exposed to innumerable cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles and customs. That incident, however, was beyond anything I have witnessed. Yet the increasing frequency of such incidents is a major

reason behind the insecurity of mine and of others, here among our friends, in our own country.

After presenting all of the above, this case requires a solution. I, as other youth in Amman, am constantly searching for something to fill my time and to shape up my extra-curricular life. Students like myself could be anticipated in activities and tasks that respect their sense of responsibility, and that reduce their consumption of irrational activities which are clearly not the basis for a prosperous or real future. For example, establishing youth radio stations, newspapers, magazines, or extra-curricular centres is certainly expensive, but could be what it takes to safeguard the young citizens of this country, the leaders of tomorrow.

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

23

SOCIETY

WHAT IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES? NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

By: Dima Razouk, Palestine Walking through life can teach us so many things.

As a 16 year old girl, I find life so complicated. We can’t understand it until we try to live in it, and we can’t live in it until we understand it. It holds for us so many mysterious things, that we don’t really understand why they happened.

And it sometimes kills our dreams and prevents them from continuing.

One of the bad and strange things that happened just before the beginning of the year was the Tsunami earthquake and

tidal wave. It damaged everything on many islands. More than 140,000 people were killed, millions were made homeless, and it also prevented so many people’s dreams from coming true.

One scene sticks in my mind, and it will forever. It was a scene of an Indian eight year old little boy, who was being held between his mother’s arms. The little boy was dead. I really felt sorry for him. The earthquake killed him and killed his dreams; it buried his smile which was like a shinning sun above the sky of sadness.

He dreamed of Tomorrow, but Tomorrow

NEVER came! He dreamed of the future without knowing that he didn’t even have one! Before blooming like a little flower, his thoughts, dreams, wishes, sights and hopes were buried. His life was finished.

It finished quickly like the wind that passes through the sky. So may many other things also finish.

Life may hold our hands to take us through it, but suddenly it can leave us to face our own fate. And life continues to go on, and on. Nothing really lasts forever, or as long as we want it to. As Hal Borland says: “No Winter Lasts Forever, No Spring Skips Its Turn.”

AN IMPOSSIBLE STORY WHAT LIES OUTSIDE OUR WORLD? By: Asaad Malshy, Arab Israeli

24

I have a story to tell. It’s absolutely unreal.

It would never happen in our world.

Imagine a young boy or girl, as you choose, sitting in front of their computer as many of us do regularly. No, not a computer. This person doesn’t have a computer. They are in front of the TV then, watching their favourite show. No again, this person has no TV. So the person is sitting in their living room on a comfortable couch. No, on a chair. Made of wood. Nothing fancy.

So, in the living room, under a roof between walls. Perfectly normal. Your boy or girl is sitting, reading something about beautiful meadows with roses, trees, fountains, and lots of colours. Can you

imagine this place? It’s filled with sounds of nature, smells of spring. All is good.

Your person lifts their head from their book and looks up to see a similar world: meadows but without roses, with iron spikes. Not trees, but skeletons of buildings. Fountains, but no water. Not for a long time. And almost everywhere you look there is blackness and death.

Not so usual now, but our person has still his home. Yet what’s left of his home is just a couple of walls and part of a roof.

It’s not a home anymore. Families live in homes. One orphan is no family.

Something came. Something went. A splatter. Wood flew. A wall fell.

Your person is on the floor their body black, scorched. Their book now looks part of the

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

scene. You get closer to the lonely body, and focus on the face.

It’s you.

This story has nothing to do with reality.

Well not the reality in our “civilized” world.

But somewhere, over there, far away, where no one cares to look, our daily life only appears in books. Their reality is our horror stories, where a shot is thrown as carelessly as a greeting, where a knife is given as easily as a kiss, where walking with someone naked is the only way to be sure they have nothing to hide. Funny, isn’t it?

Well, I think it’s hilarious. It’s normal to laugh about it. All of those green people do. Why not me? Am I more human than them?

I would have to prove that. We all do.

By: Wadie Sayegh, Jordan Music has played a big role in human history since as far back as we can go, and it has always reflected the society of its time, people’s lives and their culture.

role music is playing in our lives. In my opinion, music brings out issues and emotions that a young person might feel incapable of expressing by himself. For example, I feel that people who are into heavy metal stuff are a bit aggressive,

“I don’t know why the popular Think of the organ music when the church was trend now is towards songs dominant in Europe, or that have little meaning but Strauss and the waltzes that characterized the style of that make you want to get up and era, or the Bedouin and their dance. Is this because we are distinctive instruments.

