THE owner of a cafe in central Israel is attempting to bring people together in the conflict-laden region over hummus.
Kobi Tzafrir is providing a 50 percent discount to Jewish and Arab customers who eat at the same table at the Humus Bar, his restaurant in the town of Kfar Vitkin, Al Jazeera reports.
The offer first appeared on the business’s Facebook page on Oct. 12, but started seeing international media attention this week. The post, translated from Hebrew by HuffPost, reads:
Scared of Arabs? Scared of Jews? With us there are no Arabs! But also no Jews … With us there are only human beings! And real, wonderful Arab hummus! And great Jewish falafel! And free refills on all hummus dishes if you’re Arab, Jewish, Christian, Indian, et cetera … Special discount: 50% off on hummus dishes for a table where Jews and Arabs are sitting together! *Valid Sundays through Thursdays.
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks 
Lovely. 🙂
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Awesome!
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The 33-year-old owner, born and raised in Israel, suggested Palestinians and Israelis are less hostile toward one another than the media would have most believe.
“I think what people hear in the media is very important and I think all the situation in the media gets [blown] out of proportion,” he said. “We [only] hear the extremists; they have the stage more than others.”
The reality on the ground, Tzafrir argued, is quite different. “Many places in Israel don’t get attention,” he said. “Maybe Jerusalem, where there is fighting, but not other other places.”
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I remember when I was in Palembang during the riots, I found the city to be peaceful. When I watched TV I found a very unstable city but not where I was. When I drove over to that part of the city I found burn’t out cars.
Tzafrir is living in the peaceful part of Israel far from the hostilities. This is what a Palestinian Christian has to say.
A Jew killing a Palestinian or Palestinian killing a Jew are symptoms of the problem. The root of the problem is the Israeli occupation of Gaza. As Christians we know there won’t be any peace in peoples’ lives without the Prince of Peace. But as long as this occupation continues, there will not really be a solution.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/august-web-only/hamas-israel-conflict-gaza-christians.html
So I congratulation the owner of the cafe but he is treating the symptoms. The root problem is the occupation.
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The occupation is an excuse to kill and terrorise then?
This seems to be a universal excuse in islam, one of them anyway.
The occupation is but a stumbling block for the world and a pawn used to enhance the goals of islamic terrorism.
Time and again when Israel gives anything to the muslims they take advantage of the move. The ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel, not the gaining of land.
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Alexei, many Jews are anti the occupation. Yes, there are good reasons for it, particularly as absentee Arab landlords sold much property to Israel. But also very good reasons against it.
It’s no use trying to untangle the past, the only solution is to discount it all and make a fresh start from how things stand at the present, treating everyone with fairness and compassion. Will it happen?
Children growing up in the traumatic times experienced there have a brain development problem. Many are sort of hard-wired into antagonism. This has been going on for generations, so into adulthood. There are adults on both sides still affected by not only their own childhood trauma, but the epigenetic influence of parents’ and grandparents’ trauma. Palestine’s pitiful efforts against Israel’s might are just that, pitiful. Many Jews are sympathetic.
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I hear you strewth.
The children are indeed messed up.
I was watching a Palestinian kids show and the kids were talking about martyrs, blood, dying for Jerusalem etc.
It is so sad.
I do not think it will ever stop.
why?
The Arabs want Israel to die.
Israel does not want to die.
It is that simple.
If Israel was to reduce territory then Arabs would want more until Israel was pushed into the sea. The last sentence is a common quote by Arabs about Israel.
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as long as this occupation continues, there will not really be a solution.
These were the views of a Christian Palestinian not a Muslim.
A message for you Bethlehem Bible College professor and paster Alex, Alexie.
Western Christians fail to fully grasp the suffering of Palestinians, including its Christian population, Bethlehem Bible College professor and Palestinian Christian told The Christian Post on Monday.
“The Christians in the west, most of them, they don’t know the realities here. They don’t know who is occupying who, who is oppressing who, who is confiscating whose land, who is building walls to try and separate people from one another,” Alex Awad, who also pastors East Jerusalem Church, told The Christian Post.
“In the United States and much of Europe people — they just don’t understand the realities on the ground,” he added.
