Israelis Team Up With Palestinians Over Nanotech And Schistosomiasis?

Despite the on going violence between the two neighbors, it looks as if there are a few Israeli's and Palestinians who are willing to cooperate together in order to enhance each others lives--not to mention science as well.

(Globes Online) Two new projects have brought together scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Al-Quds University. Researchers from the two universities have succeeded in developing a method for checking the level of risk in bilharzia, which has been adopted by the World Health Organization and will soon be applied in Nigeria. At the same time, in the field of nanotechnology in which the two universities have been collaborating for a long time, an Israeli-Palestinian-Hungarian joint project has been established, sponsored and funded by the Hungarian Embassy in Israel. [...]

Laszlo Korani, the Economic Attache at the Hungarian Embassy in Tel Aviv, conceived the idea of bringing Hungary into the story. "One of the roles of the embassy is to encourage joint Hungarian-Israeli research. I read the autobiography of Sari Nusseibeh, president of Al-Quds University, and I then knew that I also wanted to strengthen the connection to his university. It was only natural to build on cooperation that already existed and to add our sponsorship to it."

Bilharzia (also known as Schistosomiasis) is a parasitic disease that can not only damage internal organs but also cause bladder cancer.

The Israeli and Palestinian teams hope to come up with a simple way to test for the presence of this pest in the soil that goes beyond the current use of surveys and questionnaires (which may overlook areas still infected by the parasite).

Hopefully this trend of cooperation between Israel and Palestine continues, as it may help both sides see each other in a more favorable light.

Making New Friends: Israel And Indonesia Teaming Up For Emergency Services

If one were to measure how warm relations between Indonesia and Israel with just one word, "frosty" would probably be the perfect description.

Despite the fact that Muslim clerics in Indonesia have begun to warm up towards the Jewish state, the government has thus far kept its distance.

Regardless of the diplomatic feelings (or rather lack thereof), it looks as if medical teams from both countries will be teaming up in order to help the worlds largest Muslim nation meet the medical needs of its citizens.

(Israel 21^st Century) Last week marked another milestone for MDA when Dr. Sudibyo Markus, the head of Indonesia's Muhammadiyah organization, arrived in Israel last week on an official visit to establish cooperation between his organization and Magen David Adom. Official visits between Indonesia and Israel are rare as the countries do not have diplomatic ties.

Markus was the guest of honor at the signing ceremony of a preliminary agreement of cooperation signed by the chairman of the Indonesian Rescue and Emergency Service, Prof. Aryono Pusponegoro, also of the Indonesian College of Surgeons; the chairman of MDA's Board of Directors, Dr. Noam Ifrach, and MDA director-general Eli Bin. Pusponegoro said: "I am 76 years old, and delighted that I have succeeded in fulfilling my childhood dream of coming to Israel." [...]

Muhammadiyah is the oldest and largest Islamic social welfare organization in the world, established in 1912. It is a moderate faith-based group with a mandate to improve civil society, serve the poor, and promote tolerance and pluralism. Muhammadiyah operates dozens of clinics, hospitals, orphanages, schools and universities in Indonesia. It has over 28 million members and has been recognized by the Indonesian government and by international organizations.

This is a good first step between both countries, as it gives the people of Indonesia a glimpse of Israel's medical expertise (not to mention display their more charitable side).

This is not the first time Israel has reached out towards diplomatic enemies, and it probably will not be the last time either. Hopefully this trend will continue, as Israel's medical advances could help heal the divide and open up the Muslim world towards cooperation with the Jewish state.

Image Credit: Rachel from Israel 21^st Century

Israel To Construct Joint Airport With Palestine?

First they were cleaning rivers together, then creating operating systems (note: watch out Microsoft!) and last their was that whole industrial park story posted earlier.

Am I sensing a trend?

(Haaretz.com) The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) is considering building a joint Israeli-Palestinian airport on the Poleg beach south of Netanya, authority chairman Ovadia Eli said this weekend.