There are many examples, just young and full of energy?” and it is probably fair to say that when we look at today’s music, we see the effects of new and perhaps unsatisfied in their lives, technology, the impact of business, with something missing, a desire for and the reality TV trend which is setting change or rebellion against certain new standards and bringing more and realities they are living. more young people into the music industry.

I imagine that if I were to write a song that expresses me, that relates to my life, At our age - what they call the teenage it would be a mellow pop song, the type years - music starts to play a bigger that makes you kick back yet at the same role. We start relating to a particular time sway to the rhythm. Maybe that’s type of music and a person’s character because I’m not a loud person by nature. affects what music he or she is drawn I don’t know why the popular trend now to. Yet even in our search for independence, we always have a desire to be accepted in a peer group.

This somehow shapes our likes and dislikes, giving more power to pop culture.

is towards songs that have little meaning but make you want to get up and dance.

Is this because we are just young and full of energy that this sort of music brings out?

Personally, I can’t see how all those new video clips reflect our reality. I don’t think the majority of people are what we see in those clips, but we are probably drawn to whatever is new and different. The new look of those young singers and performers attracts us, and we often watch it even if we don’t really like it. And for business, it’s such an influential source of fashion and hot trends. One singer in a popular song can start a whole new hairstyle or creative outfit or design.

CULTURTE

MUSIC FILLS YOUR MIND REFLECTIONS OF MUSIC ON YOUTH

When people have nothing important to do, or nothing serious to occupy their minds, they become more susceptible to this obsession with music figures and models. Everyone should be free to listen to the music that makes them feel good, but what we probably need is a good sense of our cultural identity, of who we are and what we believe in, so that we’re not easily driven by whatever the media brings out.

These days it’s not just the song and music that matter, but there’s more focus on the performer. Having a good voice is no longer a pre-requirement for starring in the music world, especially with acoustic technology that can manipulate a voice so that you can no longer tell what’s fake and what’s real. Also, there are more and more free private music channels.

Sometimes it feels that anyone with some money can go out there and make a video clip. This is probably why a hot look is very important for singers today, and why we’re always reading in the gossip columns about their plastic surgery. What this is saying to people is: “This is the standard for a beautiful nose. If you don’t have one, then surgery can give it to you!”

25

So this brings up the question of the

VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

INSIDE THE KINGDOM CULTURTE

By: Bakria Mawassi, Arab Israeli Reading this book was a like a journey in the heart of Saudi Arabia that reveals the secrets of the most powerful family in the kingdom, and introduces the reader to Saudi values, to a society dominated by oppression and fanaticism.

It is an autobiography written by Carmen Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden’s former sister-in-law. She writes about her memorable experiences and views of life in Saudi Arabia.

“Inside the Kingdom” tells the story of Carmen, a half-Swiss and half-Persian woman who grew up with a European education, then fell in love with an intelligent, charismatic, Saudi man, Yeslam Bin Laden; and then married into the loyal Bin Laden family in 1974.

She was young and didn’t know that this step would change her life forever. She entered a different world and joined a maledominated society where women were not more than “house pets”. She was forbidden to leave her home without a head-to-toe black abaya, as are all Saudi women. The author describes the treatment toward Saudi women and mentioned several examples of the oppression and fanaticism they face. Their rights are so restricted, and their voices are subservient. For instance, she talks about the struggle of Osama Bin Laden’s young wife while she unsuccessfully tried to spoon water to her little infant, because her husband had prohibited her from using bottles.

Furthermore, Carmen provides the reader with an inside look into the history of the Bin Laden clan, and the hidden disputes

between the brothers.

She also talks about the workings of the Royal family, and its strong relations with the Bin Laden organization.

The story ends with Carmen’s separation from her husband in Geneva in 1988. In her book, she addresses her three daughters, who were the reason she rushed into the battle with the Bin Ladens, in order to teach them how freedom of thought and expression are the most valuable gifts.

I was astonished to discover facts that I didn’t know before. I think that this book is a reflection of the reality that women struggle with in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and an example of the conflict between the Orient and the West.

JENIN, JENIN

A PALESTINIAN TALE By: Mais Yahia, Palestine When I first watched Jenin Jenin, I was amazed. For the first time in my life, I was watching a story that made me deeply depressed, and at the same time made me admire the way it was made.

