(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Sheikh Abdullah Tamimi, who hails from an influential clan in Hebron, is an extraordinarily courageous and unique Palestinian who recently spoke at a seminar organized by Jewish residents of the settlement of Efrat, in Gush Etzion (south of Jerusalem). Tamimi has now been "disowned" by his clan and labelled as a "traitor" and a "collaborator" with Israel. Encounters between Jewish settlers and Palestinians are not unheard of. Thousands of Palestinians work in most of the settlements and many others maintain close relations with settlers and do business with them on a daily basis. Tamimi and his colleagues do not believe in boycotts and divestment. They are convinced that real peace can be achieved through dialogue between Palestinians and all Israelis, and through economic cooperation. "We want both peoples to live a dignified life," he says. Tamimi represents an increasing number of Palestinians who have lost confidence in their leaders' ability to improve their living conditions and who support the idea of "economic peace" between the two peoples - a notion that goes against the ideas of the advocates of "anti-normalization."
2016-09-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive