Guardian Figure

0

Posted by Gardening | Posted in Garden Statues and Yard Art | Posted on 22-11-2011

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,





Peace Media - How the UK's Guardian led peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians

It's the job of the press to report on wars in far flung parts of the globe – and there's been no shortage of conflicts to cover in recent years, from the Gulf War to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Afghanistan.

What is less obviously the role of the media is to engage in the business of peace making. But two recent collaborations organised by the UK's Guardian newspaper involving senior figures from the Middle East show how journalists, many of whom have seen the human cost of war at first hand, can turn their pens towards an altogether greater end-game.

The Guardian hosted a Middle East Dialogue where they brought together senior Israeli and Palestinian politicians including Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, who was a former head of the Israeli army and Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior figure in the Palestinian Authority. Formerly soldier's at war they came face-to-face in pursuit of peace.

They were joined by the four lead negotiators of the Good Friday Agreement: Martin McGuinness from Sinn Féin, Sir Reg Empey from the Ulster Unionist Party, David Ervine, a former Loyalist paramilitary and Mark Durkan, the leader of the SDLP. It turned out that the peacemakers of Israel and Palestine had never been exposed to the story of Northern Ireland — which, for its all imperfections, was one of the world's most successful peace processes.

One of the participants observed that the sight of seeing the key figures of the Good Friday Agreement - walking together, talking to each other, there was even humour between them - brought home to the Middle East politicians the realities of what peace could bring to them too.  

At one point, Irvine quipped to McGuinness, ‘Ten years ago he and I were trying to kill each other'. And now they were talking about peace to Israelis and Palestinian politicians.  

This encounter led the Guardian, this time backed by the Portland Trust – a Middle East economic development initiative led by Jonathan Kestenbaum, a leading peace activist who used to reside in Israel and Sir Ronald Cohen, the millionaire Egyptian-born private equity investor - to bring another group of influential yet polarised individuals together in London – Palestinian and Israeli editors of the main national papers and broadcast outlets. At the heart of this dialogue was once again Northern Ireland. But the inspiration this time around was not aroused by politicians but by the Northern Ireland press.

People may not remember that during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, even sending a camera crew to cover the troubles risked inflaming the situation - the very presence of broadcasting from the scene could have stirred more strife.

Yet here in London was Noel Doran, the editor of the Irish News, a nationalist paper and Ciaran McKeown, the political editor of the Belfast News Letter, a Unionist paper. The two men sat together and explained an initiative that they had put together in the 1990s before the Good Friday Agreement.

They had a simple idea to ask their respective readers to ‘Call this number if you say yes to peace'. In and of itself this may not seem so impressive except that it was carried in both papers - one a nationalist paper speaking mainly to Catholics and the other a Unionist paper speaking mainly to Protestants. Two papers on opposite sides of the divide ran the same half-page notice. 150,000 people responded - a tenth of the population. It was a basic statement but it had an effect. They then joined forces for one further significant act: They published identical editorials on the same day calling for peace. They'd worked together, sharing drafts and agreeing the final text. Editors preparing the ink for the Good Friday Agreement itself.

Jonathan Freedland from the Guardian, who participated in the talks said that having the editors from Northern Ireland allowed the Israeli and Palestinian editors to ‘come off the level of the abstract and the academic and became very real'.  He reports one Israeli editor saying, ‘I am a Zionist, I am an Israeli and if this conflict has to have a winner, I want Israel to win. I am not going to pretend that this paper is neutral.' Another said ‘We are not neutral in this conflict, we live here, this is our life.' Another Israeli editor said that it was important for his readers to know what daily life was like for Palestinians – and that he would send out correspondents to report the daily brutalities of life under the Israeli occupation.

But the Palestinian Editors also spoke of their daily, practical obstacles they needed to overcome to publish their newspapers. One editor talked about the realities of carrying out his job whilst under occupation: where a curfew means that nobody can leave the building they are in, how he and his team had to work for a week in their office sleeping under their desks. And then when it came to distribute the paper, all the roads were blocked by Israel army checkpoints. In the end they resorted to two methods - one of them was to put loads of newspapers on the backs of donkeys and send them on their way and the other was to pay Jewish settlers to carry copies of the newspapers on the roads that Palestinians were not allowed to travel.

It would be reckless of course to make direct comparisons between the conflict in Northern Ireland and in the Middle East. To add to the many layers of complexity in the Middle East, the Israeli and Palestinian media literally speak different languages and have very different cultures and way of life.

The Middle East editors didn't leave London as friends. But they left having gained insight into the lives of people who were just like them – in the same jobs and working for the same end cause.

A number of articles about the two-day dialogue have been written. One editor even kept a diary of the visit. They are remarkably similar in observation and in aspiration and show more than just a hint of people caught on opposite sides of a historical conflict that at times seems insurmountable. It will be interesting to see if the editors will collaborate with each other on their return home, indeed, if they will keep in touch at all.  But more important, the editors left London understanding the huge responsibility that they can carry – should they chose to exercise it.  

In Amman, Jordan, a team of Israeli and a team of Palestinian senior politicians announced a peace agreement - a line-by-line detailed final status agreement dealing with every one of the outstanding issues between them. From Jerusalem to refugees to territory to the settlements, the ‘Geneva Accords' as they are known are the final stage of a peace process sponsored by the Swiss government. The architects of the accord are the very same people who participated in the Guardian Middle East Dialogue earlier. Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo stood side by side in Amman, Jordan to present the Geneva Accords.

We know journalists are influential mouthpieces for the rest of the nation. We can articulate the feelings of our fellow men and women and we can publicly air them. Sure, people often disagree with us but we carry considerable power. The power to sway the masses towards opinions, ideologies and national causes. But we can also be something much bigger: As the Guardian have proved we can be the architects of peace making itself.