“The Palestinian Christians in Gaza today, they suffer as much as the Palestinian Muslims in Gaza. They are under bombardment. They have only eight hours of electricity of every 24 hours. They have a hard time getting fresh water,” he said. “The Palestinian Christians, they don’t live in an isolated area where oh, this is a Christian town. No, they live among the Muslims in Gaza and therefore as much as the Muslims are suffering, the Christians are suffering, not only in the Gaza strip but also in the West Bank.”
http://www.christianpost.com/news/palestinian-christian-western-christians-dont-understand-gaza-israeli-conflict-123272/#1YsJTMFBqy957DRl.99
I don’t expect you to have any sympathy for the Muslims that are suffering. Why don’t you have sympathy for the Christians ?
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wow Dom you are out doing yourself.
Perfect politics.
Ignoring the really obvious stuff.
The Bethlehem Church logo. Did you notice its anti semite logo?
This clown you reference also hangs with Ateek who is an Anglican priest and the founder of Palestinian liberation theology. Did you notice the politics in the name? And this is who you pull out as support?
The thread by Bryan is of an Israeli Cafe opening its doors for Jews and Arabs. This must really annoy you as you go on your rampage against Jews.
This is what Hamas wants for peace.
2015
“THIS IS FRIDAY, THE DAY OF RAGE. IT IS A DAY THAT WILL REPRESENT THE START OF A NEW INTIFADA IN ALL THE LAND OF PALESTINE” – HAMAS LEADER ISMAIL HANIYA.
Hamas recently brought out a song. kids will love it.The song, accompanied by an animated video, warns “Zionist run away, run away Zionist. You are about to be killed by a car.”
Which has then occurred.
Read the charter for Hamas and it states Israel will be obliterated. It is compulsory that Jihad be waged.
Bring on the peace I say. Or as Hamas want, bring on the pieces.
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This clown you reference also hangs with Ateek who is an Anglican priest and the founder of Palestinian liberation theology.
OK so we now move from attacking my character to attacking the character of the Bethlehem Bible College professor. Call him a clown, you can instantly disregard the suffering he goes through and his observations.
Taking a step back, what I see is that the occupation is not only affecting the Muslims, it is affecting the Christians as well. So what is he and other Christians experiencing;
They are under bombardment. They have only eight hours of electricity of every 24 hours. They have a hard time getting fresh water,”
I am not sure why you have no sympathy for the Christians suffering in this conflict. Perhaps you see them as clowns deserving what they get for whatever reason.
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I see now you have moved to misrepresent me by saying. It is all about putting my character into question so anything I say can be disregarded.
The thread by Bryan is of an Israeli Cafe opening its doors for Jews and Arabs. This must really annoy you as you go on your rampage against Jews.
As I stated, I congratulated the cafe owner but the real solution is to remove the occupation.
Look I see you are fairly firm in your opinion on the Israel versus the Palestinian conflict but don’t get all hot under the collar if someone else has a different opinion…. I know you will say you are not getting hot under the collar now and discredit me yet again. Maybe call me a clown as well. :).
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THIS IS FRIDAY, THE DAY OF RAGE. IT IS A DAY THAT WILL REPRESENT THE START OF A NEW INTIFADA IN ALL THE LAND OF PALESTINE” – HAMAS LEADER ISMAIL HANIYA.
You don’t think the Muslims and the Christians suffering should get angry ? You are getting angry just with me opposing your opinion… yeah I know you are not getting angry.
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Instead of using clowns this group is much better to be using.
http://www.kairospalestine.ps
As for Character you are the one not condemning terrorism. Do you now condemn Hamas as terrorists who want to destroy Israel? Make it easy for you, you do not have to answer.
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Which come first Hamas or Israeli War crimes ? Since Israeli war crimes come first and Hamas evolved as a response to ethnic cleansing then it is with you to first condemn Israel as terrorists who are performing war crimes such as ethnic cleansing.
http://www.wrmea.org/1994-september-october/israeli-ethnic-cleansing-undiminished-in-jerusalem.html
I can produce countless reports and new articles but you are at the stage now that any group or person that condemn Israel you dismiss anyway so I won’t hold my breath. 🙂
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I would like to paraphrase Avinoam Sharon From the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs
The term occupation is used politically, without regard for its general or legal meaning. The term is used in political rhetoric reduces complex claims and rights to predefined categories of right and wrong. The word is also employed in the context of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict to advance the argument that only Israel is ultimately responsibility for the welfare of the Palestinians, while denying Israel’s right to defend itself against Palestinian terror. The term is also employed as part of a general assault upon Israel’s legitimacy, in the context of a geopolitical narrative.