Jenin, Jenin is not a movie that shows us

the wide imagination of the director. The heroes are not our favourite stars who we watch walking on the red carpet. And they obviously didn’t have to go through an audition or rehearsal before making the movie.

It might be called a documentary. I thought about this term; however, I don’t think it

26

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

exactly captures the way I see “Jenin, Jenin”. Mohammad Bakri, the director, made a real effort to spotlight a part of the Jenin camp’s tragedy. He was one of the first directors who confronted the silence and spoke out.

He also dealt with the story of Jenin from more that one point of view. He witnessed it with the eyes of a Palestinian person, artist, director and perhaps father and son.

I have had the opportunity to watch “Jenin, Jenin” twice. Both times, I watched it with tension and restiveness. The tragedy of the massacre, with the stories that surviving people shared, made me believe that nothing but honesty, true feelings and openness can make you believe in what you watch or read. Mohammad Bakri used the actual people, the actual places and their stories to create a real feeling that made us sense what really happened.

“Jenin, Jenin” shows no cruel or bloody scenes. Although the massacre was a key event showing the cruelty of the Occupation, Bakri preferred to tell the story of the tragedy by showing us the consequences after, and leave us to imagine ourselves the details of the massacre.

I thought about how to describe such a documentary, and I realized that it is not as easy as I had thought. The production is not huge, yet the story holds the hugest loss imaginable. A movie is created to be watched not told about. I would like to leave it for you to watch “Jenin, Jenin”, a key story from the heart of the Palestinian chronicle.

CULTURTE

“GAMES ARE BAD...

THEY MAKE YOU MAD” THE DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES By: Shalev Goldfarb, Israel For several years now I have been playing video action games, mostly online games.

Over the years, the violence has got rougher in action games, and has become more graphic and more unsuitable for children. This violence varies from games that are less graphic to games where you can actually shoot off the arm of your opponent or “play golf” with his head after you decapitate him.

There have been several researches on the effect of violent video games on their gamers’ behaviour. Some studies have yielded insignificant video game effects, just as some smoking studies failed to find a significant link to lung cancer. Yet a research by Craig Anderson, from the International Society for Research on Aggression, brought up some interesting results. By combining all relevant empirical studies, he found that violent video games are significantly associated with increased aggressive behaviour and thoughts, increased physiological arousal, and decreased pro-social (i.e. helpful) behaviour.

This is proof that violent video games can actually make the person playing them more violent. There have been violent acts

committed by children and teenagers which some professors believe have occurred due to the effect of violent video games the accused have been playing. In most cases, a clear connection between the violent deed of the accused and the games they played is not found, though in some cases a connection has been proven.

A year ago there was a murder where an 18 year old teenager murdered a 16 year old youth from his neighbourhood, in a killing affected by the game “Manhunt”. This violent event caused the victim’s parents to sue the game’s company, because they believed that the company was responsible for the murder of their son.

They judge claimed that the game creators are not responsible for the youth’s behaviour in any way, and the parents lost the trial.

I think that violent video games do affect children’s behaviour, and that this is also the reason why on every violent video game it says that the game should not be played by people under the age of 18. I believe also that parents should be more aware of the games their child is playing.

This awareness might help prevent the next murder.

THE MEDIA...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? By: Adel Zeidan, Arab Israeli We always hear people saying, “I heard it on the news” or “I read it in the newspaper.” But do you really believe that everything you read or hear in the media is true? If you think so, then you should think again.

The media is and always has been full of falsified and wrong information. We can’t be always sure if the news we received from the media is true. Sometimes the information which we get may be wrong as a result of misleading sources of information. Or it may be false as a result

of personal views, interpretation and prejudices.

We have a lot of examples from history of false information which was published by the media. For example, United Press announced that World War I was over when it wasn’t. Another media blooper happened when the Titanic sunk and several newspapers published headlines stating that all of the passengers on the Titanic were safe and that it had not sunk!

Therefore, we have to be critical and aware consumers of the mass media. Don’t believe whatever you read, hear and see in the media.

27 VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

CREATIVE / HUMOUR

HAPPY PURIM A COMMANDMENT TO BE HAPPY By: Kfir Aberman, Israel A commandment to be happy. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t like to be happy? In our region, it is not always so easy.

