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Arab-Israeli Journalist: Education on Peace Is the Key to Resolving Conflict
[University of Oregon Daily Emerald] Anastasia Strgar - In light of the continuing stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians, Arab-Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh told a University of Oregon audience he believes that change must come from teaching the next generation of children not to hate their neighbors. Although Abu Toameh started out as a correspondent for a Palestine Liberation Organization newspaper, he found the job too restricting. "It is not a secret that Palestine has no free media," said Abu Toameh, and the PLO censored much of his work. After being offered a position at the Jerusalem Post, it took him only 20 seconds to decide to take the job. To achieve peace, Abu Toameh emphasized educating the next generations of Palestinians to be more accepting of their Israeli neighbors. He said Israel has changed a lot in the last 15 years. "If you had told me 16 years ago that Israel would have brought the PLO to the West Bank and moved 10,000 Jewish refugees from the Gaza Strip, I would have asked you what kind of medication you were on," Abu Toameh joked. One audience member asked how many generations will need to be educated before peace can ever be found; he replied, at least two, if not three.