At the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2010 an event took place which was significant and rare on a number of levels. First of all the 2 speakers, in conversation with author, journalist and blogger Antony Loewenstein, were a noted Palestinian writer Suad Amiry [see here] and well-known Israeli writer Etgar Keret [see here].
As Indonesia and Israel don't have diplomatic relations, the Festival organisers had to move heaven and earth to secure a Visa for Keret to enter Indonesia. #1 rare occurrence. And rare occurence #2 was that here were two highly intelligent and articulate people, at opposite ends of the spectrum which is the Israel-Palestinian conflict, in civilised discourse with even humor injected into the discussion.
Both authors didn't differ on all that much about the issues between the presently warring parties. What the discussion did highlight was that we rarely hear the narrative from the Palestinian side - and here articulated so superbly and without rancour - and that if only the politicians would come to their senses it would go a long way to start getting somewhere in resolving the present conflict.
The organisers of the Festival deserve praise for picking up the challenge in getting Keret into Indonesia and having him in discussion with a Palestinian - with a secular Jew, as moderator, whose views are not pro-Zionist and who is critic of Israel's actions on a range of levels.
As Indonesia and Israel don't have diplomatic relations, the Festival organisers had to move heaven and earth to secure a Visa for Keret to enter Indonesia. #1 rare occurrence. And rare occurence #2 was that here were two highly intelligent and articulate people, at opposite ends of the spectrum which is the Israel-Palestinian conflict, in civilised discourse with even humor injected into the discussion.
Both authors didn't differ on all that much about the issues between the presently warring parties. What the discussion did highlight was that we rarely hear the narrative from the Palestinian side - and here articulated so superbly and without rancour - and that if only the politicians would come to their senses it would go a long way to start getting somewhere in resolving the present conflict.
The organisers of the Festival deserve praise for picking up the challenge in getting Keret into Indonesia and having him in discussion with a Palestinian - with a secular Jew, as moderator, whose views are not pro-Zionist and who is critic of Israel's actions on a range of levels.
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