Nevertheless, the Tanah emphasizes happiness on certain Jewish holidays and especially Purim. We are commanded to be happy. To help us be so, the Tanah urges us to drink wine because “wine warms the heart.” People are encouraged to get drunk to the point where you can’t distinguish between “cursed” Haman and “blessed” Mordacai.

According to Jewish tradition, there is a good reason to be happy. Once upon a time, in Persia, there lived a bad man named Haman who asked King Ahashverosh to kill all the Jews. The Jews lived according to their beliefs, and this displeased Haman.

The Jews were saved because one wise Jew named Mordacai asked one of his relatives, a young and a beautiful woman, to marry the King and persuade him not to kill all the Jews. Ester succeeded in marrying the King, and prevented disaster. The Jews were saved and Haman was hanged.

Today we celebrate this miracle and try to forget our daily worries. This year we celebrate Purim on March 24-26. We disguise ourselves as someone else, so that our destiny will turn from grief to happiness.

Laughter and happiness release natural substances that make us feel good.

Even if you have no reason to be happy, remember laughter is good for your health: A customer services representative, a salesman, and a managing director were walking in a park and found an ancient oil lamp. They rubbed the lamp and suddenly a Genie appeared.

The Genie said: “I will grant each of you one wish.”

“I want to go first!” said the customer services representative.

“What’s your wish?” asked the Genie.

“I want to go to a tropical island, to ride a speed boat and to spend a lot of money!”

Puff! She disappeared.

“Now me! Now me!” said the salesman.

“What’s your wish?” asked the Genie.

“I want to go to an exotic island, to lie on the beach and to drink Pina Colada all day!”

Puff! He disappeared.

“Now it’s your turn.” said the Genie to the managing director.

He reflected: “I want my staff back in the office after lunch.”

The moral of the story is: “Always let the boss talk first”.

28

SWEET DREAMS By: Nadeen Nashef, Palestine I was standing on top of a hill, watching the sunset.

Suddenly I heard shouts, coming from the village.

I feared something was wrong I ran all the way home.

Upon entering the village, I was surprised.

Jews, Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians.

Everywhere, everyone was dancing with everyone.

Everybody was looking happy.

Everybody was singing.

Singing “Peace” Celebrating.

I asked an old woman beside me: “What is going on?”

She answered in a singsong voice: “The white dove flew (by) The war is through With an olive branch In her beak, She brings peace.

Guns, there are none.

The war is gone!”

Suddenly I heard a loud BANG. I jumped up in fright.

And realized it was only fireworks.

Nonetheless, I heard my mother’s voice Calling me very alarmed.

“It’s ok mom! It’s just fireworks!

The war is over!!”

BANG! I joined the dancing.

The heat was growing.

BANG! More fireworks.

More scared my mother sounds.

More I feel the heat around me.

BANG! This time real close, I wake up.

Fire around me, engulfing me.

Burning me with my house.

People everywhere outside were shouting.

Screaming for help.

My mother trying to save me.

Screaming “Run! Run!” My house, my home.

My village, my life.

All were burning down.

I knew then.

The army entered our village.

The war wasn’t really over.

It was just a dream.

It wasn’t just fireworks.

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

CB QUIZ

SCRATCH YOUR HEAD • Where are the Himalayan Mountains located?

• Who is the heir to the Japanese throne?

• When was the Palestinian Liberation Organisation established?

• Who won the ARAVISION (Arab-Israeli Song Festival) for 2005?

• How many women are there in the Jordanian parliament?

• Who was the first Israeli Prime Minister?

• Who is the new Jordanian Ambassador to Israel?

• Where was Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) born?

Answers (in random order): 1. City of Safed 2. Ben Gurion 3. Rozan Khoury 4. Five 5. Princess Aiko 6. Nepal 7. Maarouf Bakhit

29 VOLUME 5 NO. 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

Letters to the Editor POLITICS

CB is not afraid to voice your opinion

Do you have an opinion about any of the CB articles?

Write to the Editor at: cb@crossingborder.org INTERVIEWS ARE MORE INTERESTING I really enjoyed reading the interview “Peace after Arafat” (CB25).

It was very interesting to see the Palestinian opinion on Arafat’s death and his influence on the Palestinian people. For the Israeli people he was a murderer, sending bombers and endless terror.

I think that there are not enough interviews in your publication, and it’s not right because interviews are more interesting than regular articles.

