Joint
Joint Israeli-Palestinian Expedition Conquers Antarctic Mountain
''By reaching its summit,
we have proved that Palestinians and Israelis can cooperate with one another
with mutual respect and trust,'' Nathaniel said, reading from a statement
agreed upon by the four Jews and four Arabs in the "Breaking the Ice
Expedition.''
-- Associated Press, 1/21/04
Dear friends,
Below
are short summaries of a few articles describing a wonderfully inspiring journey
which I learned about in the excellent magazine Ode (www.odemagazine.com),
which is dedicated to building a better world. Israelis and Palestinians
committed to building a brighter future came together on a moving expedition
to prove that perceived enemies can work together to overcome great obstacles.
Though this great feat was accomplished in January of last year, I am reporting
it now as this historic event sadly received very little media coverage.
The
first article from BBC was written before the expedition reached its goal.
The two articles following give details of the arduous journey. The final
piece from PBS (posted just last month) discusses a recent inspiring lecture
given by one of the participants. For more information on any of these, click
on the links provided to read the full article. I give thanks for the many
wonderful people in this world working to build peace and understanding by
bringing conflicting groups together in powerful dialogue and shared purpose.
To quote one of the expedition members, "We cannot sit and wait for
the government to do work for us. Peace can only be made by the people, not
the government."
With love and best wishes,
Fred Burks
Antarctic setting for Mid-East peace
bid
A group of Israelis and Palestinians aim to prove
that the two communities can work together - by staging a joint expedition to
Antarctica. The project - called "Breaking The Ice" - will take the
eight-member team from Patagonia in southern Chile to the top of an unnamed
peak. The man behind the idea, 41-year-old Heskel Nathaniel, wants to show that
people can work together as individuals, despite their troubled recent history.
"In the Antarctic, there is no way to turn back," Mr Nathaniel told the BBC.
The four
Israelis and four Palestinians come from a variety of backgrounds. Two of
the Israelis are former members of elite commando unit of the Israeli army,
and one of the Palestinians served three years in prison for firebombing Israeli
troops.
On January 1st, a small sailing boat has left the Straights
of Magellan in South America, on board: 4 Israelis and 4 Palestinians. During
their journey, they have crossed the wildest sea on earth, they have climbed on
ice and glaciers and marched towards their destination, un unclimbed mountain,
carrying heavy loads and sledges and roped to each other day and night.
Joint Israeli-Palestinian
Expedition Conquers Antarctic Mountain
Posted: January 21,
2004
Courtesy: Associated
Press
SANTIAGO, Chile
- (AP) -- Eight Palestinians and Israelis on Thursday climbed an
unconquered Antarctic mountain to prove that ``our people can and deserve to
live together in peace and friendship.''
'We have named it `Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship,' '' expedition
leader Heskel Nathanial said by satellite telephone from the peak of the
snow-capped, windy 2,770-foot mountain near the Bruce plateau in Antarctica.
''By reaching
its summit, we have proved that Palestinians and Israelis can cooperate with
one another with mutual respect and trust,'' Nathaniel said, reading from
a statement agreed upon by the four Jews and four Arabs in the ``Breaking
the Ice Expedition.''
The expedition, which includes two women, departed in a rented British yacht
on Jan. 1 from Puerto Williams, a Chilean Navy base on the southern shore of the
Beagle channel, 2,050 miles south of Santiago.
The group reached Antarctica after sailing 600 miles through some of the
world's most dangerous waters. Then they trekked for a week on Antarctic soil to
the foot of the mountain.
Nathaniel said they would remain briefly at the summit and then begin their
descent.
Two of
the Palestinians on the expedition spent time in Israeli prisons -- one for
attacking Israeli soldiers and another who was accused of terrorism. Two of
the Israelis are former members of an elite commando unit.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200502/0217world0.html -
PBS article
Expedition
lecture at Northwestern U. used as tool for Middle East peace
By Marcy Miranda
Daily Northwestern (Northwestern U.)
02/17/2005
(U-WIRE) EVANSTON, Ill. — "Having four Palestinians and four Israelis
together on a mountain in Antarctica sounds like the beginning of a joke,"
said Doron Erel in a speech about an expedition promoting peace between the
Jewish and Muslim communities. "I guess the punch line is that it was
real."
Erel, an Israeli, recounted his Antarctic adventure with four Palestinians
and three other Israelis. They climbed a mountain and named it the Mountain
of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship. Students for Israel, Muslim-Cultural Students
Association, Hillel Cultural Life and the student group Peace of Mind sponsored
the hour-long presentation Wednesday.
Speaking to about 40 students at Norris University Center, Erel presented
slides from the trip as well as the first minutes of a documentary that was
filmed during the 40-day trek.
The goal
of the expedition was to show that Israelis and Palestinians could work as
a team by climbing an unnamed mountain and then pronouncing it as the first
step in a journey to end violence in the Middle East.
Despite the
participants' efforts to heal religious divisions, political disagreements
arose within the group. But in the end, they were able to better see the other
side's point of view.
During the group's political discussions, members agreed that peace is achievable
if people are willing to listen.
"We
cannot sit and wait for the government to do work for us," Erel said.
"Peace can only be made by the people, not the government."
For another deeply inspiring story of Israelis and Palestinians working together
for peace:
http://www.WantToKnow.info/peacetogether
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