Investing in a better future for Israelis and Palestinians
By Michael M. Cohen
JPost
May 4, 2023
Michael M. Cohen is a member of Heart of a Nation’s Engagement Committee and teaches at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura and at Bennington College.
"…Congress passed the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA), named after Democratic New York Congresswoman Lowey… to promote economic cooperation and people-to-people programs; advance shared community building; and dialogue and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians…
"The goal of MEPPA is to bring these societies to a tipping point, where they can see one another through a prism resulting from like-minded initiatives and attitudes…
"Unfortunately, the multiplier effect of violence and extremist language far outweighs the positive effects of MEPPA programs… Violence, fear, and hate become a closed loop, harder to curtail with each passing day…
"An essential step in that direction, is the trust built between Palestinians and Israelis in their engagement with each other through the programs of MEPPA… When we trust someone, differences may remain, but that trust creates the will to work together to overcome those gaps…
"Those reframing efforts need our fullest support to reach the long overdue inflection point and architecture of new relationships and perceptions, as well as expand political imagination. They are fundamental to generating the conditions for Israelis and Palestinians to have the better future they deserve."
About Heart of a Nation
Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.