Addressing an economic conference at Ben-Gurion Airport, Eli said that the airport would be jointly managed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. To facilitate Palestinian access, it would be connected to the West Bank via a tunnel. "This would be a confidence-building measure that would enable international fund-raising," he said. "There are high-level talks [about the proposal] on both sides. Former British prime minister Tony Blair is also involved in the matter."

Even though this news may not be as entertaining as the West Bank Story, its intention (and overall purpose) is similar--to help bring Israeli's and Palestinians together in peace (as opposed to war).

While there is no word on whether this airport would be international or merely serve the middle east region, its construction could help ease the tensions between both sides (not to mention help bring about peace in the region for at least a season).

Video: Peace In The Middle East (Via Girl Power)

While the environmentalists use trees, the jocks use sports, and the geeks use virtual operation systems to help bring about peace in the middle east, these ladies use something that most guys dare not speak in public about--a woman's waist line.

(Israel 21^st Century) Starting after Ramadan and the Jewish New Year, a group of Palestinian and Israeli women will be meeting face to face in Jerusalem. Not for political reasons, not to cast blame on who's right or wrong in the Middle East conflict - these women will be focusing on their waistline, and sharing a simple and common desire to lose weight. [...]

"Before, the only Israelis I knew were soldiers at checkpoints, I thought they were all brutal," Palestinian student Enas Smoom told news service Reuters: "But in the group, we forget we are Israelis and Palestinians - we are just women talking about nutrition."

Since the film was released, the concept has grown wider into a community project, funded until next year by UK charity, The Charities Advisory Trust, with four different groups of women having met over the last year in Jerusalem: "We have some women who are overweight and ones who just want to be healthier," Luttwak tells ISRAEL21c.

We need to see more of this. While is always good to see scientists or film makers cooperating from both Israel and Palestine, it is even more encouraging to see ordinary people coming together--even if they only agree on a few things (as it beats exchanging rocket fire with each other).

Exit Question: So, does anyone have any great ideas on how to get a bunch of guys together? I was thinking Rugby. ;-)

Peace Through Employment? Industrial Park For Israelis, Palestinians

Can business interests help bring peace to a troubled region? That is what a few individuals are hoping by constructing an industrial park located somewhere in the northern Gilboa region

(Haaretz.com) The enterprise, which will cost $200 million and occupy some 350 acres of land, was approved on Monday by a joint Israeli-American committee, and will be built under the auspices of the American ambassador to Israel James Cunningham, the U.S. special envoy to the Mideast General James L. Jones and the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority Keith Dayton.

The industrial park is said to offer 10,000 jobs for Palestinians and 2,000 for Israelis.

Several other companies have also partnered with Palestinians, ranging from independent films to "web 2.0" (or is it 3.0 now?).

While nobody expects this industrial park to bring about an immediate peace to the area, it can help break down stereotypes between the two groups (at least in the short term).

Can Israel's "G.HO.ST" Bring Coexistance Between Jews And Palestinians?

(Image: Screen shot of virtual G.ho.st OS)

When it comes to computer operating systems (or OS for short), Microsoft Windows is king. Despite the fact that it dominates the desktop space, Windows (as well as many of its user friendly OS competitors) are often expensive, making them legally unaffordable for half of the planet.



Worse, accessing ones data while away from the office could be a hassle (especially if your computer is powered off due to human error or a power outage).



A fairly young Israeli startup called G.HO.ST hopes to resolve this issue by providing a free "virtual computer" for all of its users, which is accessible where ever there is an internet connection. But what makes this company unique is the fact that they are hiring Palestinians coders and teaming them up with Israeli marketers.

(Israel 21^st Century) Zvi Schreiber's G.ho.st (the Global Hosted Operating System, pronounced "ghost") provides users with a virtual operating system, where they can store files, write and save documents, surf the Web, and even send instant messages to their friends. And he does it with a staff made up of residents of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority - who have to meet and collaborate virtually, through video chats and on-line conferences.



But all that virtual-ness is having a real impact on the lives of people in Israel and the PA, who for perhaps the first time are able to collaborate on high-tech projects, just like people in "normal" places, such as Silicon Valley.



