On 8 September, Mehmet Saral was interviewed by the Australian Jewish News on the recent Peace Talks being held between Israel and Palestinians. Mehmet was asked what he thought about these peace talks and he said he was optimistic “as a person of interfaith, intercultural dialogue”. Mehmet said, “I have to remain optimistic, I want dialogue and peace among all peoples in the world…I think both sides need to follow the United Nations regulations (for peace to occur)”.You can read whole article below:
Jewish News: Local caution on peace talks
Sydney | 08 September 2010 | Gareth Narunsky
THE latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has been greeted with cautious optimism by community leaders in Australia.
US President Barack Obama has called for a final deal to be agreed upon within a year; however, most leaders believe small steps forward are a more realistic goal.
President of the Zionist Federation of Australia Philip Chester said it would be dangerous to expect too much.
“When expectations are dashed, which has happened in the past, often what happens is violence. That’s what we saw tragically after Camp David in 2000,” Chester said.
“It may actually be safer to just be very cautious, see what happens as the process develops … [and] see whether small steps can actually achieve something. It’s always better to be talking than not talking”.
He cited the opening concessions being demanded by the Palestinians as a hindrance, but said the improving situation in the West Bank was a positive. “On the ground in the West Bank there’s been a relaxing of security controls, which I think has been welcomed by the local population. We’ve seen significant economic improvement,” he said.
“Continuing to build relationships on the ground in the West Bank itself, that can develop further momentum.”
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council analyst Tzvi Fleischer said he was hopeful, rather than optimistic.
“If a final peace deal doesn’t look likely, progress certainly looks possible, and we are optimistic that it may come about,” he said. “There is a lot of scope for agreement on security arrangements and borders in the West Bank. I think that getting a deal on refugees and Jerusalem looks much harder.”
He said recent polls in the Palestinian territories were encouraging.
“Palestinians are becoming more amenable to the compromises needed for a peace deal. They is definitely an improvement,” he said.
Mehmet Saral, president of local Muslim group Affinity Intercultural Foundation, said he was optimistic “as a person of interfaith, intercultural
dialogue”.
“I have to remain optimistic, I want dialogue and peace among all peoples in the world,” he said. “I think both sides need to follow the United Nations regulations.
“You have to have a neutral partner in these agreements, if you approach it from your own perspective you’ll never agree.”
He said he feared a breakdown in the talks would lead to more unrest and mistrust in the region, a result that would not be helpful to anyone.
“There are many innocent people on both sides who don’t appreciate the fighting and bickering,” he said. “I think we need to solve this problem once and for all.”
