Tuesday, December 15, 2009

An Open Letter To The Arab World

Today, 15th December, Asharq Alawsat, one of the largest pan-Arab daily newspapers printed an op-ed in Arabic by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the State of Israel, Danny Ayalon. The op-ed was titled "An Open Letter to the Arab World".

In an historic and unprecedented article, Ayalon calls on the Arab world to accept Israel's extended hand in peace and fraternity. The Deputy Foreign Minister calls on the Arab world to step forward and join with Israel to defeat the forces of extremism and destruction in the Middle East. Iran and its terrorist followers on the one hand and climate change on the other are issues which threaten Arabs and Israelis alike.

It is surely time to look to the future and break with former intransigencies to create a better future for all the people of the region. For us to be able to face these and many other challenges, Ayalon states that we need to break with the paradigms of the past. "The Jewish People are here because of our historical, legal, moral and national rights," Ayalon states. "Israel has gone very far and is prepared to do its part, but we must be met by a willing partner. Without this, the region is doomed to more conflict and will negate the unity of purpose in the Middle East that is necessary to face the mounting challenges from without and within."

Here is the link to the Arabic article http://www.aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&article=548663&issueno=11340

Click here for the English translation of the full text

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