In fact, the 30-strong staff at the Ramallah offices of G.ho.st, even have stock options in the company. "I'm not aware of any other company in the PA that gives out options to its employees," Schreiber tells ISRAEL21c. 

While Israel's G.ho.st may not appeal to the western corporate world, power users or super geeks, it may find enormous appeal for users in third world countries who may not be able to afford a personal computer and must access the web via internet cafes.





Either way, this is a good initiative by G.ho.st, and hopefully more companies will follow.





Update: Edited last text, made sure image was uploaded. Blogger's image uploader is having problems, inserted video instead.



Update 2: Video lacked audio (this is just not my day!). Inserted image since it is functioning again.





Update (7/8): Anton has informed me that the G.HO.ST team has open sourced its light weight client for mobile phones.

From The Red Sea To The Dead Sea (Jordan And Israel)

Last month, President Shimon Peres and King Abdullah II of Jordan met together to discuss constructing a pipeline that would pump life giving water from the Red Sea, and pour it into the Dead Sea which borders both nations.

(IsraCast) After years of study and evaluation, the current plan, as envisioned by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, is to construct a 112-mile (180 km) partially covered pipeline across the Wadi Araba (Arava), a desert region between Israel and Jordan that stretches from the Gulf of Aqaba in the south to the Dead Sea in the north. [...]



Theoretically, enough Red Sea water flowing into the Dead Sea could restore most of its water level over time. Moreover, hydroelectricity generated from the water coursing down the gradient would power a large desalination plant. Potable freshwater could then be delivered to urban areas, such as Jordan’s capital Amman, to relieve existing shortages. In addition, the canal’s supporters argue that construction could spark more joint Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian tourism and development projects in the Wadi Araba region.

Peres it seems has been promoting cooperation between Jordan and Israel, which has helped ease tensions between the two nations--not to mention help build up dialogue as well as respect.



Despite their past, both Jordan and Israel have been steadily moving closer together (at least economically) which gives hope to the future that Arabs and Jews can live side by side, regardless of their differences.



(Image Credit: IsraCast)

Israel: Play Soccor, Not War

(Hat Tip: IsRealli)

Even though many of Israel's neighboring governments lack a sense of appreciation for the Jewish state, it does not mean that her neighbors children are obligated to feel the same otherwise.

Here is a video showing both Jewish and Arab children playing Soccer (or Football) together in peace.

Note: It looks as if this event is being sponsored (or guided by) Hapoel Tel Aviv. Can anyone else confirm this?

Science Helps Unite Israelis And Palestinians

(Hat Tip: Isrealli.org)

(Image: Mukhles Sowwan, seated, with research team members at the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at Al-Quds University. Credit: Rina Castelnuovo of the New York Times)

With all of the "love" happening between Israel and the West Bank lately, here is something you may not hear about in the news--at least on cable and satellite.

A doctor by the name of Mukhles Sowwan at the Al-Quds University (in East Jerusalem) created the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory, the first of its kind in the West Bank and perhaps the Arab world at large.

Unfortunately for Sowwan, support for this lab was rather lacking in his area, and if it were not for the efforts of an Israeli scientist, this lab would not be in the position where it is today.

(New York Times) The lab pursues ground-breaking research under conditions that would bewilder most American and European technologists. But although Dr. Sowwan is its guiding spirit, it would not exist except for the generosity of European donors, the stubborn internationalism of a United Nations organization and the help of Dr. Sowwan's mentor, who happens to be an Israeli physicist at Hebrew University in West Jerusalem. [...]

"When he applied, it was a most difficult time," says Dr. Porath, who has a doctorate in physics. The general violence and unrest that have troubled the region since late 2000 had only recently begun, he explained. "There were even people in my group who were hesitant about his coming. I said, 'I don't want to attack people. I refuse to. And if he's any good, he's welcome.' It worked. We became friends."

Cooperation like this goes to show that Israeli's and Palestinians can work together on projects for the common good of humanity. Hopefully we will be able to see more joint projects like these, as it provides an excellent opportunity for both sides to see each other in a light that is often blurred by the main stream news.

