Now it’s your turn

Mohammad Gohar reiterates Egyptian faith in peace, urges Israelis to pursue peace with Palestinians

Mohammad Gohar|Published: 01.28.09 , 18:55

CAIRO – These are dark days for the Egyptians who believe in peace – the same millions of Egyptians who headed out to welcome late President Anwar Sadat upon his return from his historic trip to Israel more than 30 years ago. This is the silent majority that has enveloped the peace between Egypt and Israel and built the ties that safeguard the peace and reject bloodshed.

This is also the majority that grants its leaders the mandate to bear the burden of the struggle for peace. These are the leaders who in recent days worked to secure a ceasefire in the midst of a flood of accusations and barbaric voices seeking revenge.

I am one of those peace-loving Egyptians, who are now looking for the ray of light that would take us out of the darkness of violence and killing suffered by children and women in Gaza. This is how I perceive your role at this time: Extract this ray of light and spread it, so it reaches us – those who espouse peace and seek a safe and promising future for all of us, and for our children.

When you read my words at this time, please don’t view them as mere slogans. This is the mirror image of the situation. We all know the time has come for your children to live peacefully. You all know that the Palestinians have legitimate demands and scarified numerous victims for them. En route to securing the objective we are hoping for, there is no choice but to make difficult political sacrifices, so that we again believe that your desire for peace is still alive and well.

I turn to you, Israelis, as an Egyptian citizen who believes in peace. It is your right to achieve security, yet as long as you have the power to choose war, I urge you to choose peace, as the Egyptians chose vis-à-vis Israel. Accept this choice, declare your willingness to live alongside the Palestinians, and we shall continue to play the part of peace guardians.

We learned about the suffering you endured, we recognized your rights, and we accepted your connection to the land. Now, you need to recognize more than this in respect to the Palestinians. You should know that they cannot be expelled or broken and that the winds of revenge currently sweeping them may stimulate dangerous new forces. The disaster that befell them united the Arabs around them and pushed them closer to the international community than any other time in the past.

The sooner the better

We, in Egypt, are now assisting you in making this peace-making step vis-à-vis the Palestinians. We know well that many on both sides have distanced greatly from this step. The acts of these radicals distort the perception of the silent majority, which believes in peace. Don’t allow the enemies of peace to secure their objectives.

It is precisely at these difficult times that we again speak out and prove our commitment to comprehensive peace and security for all. I turn to the nation that we insisted on speaking to more than 30 years ago: There is no other way but to put an end to the wars and the killing.

We, in Egypt, need to see the Israeli people initiating a move vis-à-vis the Palestinians, who have fought like nobody else and who are facing growing attacks on their freedom and security. Now, we are waiting to hear from you; not only from Israel’s leaders, but also from the fathers, mothers, and sons.

Safeguard the Palestinians’ lives and rights. Send us signals that would make clear your determination to accept peace, as we did 30 years ago, and the sooner the better.

The writer is a prominent Egyptian media figure and CEO of Video Cairo Sat, who has been accompanying and document the peace processes since 1978