Good News About The Middle East You Probably Didn’t See In Your Newspaper

If you picked up a newspaper today you undoubtedly would see stories about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Chances are the articles would contain information about air strikes, bombings, broken cease-fires and other clashes that have made this part of the world a hotbed of violence for decades.

While it may be important to read such stories and to know what is going on, it is also important to realize that for every article you read that makes you believe peace is impossible, there are other stories, you haven’t read, that offer hope.

As publisher of The Good News Network, the #1 site on Google for good news, I seek out positive stories that add balance to the negative ones reported by conventional news media.

Here are some recent good news stories about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict you might enjoy reading about:

Peace Camp Grows Friendship between Middle Eastern Kids

If you were invited to sit down with your enemy for a cup of tea and to discuss your conflicting views, would you do it? More than 2,500 Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Pakistani and Indian kids have done just that. In fact, they spent three weeks with their “enemies” at summer camp in the U.S. arguing, understanding, and ultimately coming to respect the humanity behind every face – even the humanity of their enemies. The program that makes this happen calls these youth, Seeds of Peace.

Women Cycle around the Middle East for Peace

Nearly 250 women from 30 Western and Arab countries – including the daughter of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat – rode their bikes through the streets of Lebanon for six hours to promote the cause of peace. The women were taking part in the third annual Follow the Women – Women for Peace Ride. In addition to bringing attention to their quest for regional peace, many of the women formed close friendships and were uplifted by the large crowds that lined the streets to watch the women roll by.

Palestinian, Israeli Doctors Discuss Pediatric Diseases

One hundred Palestinian doctors joined 300 Israeli doctors and other professionals at the Israeli sponsored First International Congress on Chronic Disorders in Children. The doctors sat, listened and talked to each other. Palestinian doctors were able to participate because the Peres Center for Peace assisted their passage through security at border crossings. During the past four years, The Peres Center has brought 4,000 Palestinian children to Israeli hospitals and arranged and paid for 100 residencies of Palestinian physicians.

Lawyer Floats Mideast Peace Plan

Josef Avesar, a successful Encino lawyer, has created a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The concept was intriguing enough to keep 300 Israelis, Arabs and Americans engaged during a recent three-hour symposium at UCLA, reports the Jewish Journal. Avesar’s plan involves the creation of a confederation that would serve as a mechanism for establishing projects of mutual benefit, such as utility grids, transportation systems, and hospitals. The confederation would be composed of 300 independently elected delegates from every region of Israel.

Geri Weis-Corbley celebrates her tenth year as managing editor of the Good News Network. The web site receives more than a quarter of a million hits per month. After receiving a degree in TV/Radio production, Weis-Corbley worked in TV news for 10 years in Washington, DC.