Nimrod Friedman ARAFAT’S CAUSE I would like to respond to the article “Legend or Nightmare” (CB25). The writer’s statement that “Arafat was the one who started the terrorists attacks” might indeed be a good reason to feel that Arafat was the thorn in the throat of peace. However, how accurate is such a claim? Arafat’s statements before his death clearly show that he opposed attacks against Israeli positions. It is not even clear that the last Intifada was supported by him.

Arafat was not the cause of the Intifada, unless you would claim that Arafat inspired Arial Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, to enter the Aqsa mosque in September 2000, which caused riots all over the Palestinian territories. I would also like to inform the writer that the cause of the miserable situation of the Palestinian refugees is certainly not Yasser Arafat. Yasser Arafat was a part of the Palestinian cause. He wasn’t the power that forced the refugees to leave their lands, neither was he the person committing massacres against their families and neighbours. If you are thinking that Arafat before his death was supposed to sign an agreement that would guarantee that the refugees would “stay calm” and not mention their rights, and be given some compensation, then I must assure you that this is not the decision of Arafat or any other leader. Rather, this is the issue of a whole nation, concerning principles that have formed generations, and that will form generations of Palestinians to come.

Mais Yahia FREEING OURSELVES I read the article “Five Minutes for Peace” (CB25). I was very impressed by it as I share very similar views. As I see it “Five Minutes for Peace” is something great, because the terror doesn’t terrify only Jews but it also terrifies the Palestinian people. As your writer says, instead of terrorizing, we must listen to each other and teach what we believe is right. What is right, in my opinion, is to try and reach out to each other to find mutual understanding. I think it is high time that we, the younger generation should leave behind the grudges and accusations and try to create a new and peaceful Middle East. We are the future citizens of this land. So if we find in our heart the strength to forgive and to feel compassion, we may be able to create a new and better tomorrow for ourselves as well as for our aging parents and for the generations to come. I couldn’t agree more with your writer’s words, “Let us free ourselves and our children of this baggage of misery which we have carried since the dawn of time.” I hope that universal forgiveness will be achieved in the near future and peace will rule the world.

Milana Manov

30

CROSSING BORDERS - A bi-Monthly Regional Youth Magazine

DRUZE CONSCRIPTION I would like to respond on your article “It’s Not Easy Being Druze” (CB25) where the writer mentions the fact that Arab Druze serve in the Israeli Army. According to the article, serving in the army is compulsory for males because of their religion. This statement is not true. Many Druze males choose to be religious in order to evade serving in the army. Rather the conscription of the Druze is one of the manifestations of the policy of creating gaps between the Arab citizens in Israel. Israel divides the Arab community into groups: Muslims, Christians, Druze and Bedouin. Conscription is used as a tool to create a muddle between the Arab Palestinians in Israel and the Arab countries, especially Syria and Lebanon. There are many Druze who refuse army service, and their number is increasing day by day. In my opinion, religion shouldn’t be a justification for any of our actions, since we humans have the right to choose our fates.

Bakria Mawassi FAKE PEACE The article “Jordan and Israel: Together in Peace?” (CB25) attracted me to read it. I liked the way the author expressed her opinion. I agree that the peace between Jordan and Israel is an agreement between governments and not people. This is not only because 50% of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian origin, but also because as Arabs, the Palestinian issue has always been sensitive to us. No matter now calm and peaceful things are here, we can’t ignore what’s happening across the river. I have personally seen some Israelis visiting Jordan and feeling happy about it.

But it still feels weird, and people don’t exactly greet them with open arms! I agree with your writer that real peace can start once Israel honestly initiates peace with the Palestinians on fair terms.

Wadie Sayegh

CB HELPS MAKE PEACE POSSIBLE I really would like to thank the CB for their great magazine that makes people look deeply into our situation. The articles do reflect on our daily life and the pain we have. I am always happily surprised to find that some Israelis chose to write about the pain of the Palestinians instead of their own problems.

Crossing Borders gave me the chance to express my feelings and made me feel that I am working on something that may help both sides to change the current situation, because I’ve always wished to live in a free land full of love and forgiveness between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Nour Hijazi

YOUTH SHOULD RELY ON SELVES I am writing in response to the article “Every Ending Is a New Beginning” (CB25). This article refers to the social, economic, and security problems of Israel. As a representative of the low social and economical class, I would like to express my opinion about the problems mentioned above.

I strongly agree with the author of the article that the economic

MISSION POSSIBLE Despite all the odds, the mission we headed for was accomplished.

