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Eli Vidal
Tel Aviv
Israel

Custmer Service Representative, Social work Student

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How can projects like TED contribute to solving the Arab-Israeli conflict?

The last middle east events, known as the "Arab spring" were gratley connected to the digital world, especially social networks which spread the idea and encouraged people to the streets.
Israel is known to be a technological heaven in the middle east, with start ups second only to the United States. How can new digital innovations, like the ones we watch here at Ted, can bring up to the end of the conflict?

Related Talks:

William Ury: The walk from "no" to "yes"

Topics: Middle East local politics peace

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Rhona Pavis 50+
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Nov 14 2011: Frans, Thank you for your response. I'm okay with a little booklet. I am also okay with all bibles being treated as relics instead of instruction manuals for how to live in the present world. We are co-creating our world. I trust us. I respect us. I like us. I enjoy us. I am optimistic. I know we all have a whole lot of power to cause positive impacts, much of which lies dormant. We may as well assertively use all the freedoms and powers we now possess to co-create the positive world we can all enjoy living in.
Rhona Pavis 50+
- +1
Nov 14 2011: Eli, I respect you to do what you do. I respect myself to do what I do. HAJEAL covers Jewish, Christian and Islamic people. Europe has some of those people. Right now I want 100% of Islamic, Christian and Jewish people to use the name HAJEAL every time they refer to the one God they claim that they believe in. As soon as that happens, we shall all be living healthfully, happily ever after. I prefer simplicity to complexity, where simplicity seems appropriate. Right on with whatever you do. POWER TO THE POSITIVE!
Rhona Pavis 50+
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Nov 11 2011: Let us continue. Perhaps other positive people will join us and we will succeed sooner rather than later, allowing more of our precious lifetimes to be spent joyously. On another TED conversation I suggested that all Jewish, Christian and Islamic people use HAJEAL for an experimental 366 days every time they refer to the one GOD they all claim to believe in as a way to raise their awarenesses of the positive desires of this one God for all humanity to live respectfully, lovingly and happily on our beautiful Earth. I wonder if anyone is taking me up on this. I am glad you are as enthusiastic as I am about achieving our shared, positive goals. WE SHALL SUCCEED! WE ARE SUCCEEDING! We will continue doing all the positive things we do. In so doing, we are causing the positive results our good hearts so deeply desire.
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 11 2011: The idea in great is general. but what about the word HAJEAL? it has very middle eastern roots as you probably recognize. May be something more global., which can actually reach all people ?
  - Rhona Pavis 50+
    
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    Nov 12 2011: HAJEAL is based upon the combination of HAshem, JEsus and ALlah. If all Islamic, Christian and Jewish people will use this term for 366 days to refer to the ONE GOD they all claim to believe in, I am confident that we shall have the happy humanity on Earth that we all desire. WHEN this works, I shall be delighted to come up with another term to include Sikhs, Hindus, Taoists and all the rest of the religions on our sweet planet Earth, if necessary. If you wish to come up with another term to include all theists now, that's fine with me. I will cooperate. The term "GOD" fits that criteriion, but it has not worked so far. That's why I suggested limiting it to a 366-day experiment to simply apply to the millions of potentially healthy, happy, peaceful, respectful, loving Jewish, Christian and Islamic people. I am confident that all of our positive words and acts will cause the positive results we desire.
    - Eli Vidal
      
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      Nov 12 2011: The combination sounds good. It can work in the middle east, but what about Europe where the word for Gods comes from latin or german groups? But of course we can try. may be the word :Dioel which combines the latin Dio with the root of El.
      But to something more practical, we need to start. We should both write a paper on it and send it to each other
Rhona Pavis 50+
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Nov 11 2011: Eli, Thank you for expressing appreciation for my ideas out loud....now....while I am still alive. We will have to do it in order to find out what it looks like. Perhaps some generous and wise foundation would like to fund this project. Of course it will have much more powerful religious significance than any existing bible that separates people and attempts to place some people above and some people below others. It will unify the truly holy, positive people of our dear planet Earth so that people can spend all of their energies on positive pursuits making life a healthy, happy experience for all. Let's do it. POWER TO THE POSITIVE! HAPPY TODAY!
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 11 2011: Rhona i think its a good idea and it should be started now. The bible and the speaking platform can be combined together and so we can tie the religious issue, which is so deep here, to help solving the conflict. What do you think?
  - Rhona Pavis 50+
    
    +1
    Nov 11 2011: I think we are both on the right track. Let us continue. We are succeeding right now.
Debra Smith 200+
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Nov 11 2011: I think we have to use the freedom we have on TED to share information that helps us to know about the kind of policies that are killing people in the middle east and elsewhere. Here is an interesting piece on American policy to thwart the banning of cluster bombs.