Iraq was occupied by the Coalition forces until June 28, 2004. Then authority was handed over to the Iraqi Interim Government. At that point, Coalition forces remained in Iraq, but Iraq was no longer “occupied”. If handing over authority to a Coalition-appointed interim government ended the occupation of Iraq, would the same not hold true for the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and Israel?
If Israel’s control of Gaza’s borders constitutes an element of its effective control of Gaza, then that control is entirely contingent upon Egypt’s control of its border with Gaza. Does this mean that Gaza is under Egyptian occupation, or under a joint Israeli- Egyptian occupation?
The withdrawal of all Israeli military personnel and
civilian presence in the Gaza Strip, and the subsequent ouster of the Palestinian Authority and the takeover of the area by a Hamas government surely would constitute a clear end of the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Even the International Court of Justice admits “territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army.”
Here is the best part of the writing:
Surprisingly, it is nevertheless argued that Israel remains the occupying power in Gaza.
A particularly interesting argument is presented by Bashi and Mann.48 Their argument is that Israel continues to control Gaza by an “invisible hand,”
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In November 1967, the UN adopted resolution 242 , which established a formula for Arab-Israeli peace whereby Israel would withdraw from territories occupied in the war against them by 3 large Arab neighbors in exchange for peace with its neighbors.
Israel’s leaders fully expected to negotiate a peace agreement with their neighbors that would involve some territorial compromise. Therefore, instead of annexing the west bank, a military administration was created. No occupation is pleasant for the inhabitants, but the Israeli authorities did try to minimize the impact on the population.
The Israeli’s did provide economic assistance; for example, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were moved from camps to new homes. This stimulated protests from Egypt, which had done nothing for the refugees when it controlled the area.
There was freedom of movement, travel to and from Jordan, 1972, elections were held in the west bank and Women and non-landowners were now permitted to vote. Which was illegal in Jordan
East Jerusalem Arabs were recognized as residents of Jerusalem and given the right to vote and run for the city council. Also, Islamic holy places were put in the care of a Muslim Council. Today Jews are not allowed to pray there.
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Not all Jews follow Alexei’s train of thought. Of these, many are not formally organised, but here are a few that are.
Austria: Jüdische Stimme für einen gerechten Frieden in Nahost (Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Near East)
Belgium: Union des progressistes juifs de Belgique
Denmark: European Jews for a Just Peace – Denmark
France: Union juive française pour la paix (Jewish French Union for Peace)
Germany: Jüdische Stimme für einen gerechten Frieden in Nahost (Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Near East)
Italy: Rete Ebrei contro l’occupazione (“Rete ECO”, Italian Network of Jews Against the Occupation)
the Netherlands: Een Ander Joods Geluid (A Different Jewish Voice)
Sweden: Judar för israelisk-palestinsk fred (Jews for Israeli–Palestinian Peace)
Switzerland: Jüdische Stimme fur einen gerechten Frieden zwischen Israel und Palastina (Jewish Voice for a Just Peace between Israel and Palestine)
the United Kingdom: Jewish Socialists’ Group and Jews for Justice for Palestinians
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Lets remember;
“The Christians in the west, most of them, they don’t know the realities here. They don’t know who is occupying who, who is oppressing who, who is confiscating whose land, who is building walls to try and separate people from one another,”
Even the orthodox Jews are now rising up against the Zionists.
They argued Zionist, a nationalistic group that is 100 years old, hijacked Judaism to give themselves credibility.
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“Israel has the fourth largest army in the world and receives $10.2 million in military aid daily from the U.S.. Palestine has no army and receives no money for military aid. When you look at news articles and pictures of the so-called “conflict”, you can see the Israeli Defence Forces kitted out in uniform, armed with guns and helmets and tanks and illegal chemical weapons and f16s and drones. In contrast, you see Palestinians with rocks and handmade weapons, if they are lucky enough. You can see the damage made with something like drones or white phosphorous in contrast to the damage of “Hamas rockets” (the media’s favourite phrase). This very example shows the uneven distribution of power, and sets the base for why it is argued that Israel and Palestine are not two sides, but the oppressor and the oppressed.”
Mia Oudeh
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“The occupation is an excuse to kill and terrorise then?”
Sounds a lot like the French resistance in WW2. Didn’t we celebrate them as heroes ?
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It’s the double standards thing. Some can rise up and fight against injustice and war crime while others cannot.
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