Our travel to Istanbul/Turkey last November in order to take part in a CB conference was a great opportunity for everyone to acquire valuable knowledge as well as to widen their horizons. Many teachers, principals, inspectors, and subject heads for their educational institutions attended. It is impossible to deny the vitality of such meetings where you are able to express your mind freely, and you learn how to listen, understand, and respect others’ points of view. There were a few disagreements in the debates held. However, it was the only way we could see through the eyes of the other side. Peace is a long word, not as short as it seems. We have a supreme objective to achieve. All the participants were committed to peace, each in their way. I think this is what it takes: to be committed. The various issues discussed were helpful and beneficial. On a personal level, not only did they give me profound knowledge, but also an energetic, powerful will to convey these positive ideas to my students who might be the next peacemakers.

Wisam Chalaila

GETTING TO KNOW GOOD THINGS “Problems with the Mob” (CB24) is a very nice and attractive article which tackles one of our major problems in the Middle East. What your writer says about what Israelis believe about Arabs, and the other way round, is true. As a 14 year old Arab boy, all that I know and hear about Israelis is what their government says and does, and the political impact this has on Palestinians. I always wanted to know what’s really going on there, to sit with both parties and get to know how the ordinary people live and spend their time doing good things rather than killing or throwing stones.

Rakan Haddad

PROBLEMS WITH THE MOB In the article “Problems with the Mob” (CB25) the author writes about those anti-Arab Israelis who believe that all the bad things that happen to them are because of the Arabs. This is the reason why Israelis hate Arabs. Obviously the writer does not agree with this “Mob”. He writes that Arabs and Israelis are the same, the only differences between them being their religion and their language. He claims that both sides want to live in peace and avoid hatred and violence. Yet there are Mobs everywhere in Israel who influence others, and make them anti-Arab. There are many Mobs in Israeli society who they cannot control or educate.

My opinion on the writer is that he is a very peaceful person, who wants peace. I respect his writing because of concern for the Palestinian side.

Israelis and Arabs should sit down together and talk about the conflict.

This will lead to a solution between both sides. The numbers in the Mob will decrease and they will no longer influence their society.

Nayef Amr

CB NEWS CB TEACHERS SEMINARS A Teachers Seminar will be held in Istanbul in early March 2005. Its focus will be on writing the CB Teachers Manual, and on How to Use CB in the Classroom. A further Teachers Seminar will be held in April, organised by the Arab Israeli sector.

CB YOUTH SEMINAR The CB Youth Seminar will be held in March 2005 in Berlin, for the four sectors.

The seminar will provide training in creative writing and the European dimension in the Middle East conflict.

The group will also meet with German and Danish youth, and will visit the German Parliament and the remains of the Berlin Wall.

Letters to the Editor POLITICS

?

situation is a result of the security problems in Israel. The last Intifada has taken its toll not only on the lives of the Israelis but on the lives of the Palestinian people as well. However, unlike the article’s author, I don’t have any hope for a dialogue with the Palestinians in the near future. Unfortunately, I see the future in a pessimistic light. I believe the Palestinians are not interested in peace and shouldn’t be viewed as victims of the Intifada. There has never been peace in Israel and the Palestinian leaders, until today, never made real efforts to achieve it. Even if the summit meeting in Sharm al-Sheikh becomes successful, there is still a long way to go.

Meanwhile, people from low classes in Israel and Palestine have to struggle to make a living. These people, especially the young generation, shouldn’t count on the government or anybody else, but on themselves.

I believe the only way to make life better is by trying to climb to the top and this can be achieved by getting an education. So the aim of this letter is to encourage people from low classes to do their best to succeed in spite of all the difficulties involved.

Bianca Streltsin

HAIFA REUNION A Reunion was held for youth, teachers and guests at the CB Haifa Centre on 14 January 2005. It included a lecture by Dr. Ofer Grunzberg entitled “Conflict Analysis and Resolution in the 21st Century,” a tour of the Centre and Arab Academic College, and a question and answer session.

ARTICLE CALL FOR CB27 CB27 is looking for political articles on the new political climate, the disengagement from Palestinian cities, and the European role in the Middle East. Social articles are requested on children’s concerns. Interview based articles will be preferred. Deadline for articles for CB27 is Monday 28 March 2005.

VOLUME VOLUME 5 NO. 25 5 NO. - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH/APRIL 2005

31

CB

From Here...

We Can See it Clear Crossing Borders is funded by the European Union and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Cover

2

3/14/05, 1:32 PM