In 1980, I spent seven months on a kibbutz in northern Israel. I was an idealistic youth in an idealistic land. I was very, very young.
Across the border came Katyusha rockets from the displaced Palestinians on a regular basis. The paradox was as obvious then as it is now.
This week, many world leaders will gather to pay respect to Shimon Peres. I reflect on the way his pragmatism helped pave the way for the Oslo peace accord with Yasser Arafat and the PLO in 1993 and how he helped bring some moderation to the polarised politics of the middle east. The peace process involved many compromises on both sides, much pragmatism in the pursuit of peace. Peres had the dignity to recognise that compromise was often a sign of strength and he demonstrated an appreciation of the importance of mutual respect instead of the one-sided use of power. In a world of polarised division and intransigent extremism he was able to bring factions together. In this lies his legacy.
I'm interested in what you think. If you’d like to share your views, please tweet @SimonJHayward #moderationrocks
This week, many world leaders will gather to pay respect to Shimon Peres. I reflect on the way his pragmatism helped pave the way for the Oslo peace accord with Yasser Arafat and the PLO in 1993 and how he helped bring some moderation to the polarised politics of the middle east. The peace process involved many compromises on both sides, much pragmatism in the pursuit of peace. Peres had the dignity to recognise that compromise was often a sign of strength and he demonstrated an appreciation of the importance of mutual respect instead of the one-sided use of power. In a world of polarised division and intransigent extremism he was able to bring factions together. In this lies his legacy.
I'm interested in what you think. If you’d like to share your views, please tweet @SimonJHayward #moderationrocks