Jews And Arabs Make Flag Out Of Corkscrews

(Image: The flag of 64,000 corkscrews on Akko's City Hal, Credit: Vadim Daniel, via Ynet)

I have been meaning to post this story for a while, but here is some more great news of Israeli's and Arabs working together--an item you may not see on CNN.

(Ynet News) In honor of Independence Day, Akko's municipal youth council initiated a project which will bring the city's Arab and Jewish communities together. After long months of planning and preparation, a huge flag – made of 64,000 corks – now hangs on the walls of City Hall. [...]

"The best part was to see the cooperation between Jews Arabs, youths and elderly, secular and religious from all over the city. We had five-year old children and 90-year old adults tie the corks together," he said.

The corkscrews were originally blue, although the youth had to paint many of them white in order to create the Israeli flag. After creating the flag, they took out ten corkscrews in honor of the ten missing Israeli soldiers from the second Lebanon war.

As soon as the soldiers are found, the corkscrews will be added to the flag again.

Radio Station Broadcasting Peace

(Image: Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah, left, and Israeli Sharon Mishiker, hosts of Radio All For Peace's 'New Direction' show. Credit: Sharon Mishiker, via JTA)


Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Sharon Mishiker host a show called New Direction on Radio All For Peace, a radio station whose goal is to help bring dialogue between the Israeli's and Palestinians.

The show has been interviewing the surviving families of the conflict on both sides, in an effort to at least get both Jews and Arabs to understand the common pain that they both share.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) "There are many differences between Palestinians and Israelis, the war isn't over and the killings haven't ended -- but the pain of bereavement that exists on both sides is an equal pain," Mishiker and Abu Sarah said on the air Monday morning, in alternating Hebrew and Arabic, as they introduced the Memorial Day marathon. [...]

"Each side, the Palestinian side and the Israeli side, tends to recognize its own pain and ignore the other's pain," said Shimon Malka, the station's Israeli co-director. "Through this day of programming, Radio All For Peace's message is clear: No one is alone. Pain is not exclusive."

This station has interviewed an impressive list of individuals, helping those who have lost loved ones forgive those who may have been responsible in their deaths. They also help family members grieve for the lost, enabling both sides to recognize each other's pain and perhaps seek out a normal relationship between both groups of people.

You can find more about Radio All for Peace over here, and for those who desire to tune it they have a radio section for online listeners as well.

Video: Ping Pong For Peace?

Here is a video that is a modern day parable of what is happening in the region of Israel (except that it is rated "G" for the general audience).

It's not as funny as this video (which I am about to order soon) but you will probably enjoy this nonetheless.

Only if...

Can Spielberg Create Peace In The Middle East?

Steven Spielberg is planning to create a new film in order to promote peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. The major difference between this film, and his previous ones is that he won't be in the pilot's seat directly shooting the film.

(Israel Today) Upon arrival in Israel to promote the film, Spielberg will distribute 100 small video cameras to Israelis and 100 to Palestinians. Their assignment will be to document their daily lives, which Spielberg will combine the footage for his new film. [...]

"The youngsters will be busy filming instead of throwing Molotov bottles and they will get a chance to see how the other half lives," said Spielberg. "Furthermore they will come to realize that we are all human beings who wish to live in peace. I want you to make movies not war."

This idea has already received praise from Dan Gillerman, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations who hopes that this project will not only unite the individuals who make the film, but also hopes that this will turn into "something much bigger."

If so, scenes like this will hopefully become more popular in the future.

Note: It also seems as if Spielberg is considering forming joint film academies in Tel Aviv and Ramallah. If so, I wonder if he will link up either of them via internet and video?

Kosher Training For American Fire Chiefs

In our day and age, it's always better to be safe than sorry, something us Americans learned on 9/11.

Now it seems that our fire chiefs will be taking lessons from Israel on how to properly respond to terrorist attacks.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) Fourteen American fire chiefs went to Israel to learn about responding to terrorist attacks.

AIPAC's American Israel Education Foundation partnered with the International Association of Fire Chiefs for the trip. [...]

"Our goal is to ensure that U.S. first responders have the opportunity to learn from Israel's vast experience and bring home those important lessons to help save American lives."

