Guns & Peres

October 12, 2008 - 1:26 PM by

peres.jpgThat Shimon Peres certainly knows how to throw a party. Israel’s octogenarian president is also the figurehead for the Peres Center for Peace, which at the end of the month is marking its 10th anniversary.

The Peres Center has implemented dozens of projects to facilitate cooperation between Israelis and their neighbors in the Arab world, among them:

* Over 55,000 Israeli and Palestinian children have participated in educational programs learning the values of peace and dialogue through theater, cinema and the arts.

* More than 1,000 Palestinian children receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals annually, when such treatment is unavailable in the Palestinian Authority, coordinated, organized and financed by the Peres Center for Peace. Over 5,600 children have been referred for treatment since the initiative’s launch.

* Over 2,000 Palestinian and Israeli children participate annually in the Twinned Peace Sport Schools program.

To celebrate their accomplishments, the organization is holding a three-day celebration from October 26-28, which will gather over 300 world leaders in the fields of politics, business, culture and sports. Sessions will address pressing questions on the global agenda. Panelists will include: former president of the World Bank James, President of FIFA Joseph Blatter, President of Real Madrid Ramón Calderón and Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses, will participate in a panel on sport as a tool for building bridges; Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner and French actress Anouk Aimée will contribute to a panel on the use of culture in humanizing “the Other”.

But for some, the highlight of the party will be an invitation-only concert taking place on October 27th at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center
entitled ‘Believe: Celebrating a Decade of Peacebuilding Activities’. In addition to featuring homegrown performers like Achinoam Nini, Ran Dankner and Liel Kolet, the international guest list is what’s raising eyebrows, mine at least.

slash.jpgdonna s.jpgSharing a stage will be decadent rock & roll guitar god Slash, late of Guns & Roses and currently with Velvet Revolver, veteran disco diva Donna Summer, Argentine singer Mecedes Sosa, and celebrated tenor Andrea Bocelli.

I’d love to see Peres get up and boogie to Summer singing “Love to Love You Baby” with a scorching solo from Slash (born Saul Hudson to a Jewish father and African American mother) and backing vocals from Sosa and Bocelli. That would indeed set a new standard for coexistence that would proudly propel the Peres Center into its second decade.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , • Category: coexistence, General, Music, Politics, Pop Culture 

Comments

One Comment on Guns & Peres

  1. David-Joe on Sun, Oct 12th 2008 3:21 PM

    2. The Peres Center that supported the Oslo Accords and always determines that it is Israel that must compromise something.

    Speak with Palestinians here in NYC about peace and they openly declare that Israel must either become a Jewish-Arab state called Palestine or be destroyed.

    They also dismiss these childrends programs and are all hoping for an Obama victory.

    There are very tough days ahead for Israel and with lukewarm Obama Adminstration it going to be very difficult. Probably the most hostile American presidency ever.

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