Israel – Minister of Religious Affairs Yakov Margi, of the Shas Party, took part in a two-day seminar recently attended by other party members and a number of former Palestinian officials.
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The seminar, which was organized by the Geneva Initiative, included a tour of the future separation fence near Jerusalem. “We didn’t change the world, but it is definitely important to talk,” said former Palestinian negotiator Sufian Abu Zaida.
“I don’t know if they changed their minds, but this was not my aim,” Abu Zaida continued. “The questions they asked were not even connected to the Left or Right, but rather to all sorts of myths in Israel like there being no Palestinian peace partner. I had to stand up to them and tell them about my viewpoint.”
Abu Zaida stressed that the Palestinians don’t view Shas as extremist, despite its right-wing tendencies. “They said that the one who determines their final opinion is Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, not Eli Yishai,” he said.
Margi, for his part, appears to confirm this. “Once the rabbi knows a peace agreement will prevent bloody conflict he will support it. Shas has already proven itself to be a pragmatic party,” he said.
Shas was not a random choice for participation in the seminar, according to Geneva Initiative chief Gadi Baltiansky. “Shas is a deciding factor in the government, and the positions of most of its leaders do not negate those of the Geneva Initiative,” he said.
Not good that he put everything on Rebbe Ovadya cause now he will be a Thread
It bears pointing out over and over, since we Jews have internalized the propaganda of our enemies, that there is no such thing as a “Palestinian.” There are only Arabs who came from the surrounding Arab states to enjoy the relative prosperity of the region after the Jews came.