Ami Dar
@AmiDar · Pro-Israel advocacy & explainers
Ami Dar is the founder of Idealist.org and an Israeli-American civil-society and peace advocate.
Of all the dumb things I am often called here, "Hamas supporter" is the dumbest.
Children in Gaza watching "The Lion King." The partisan replies to a post like this one have become depressingly predictable. Whatever. These kids could be mine, or yours. We owe them, and *all* of our children, a better future. [Photo by Omar Ashtawy.] https://t.co/ecd1sK0isv
The current around the Mediterranean flows north, from Gaza to Israel. With the destruction of Gaza’s sewage system, this has led to an environmental disaster that’s affecting Israel’s desalination plants. We have a government that is not only immoral, but also terminally stupid. https://t.co/aRC0wcjk1K
Freedom and dignity for all. From Gaza to Iran, Nicaragua to Belarus, Sudan to Hong Kong, and everywhere in between. For all. No exceptions. Not hard.
The one-state vs. two-state debate often overlooks one key fact: we are already in a one-state reality, and have been since 1967. The “only” problem is that millions of Palestinians don’t have a vote in the government that controls their lives. So give them the vote or give them a state. Pick one. And yes, obviously, any number of details would have to be negotiated. But pick a path, pursue it in good faith, open a horizon of hope, and end this delusional and dehumanizing status quo. Try. Maybe fail. But try. For real. And then try again. Enough tears. Enough bloodshed.
Just a fact or two: Arab/Palestinian citizens of Israel comprise 25% of physicians, 27% of nurses, and 49% of pharmacists in the country. Think of the damage they could do if they wanted to. They clearly don't want to. Make of that as you will.
Many years ago, I worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Jerusalem. The cooks were Palestinians from a village in the West Bank, and we became friends. Late one evening, only one person was still sitting at a table, and when I hinted that we had to close, he got very angry and started yelling at me. I tried to calm him down, but he got up, picked up a knife from the table, and started getting closer to me. And then, his eyes opened wider, he dropped the knife, turned around and left. I looked behind me and saw the three Palestinian cooks standing there, literally having my back. In this horrible moment, we all have our stories, some good, some bad. That is one of mine.