This should definitely help us out here in the states as most fire fighters probably have little experience in dealing with these kind of threats. The firefighters came from "New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami and Las Vegas."

I wonder if any other cities will participate in these types of events in the future?

Israel Celebrates Indian Ties

It has been 15 years now since Israel and India declared each other to be friends. Which is a good thing for me because I happen to have friends in both countries.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The world's most populous democracy has since become a major trading partner for Israel, and also provide a key diplomatic inroads to Asia, which has large Muslim countries.

"The challenge is to strengthen and deepen our relationship and to tap the almost unlimited scope of our bilateral cooperation," the Foreign Ministry said.

With Israel having very few allies in the east, knowing that at least it has the backing of 1/6^th of the world's population is a comforting thought indeed.

Israel And The UN Partner For Environment?

It looks like the United Nations will be partnering with Israel in order to help make the earth "a little greener."

(Israel Hasbara Committee) The Memorandum of Cooperation is aimed at strengthening the capacity of governments of developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition in the field of environment in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Israel, represented by "MASHAV" - Center for International Cooperation in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with UNEP will focus on providing expertise and technical know-how through joint capacity building programs on environmental-related topics, including management of water resources, water scarcity, sanitation, waste management, food security and agriculture, management of dry lands, desertification and land degradation.

It's good to see the UN and Israel actually working together (a site all too rare on this planet). Hopefully more partnerships like these will develop in the future, as Israel seems to be a culture that is pro-environment as one can tell by some of the buses they ride.

Peres Using Green Trees To Promote Peace

One must give this guy credit where credit is due. Peres is perhaps the most optimistic guy in all of Israel, and he still has not given up on the peace process.

As Peres sees it, if political and military resources can not help bring about peace, then perhaps an environmental solution is what is needed.

(Israel Today) In a project that calls for the planting of 4 million olive trees in Israel and Jordan on an area of up to 50,000 acres at a cost of $8 million, the vice premiere hopes to reduce dependency on military and political means to solve problems in the region and begin using economic tools.

"We must improve the relations between the peoples," Peres said.

Peres plans on using this project to not only create more cooperation between Jordan and Israel, but also more job opportunities as well (as someone has to cut the wood in the future and export olive oil).

Israeli's seem to have a thing for planting trees, (a very good habit I must say) although I wonder if they are going to use recycled water from fish farms?

What If Reality Reflected The Internet? (Iran And Israel)

Despite the friction between the respective governments, I have a feeling that relationships like these are a lot more common than some people think.

Via Google Video.

Israel and Iranian (or Persian) history go way back to the times when Cyrus freed the Israeli's from Babylonian rule and ordered them to rebuild their homeland.

From my personal chats with Iranians, most of them have a friendly view towards Israel. If (God forbid) war does happen between these nations, perhaps Israel to repay a debt by liberating Iran as they liberated the Jews.

Israeli's And Palestinians Keeping Rivers Clean

Since nobody enjoys swimming, drinking or even fishing in a polluted river, a group of Palestinians and Israelis have teamed up together in order to clean up their environment.

(Israel 21^st Century) "The river was so unclean, there were dead fish, plastic bottles and other garbage floating downstream and it was a disgusting brown colour," says the director of special projects at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies on Kibbutz Ketura near Eilat.

"The tide was out, so the filthy river just stopped five feet from the Mediterranean. The sea looked so pristine and clear, but at high tide, all the filth from the river washes straight into the sea polluting it for miles around," he told ISRAEL21c.

The miserable state of the Alexander, which runs through both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, is one of the reasons why a team of Israeli and Palestinian researchers have joined forces to create a blueprint for action to restore the quality of not only the Alexander, but the 15 rivers that flow through both Israeli and Palestinian areas.

This gang was able to get a one million dollar grant from the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (aka MERC) in order to implement their plan on cleaning up the polluted river.

Despite what you may hear on the news, Palestinians and Israelis can actually get along quite well.

Note: You can find out more info about the project by visiting the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and the Palestinian Water Training Institute.