UK backs bid to overturn ban on cluster bombs (The Independent):
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/uk-backs-bid-to-overturn-ban-on-cluster-bombs-6259139.html
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 11 2011: Politicians are killing people by talking about peace while doing everything they can to prevent it. that is why it has to be stopped and people should talk between themselves to the extent that at the end of the process, they demand from their politicians to make the peace- that is the power of democracy.
  
  Tnx for the article :-)
anat agami
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Nov 10 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykvmnwtvyry

comunication is the only thing that can bring peace .

go for it (:
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 10 2011: Hey Anat,
  glad you are here
  communication is indeed a major peace accelerator, but we need to find a way to communicate without having fear of getting punished for the attempt :-)
Rhona Pavis 50+
- +2
Nov 10 2011: By causing genuine communication among people with positive intentions who have been brainwashed in different religions and cultures. It raises the awareness in each participant of the truths and exposes the nonsense of their specific national, cultural and religious brainwashing. Perhaps someday, perhaps our generation, will understand how it will elevate the well-being of all people to cease teaching children to hate anyone......especially people they never met. Maybe there should be laws against brainwashing children in any religion. It shows a disrespect for the minds and hearts of children. Proper, positive behavior by adults would be far more educational than foisting specific beliefs on children. Children should tell people what they believe. Children should not be told what to believe. People such as you, Eli, obviously participate on TED because you have a positive will, a right will. I think most people on TED are like that. The old paradigms, e.g., winners/losers, authority figures/slaves, will become obsolete as we co-create the positve world that acknowledges and respects the rights and freedoms of all with positive purposes. Ultimately, we will make it clear that we can live healthfully and happily in a world that allows everyone to be who they really are and to enjoy life.
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 10 2011: Awesome, that is an amazing idea and thinking! The young generation should throw over from himself the stories about traditions, wars, heroes of wars- and learn a way of peace. The practical question is how we make this teaching? How can we create a platform, free from hate and terror trackers, where both sides can meet and finally speak a different language.
  How can we all help to engage and build such a place?
  - Frans Kellner 100+
    
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    TED Translator
    
    Nov 10 2011: Eli, it just happens. It takes time.
    I'm from the sixties and my generation followed in the steps of the previous but took a new spirit with it.
    This will happen with every generation and yours will infuse a visions that couldn't make it before.
    - Eli Vidal
      
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      Nov 10 2011: Thank you Frans , I appreciate it. I think that to some extent the first ideas of peace interactions and peace activity came in the 60's. At least i'm personally inspired by this ideas.
    - Rhona Pavis 50+
      
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      Nov 11 2011: Frans, Thank you for the positive feedback. It is helpful. The sixties generation had a powerfully positive impact on the world. It raised the consciousness of people to many good things. May the positive impacts of the sixties activists continue and increase. I think Hubert Humphrey deserves more credit than he gets. The hippies deserve more credit than they get for exposing many of the hypocrisies that prevailed when they ascended. Power to the positive.
  - Rhona Pavis 50+
    
    0
    Nov 10 2011: I have submitted the suggestion that ALL Jewish, Christian and Islamic people use ONE WORD in every reference to their ONE GOD for an experimental period of 366 days. I have other ideas on the subject. For example, I suggest a computer program be created and all bibles be input to retrieve ONLY THE POSITIVE STATEMENTS within those bibles. Then, the common denominators can be extracted and a SINGLE BIBLE can be contructed that will contain ONLY POSITIVE contents and used by all.
    