About the Author

Ed Murton is a US-born journalist covering the Middle East, Europe and North American politics with a particular interest in international relations and peace. Currently residing in Brussels he is also committed to promoting a free and independent press worldwide.

Art Inspires: Willie Cole on Guardian Figures

Stylish Garden Decor:

The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass Buildable Figure PHANTOM GUARDIAN, LEGO EXO FORCE SETS MINI FIGURES HUGE LOT GUARDIAN EXO FORCE PIECES PARTS LOOK, Antique Chinese Foo Dog Guardian Lion bronze figure, BLESSED BABYS INFANT GUARDIAN ANGEL FOLK ART FIGURE, IVORY GUARDIAN ANGEL STATUE INSPIRATIONAL FIGURE DECOR, Toy Soldiers 1 32 The Templars Guardian Figure Metal New Black Hawk BH 0506, Set Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life Figures 2 Lara Croft Shadow Guardian Figure, Final Fantasy VIII Guardian Force CERBERUS ANGELO action figure by Kotobukiya, DC COMICS GREEN LANTERN GUARDIAN 2 ACTION FIGURE MATTEL, Batman Bruce Wayne Guardian of Gotham City 9 Deluxe Boxed Figure, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Guardian Ninja Action Figure TMNT 2004, Foo Dog Statue Ceramic Chinese Guardian Figure, Heroclix Miniature Figure Guardian of Eternity Origin DC Comics Wizkids 209, Hot Toys Predator 2 EX Guardian Predator 14 Figure MISB, Kmart Exclusive Red Guardian Action Figure New and Ships Free, SnowGlobe Guardian Angel Desktop Figure Collectible, Bull Horned Gargoyle Statue Guardian Bull Figure Taurus, Mambila Guardian Figure Animal Head Human Body Africa, Guardian Knights Set 36 Plastic Toy Medieval Knight Figures, GARGOYLE HOLDING SHIELD STATUEGOTHIC GUARDIAN FIGURINECOLLECTIBLE FIGURENEW, Signed Moreau Guardian Angel From Heaven Bronze Statue Sculpture Figurine Figure, Predator Series 5 set of 3 figures Guardian Snake Stalker Predators by Neca, NEW Final Fantasy VIII 8 GUARDIAN FORCE DIABOLUS FF Action Figure Toy Squaresoft, dc universe wave 9 loose guardian figure, Spawn Cyber Units Guardian Red Action Figure, Spawn Cyber Units Guardian Blue Action Figure, DC Comics Pocket Super Heroes Guardian and Guy Gardner Action Figure 2 Pack, GUARDIAN PREDATOR PREDATOR 2 LOST HUNTERS CLAN PREDATOR SERIES 5 ACTION FIGURES, Predator Series 5 Guardian 7 inch Action Figure, Marvel Universe Figures Guardian Complete Loose, Predator 2 Movie Series 5 Guardian Predator Action Figure NECA Toys, Predator 2 NECA Series 5 GUARDIAN Figure NEW, Final Fantasy VIII Siren Guardian Force Figure Rare MOC, Cybertron Transformer Defensor Guardian Fire Fight Units Autobot Figure Giftset, Huge 1993 Batman Animated Series BatplaneGuardian Batwing Kenner w Figure, Marvel Universe GUARDIAN Action Figure, Freyr Statue Viking Norse God of Farming Weather Odin Guardian Warrior Figure, Guardian Statue Egyptian Figure Statue Collectible NEW, Marvel Universe GUARDIAN Action Figure, God of Farming Weather Freyr Statue Viking Norse Odin Guardian Warrior Figure, Limited Ed Windstone Peacock Guardian Dragon Gargoyle Figure Figurine Statue, PREDATOR 2 ACTION FIGURES STALKER GUARDIAN SNAKE NECA, Marvel Universe 2011 RED GUARDIAN FIGURE Loose Captain America Patriots K mart, Final Fantasy VIII 8 Complete Guardian Force Figure Set ArtFX Kotobukiya FFVIII, NECA Predator 2 Series 5 Action Figure Guardian Gort, Marvel Universe GUARDIAN Figure, New Gormiti 1 Action Figure 2Pack The Screaming Guardian and Hammer the Predator, New Gormiti Series 1 Action Figure 2 Pack The Screaming Guardian and The Thug, 2005 Pavilion Gift Co GUARDIAN ANGEL Clay Type Ornament Figure Figurine, 2004 TMNT TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES GUARDIAN NINJA ACTION FIGURE MOC SEALED, Lego Atlantis Barracuda Guardian Keyring Figure NEW WITH TAGS GREAT GIFT, NECA Reel Toys Predator 2 Guardian Predator 7 Action Figure 2011 New Sealed, YU GI OH PVC Mini Figure WINGED DRAGON GUARDIAN OF THE FORTRESS, SERAPHIM CLASSICS FRANCESCA LOVING GUARDIAN 78001 ANGLE ANGEL FIGURE FIGURINE, NECA Predator 2 Set of 3 Figures MOC New Snake Stalker Guardian Predators Aliens, Neca Predators series 5 GUARDIAN 7 Predator Figure New IN STOCK, Official Predator 2 Guardian Predator 7 Action Figure New, Predators Series 5 GUARDIAN PREDATOR 2 8 Action Figure NECA Gort, PREDATORS Series 5 Set Action Figures NECA Stalker SNAKE Guardian IN STOCK, GODZILLA GAMERA KING OF THE MONSTER CHRONICLES SHOWA GUARDIAN OF UNIVERSE FIGURE,

Write a comment