Palestine

The fall of the Berlin Wall: what a testament to the power of peaceful revolution. Even as a high school student in Kuwait, it was impossible not to be swept up in the emotion, as I watched people clamber to freedom, family and friends for the first time.

Ayman is a soft-spoken 14-year old boy from Jabalia City, Gaza. His family is poor, as his father has been unemployed since March 2006. Ayman’s parents have already sold almost all their furniture to pay for food and schooling for their children. Recently, after collecting a governmental food handout, Ayman’s father had to sell the milk to get the money for the journey back home.

(Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah- Press Department, Jaber Border/Village) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, on Wednesday, was on hand to receive a group of women cyclists from 20 countries who are cycling for peace across the Middle East.

The 250 participating women started their ten-day journey which on September 15 in Beirut, and are cycling a route of nearly 300 km taking them through Syria, Jordan and continuing to Jericho in Palestine.

What do chocolate, cookies, A4 paper, potato chips, cumin, toys, jelly, nuts, dried fruit, nutmeg, and goats have in common? It's a tricky one. If you're a moderate, they have nothing in common. But if you are a hard-line Israeli politician, they are all potentially dangerous goods that could threaten Israel's security. It seems that side of the political spectrum has won the argument, as all the above are items that the Israeli government has prohibited from entering Gaza. It's understandable.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Showtime Arabia, the leading Pay TV provider in the Middle East and North Africa, have teamed up to launch a Ramadan humanitarian campaign for the children of Iraq, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Darfur. Endorsed by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children, the humanitarian campaign is focused on promoting awareness and raising funds to directly support children in areas of crisis throughout the region.  Aramex, the leading total transportation solutions

(As it appeared in the Huffington Post)

Ironic. The peace conference, that brought me to South Africa, has been postponed.

A gathering billed to bring people together... that symbolized the power of dialogue and intercultural understanding... that was to be a medium for solutions to ongoing conflicts around the world has, instead, polarized opinions, fuelled frustration, and caused divisions.