    We have the power to change our world to become a positive experience for everyone. Let's do it. We can do little things and medium and large things. Every day we can have positive impacts on various quantities of people. Let us take every opportunity to elevate the joy level of anyone and everyone we can.
    - Eli Vidal
      
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      Nov 10 2011: Rhona that sounds incredible.
      I am into social work things and i study social work and i think that it will be a great thing if i introduce this idea in my class at the TAU (The class itself is composed of Jewish, Christian and Muslim students).
      How does the bible work and look like? will it still have a religious significance?
    - Frans Kellner 100+
      
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      TED Translator
      
      Nov 12 2011: Rhona you really are positive and energetic.
      Yet I think that Bible would become a little booklet as we follow your advise.
      
      I see Bibles and the like rather as relics from history. In that way it becomes much more interesting. If you read how people had to be stoned at the gate for doing this or that you see that we have evolved a bit further today and that's nice to know.
Craig Patterson 10+
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Nov 10 2011: Perhaps some insight might be gained if one studied the history of India. There were a number of invasions over the centuries which were assimilated instead of being totally rejected with conflict or dominated with conflict. That is not to say there wasn't conflict, but assimilation holds a certain level of respect for both sides, instead of one dominating. Perhaps we could learn from history?
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 10 2011: We always can and even should learn from history. But India holds a completely different story- there is simply no dispute to whom India now belongs (may be some border issues with Pakistan). Here we have two different nations claiming ownership over one territory, which is much smaller than India (Less than the size of New Jersey ). Assimilation will mean one stronger nation bringing its culture over the other- and that exactly what the Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs are trying to avoid. But speaking about those matters might solve a good and great goal - finally agreeing about somethings, but we need a platform to talk over- a place where we can agree or disagree.
- Thomas Jones 100+
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  Nov 11 2011: QUOTE: "Perhaps some insight might be gained if one studied the history of India. There were a number of invasions over the centuries which were assimilated instead of being totally rejected with conflict or dominated with conflict."
  
  China has done a similar thing a few times. It assimilated the people who "conquered" it. They now speak Mandarin (Pu Tong Hua) and call themselves "Han."
  
  It's a good system really.
  - Eli Vidal
    
    0
    Nov 11 2011: Assimilation is a different word to conquer. It bears the same violent meanings which we do not want at all. The idea is to stop fighting, and start respecting each other's needs and boundaries, which is not easy at all.
    - Thomas Jones 100+
      
      0
      
      Nov 11 2011: Yes Eli, assimilation is a different word to conquer. However, it does not necessarily "bear the same violent meanings which we do not want at all."
      
      Perhaps you missed the point.
      
      Throughout its history, China has been attacked and "conquered" by several neighbouring nations, however, within a few generations of being "conquered" the conquering-people (their descendants, really) were speaking Mandarin and calling themselves "Han."
      
      China did not overcome them by violence, the "invaders" simply dissolved into what was already China. It's quite an interesting historical process (and not one without its violence, of course,) but the fact that assimilation overcame attempts at violent annexation is interesting.
      
      ----
      
      You might find Marshal Rosenberg's work helpful. Here is a link to his site:
      
      https://www.cnvc.org/
      
      His small book, "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life," is quite good and would probably help you in your work.
  - Eli Vidal
    
    0
    Nov 12 2011: Thank you I will read it with great interest :-)
    Russia came through a similar process, due to centuries of conquering and being conquered. There are now Turks, Mongolians, Koreans, Ausetins, Dagans, who speak Russian and call themselves "Slavic". But Russia "enjoyed" a long history of brutality and had it masses to loose before it was done. China, one of the earliest nations on earth, also developed upon peace and war together.
    Israel is a young country, with so much violence, it becomes dangerous to bear. There is almost not one signle family who has a relative dead at war. Such assimilation, before it happens, will bring before it so much of a bloodshed that i don't think many will remain alive to enjoy the fruits. The Idea is separation with peace. 2 countries, 2 good neighbors which accept each other as they are and stop the hatred.
Jaime Lubin 10+
- +1
Nov 10 2011: Eli, tu sabes bien que el conflicto arabe israeli es prehistorico, muchos años han pasado desde que Abraham expulso a Agar y a Ismael su hijo y los mando al desierto. Desde entonces miles de modos y formas se han intentado para que se pongan en paz, y parece que ninguno quiere hacerlo. Tendran sus propias razones, pero mas alla de las razones que sean, la guerra los ha acompañado en toda su historia y no han conocido jamas un solo dia de paz y serenidad.
Hoy la tecnologia puede hacer muchas cosas pero...podra resolver un conflicto tan añejo?
Si tu crees que TED puede aportar la solucion, intentalo. Lo que si esta claro es que ni arabes ni israelies quieren que se solucione. Lo demas es pura retorica que en ocasiones les conviene a unos y a otros segun sea la posicion que toman...la ingenuidad, en este caso en particular puede ser muy peligrosa. El mundo digital es relativamente seguro, pero el mundo real esta lleno de amenazas reales. En realidad no importa si Israel es un paraiso tecnologico apoyado por los Estados Unidos, eso es relativo, tanto como si los arabes controlan el petroleo. Poner fin al conflicto es un acto de voluntad, que podria ser apoyado tecnologicamente desde la comunicacion digital, pero antes de eso esta el corazon y los sentimientos, la esencia humana que se ha perdido y lo que ha dejado en muerte y persecucion. La primavera arabe es una maniobra dirigida por otras fuerzas que ni tu ni yo comprendemos y menos cuando se quiere atribuir a la tecnologia digital....eso fue solo un instrumento estrategico para comunicarse. Esto es importante pero no es todo.
Las "redes sociales" son una ficcion, es posible que se desarrollen y logren algo en un largo plazo, pero antes que todo esta el contacto humano real.
- Eli Vidal
  - 0
  Nov 10 2011: Hola Jaime, gracias por responder
  Mi español es um poco pobre , así que disculpe mis errores
  Por lo que entendí, usted afirma que el mundo digital no puede resolver un antiguo conflicto porque la gente necesita eliminar el odio de sus corazones primero.
  Israel es casi una sociedad laica, expuestos a las ideas liberales y ponerlos en práctica en muchos campos.
  Muchas personas en Israel, quieren la paz y actúan para su promoción.
  
  Palestian es una sociedad en su mayoría religiosa y cerrada. no quede expuesto a la liberalización widley, criticisem auto y críticos del gobierno. La gente está alimentada a partir de ese tiempo los conflictos van antigua, ya que es el material educativo que reciben.
  No van a "google" para obtener información, sino aprender de sus predicadores que predican la muerte.
  Yo sé que la mayoría de la gente en Palestina, como en Israel, no quiere la muerte y la guerra. Su basta con que van a estar expuestos a otras ideas que el odio y el poder, sino a las ideas de amor!
  
  Una vez expuesto, y una vez que hable con la gente del "otro lado", todo el mundo entiende que la búsqueda de razones para luchar contra su antiguo inútil, y su tiempo para promover la paz real en un mundo moderno.
  
  Gracias de nuevo
Sarath Wijayapala
- 0
Nov 10 2011: Hi Eli,

I am glad that open-minded people like you live in Israel and can express their views without censorship. It is easy for us from outside to stereotype both Israelis and Palestinians but the reality is that the vast majority of people in both countries are peace loving people who believe in the "live and let live" principle and values. When you get to the bottom of things, all races finally become the human race, with the same feelings such as love, desires, aspirations, fears etc.

It is really only a handful of people in each country who are inflexible and believe in their country's supremacy over the other and hence unable to reach a concensus through compromise. So the solution is for the vast majority in both countries to start communicating freely with each other using all the tools of the digital world to increase the understanding of each other, disregarding the rhetoric of their leadership.

With such a solid understanding and relationship established between the peoples, the political leaders will become irrelevant, specially if such peoples start a political party (to achieve peaceful co-existence as the theme) in each country and obtain political power throough democratic process (but NOTviolent means). Then the current leaders will be relegated to irrelevance and the peacelovers will rule both countries who will be able to reach a compromise.

older Israelis can remember how they were persecuted by the Nazis in the last century and would be able to empathise with the Palestine people who are currently being persecuted albeit not to the same extent as by the Nazis.

As they say charity begins at home and I propose that the digitally savvy younsgters in each country develop friendships with another family across the border and involve their family members to communicate as well, which should follow with visiting each other as there is nothing to beat face to face meetings. Establishing mutual trust is vital to reach peace in any context.
- Eli Vidal
  - +1
  Nov 10 2011: Hello Sarath and thank you for your reply,
  Indeed you describe an utopia which can not build itself now in the middle east. Politicians still hold the power- in Israel its strictly democratic, in Palestine its not. I can express my views freely here because I live in a free country, I can not say the same about someone in Gaza who can not express himself freely at all.
  As you understand, meeting face to face nowadays its almost impossible, because any one who tries getting out of Gaza for peace promotion is tracked and shot down by the Hamas. Israel also prohibits entry to its territory from there.
  Therefore the idea was to think of a technology which can by pass current trackers. Israel has freedom of speech assured, but the Hamas does not. Luckily the Hamas is not as technological equipped as Israel is, so it won't be hard to create a platform accessible to people in Israel and Palestine, which the Hamas and the PLO could not block.
  
  After people talk, on a platform which can't prevent them from talking and sharing ideas, they can pressure politicians that its time for peace. Here in a democratic way, in Palestine by a change of regime.
  
  Thanks again for your reply.
Victoria Samra 10+
- +2
Nov 10 2011: Why not have children from the West Bank and children from Settlements use video cameras to vlog their days (good stuff and bad stuff) and post it all on a website they all go. And then they have message boards and all that. I agree with J. Turner when he said that the old people are not going to change. I know it's technically possible, but my gut tells me no.
I don't know. It's an idea.
- Eli Vidal
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  Nov 10 2011: The idea is indeed great. And i believe it won't be blocked. A dialogued over real life videos , and outcomes of the conflict. Something like a "conflict YouTube". Cool, Thank You.
Debra Smith 200+
- +1
Nov 9 2011: I think the main purpose that can be served by TED is to get information and debate into the hands of the people of the world. There is a lot of information that the general public does not get to see. We need to challenge what governments are doing to thwart the process. For example:

http://ncronline.org/news/global/us-policy-undermines-moderate-palestinians
- Eli Vidal
  - 0
  Nov 10 2011: The definitions of "moderate" and "extreme" are widely arguable here, but that is indeed the case- letting people meet upon technological platforms and argue, and promote dialog. But can we actually create a platform modeled and structured by the international community so the governments won't be able or at least won't be allowed to block?
  Thanks.
James Turner 10+
- 0
Nov 9 2011: I am not sure it can. You have to look at the reasons for the conflict to see if technology can make a difference. Hatred runs deeper than technology, close mindedness precludes techonology having any impact. Clinging to power is probably one of the reasons driving the conflict again technology will not make the loss or sharing of power any easier. What will make the changes will be generation after generation of young people who have broken away from the negative traditions and moved into the positive traditions and started some new traditions of their own. Here in the US we have old leaders in congress playing the race card since they cannot find another way to convince people, we have leaders trying to foment a war between the classes of people rich vs poor again old leaders, we have old leaders in the unions talking of violence. They are old and have no wish to grow and try different ways. Until young people with open minds take over this nation will be ripped apart slowly and violently by the old leaders. How I wish TED could make a huge difference in the middle east. If it could there then maybe it could here as we descend into racial hatred, distrust, and villany that we thought we had over come in the 1960's and 1970's.
- Eli Vidal
  - +1
  Nov 10 2011: Thank you James.
  The whole idea of technology today is spreading information and social connections. The west bank and especially Gaza suffer from a severe lack of technological accessibility. So the only information young minds in the territories are exposed too, is the teachings of the old who teach to violence and hatred.
  Israel is widely exposed to the digital world, but its divided- some sites spread hate and some spread indeed peace. So turning your idea farther, exposing young minds in the west bank to technology will give them different outlooks on life, and so in the total outcome in this area it can help ending the conflict.
  - James Turner 10+
    
    0
    Nov 10 2011: I wish you the best with you ideas. I bless your effort and hope peace does come to Israel and all young people in the middle east. I am sure they are as sick of the random killing and blood shed as the rest of us are. It only takes one person talking to another but it will take decades of individual changes and a concerted effort by some one like yourself to change all the young people. Go for it.
    - Eli Vidal
      
      0
      
      Nov 10 2011: Thank you. Thanks a lot. I do think its a long run project but it needs to start somewhere- connecting and talking and sharing is the way for peace. I will defiantly go for it. Thanks.

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