Salute to Mubarak Awad and his vision of non-violence

Back in 1978 while working in NY City, I used to meet for lunch and on regular basis with my good friend Jonathan Kuttab, a very bright and successful Palestinian lawyer who left a very promising career with one of the top Wall Street law firm to return home to Palestine. Jonathan a devout Christian always starts his lunch with a prayer and blessing of the food and as a decent Muslim, I followed his model and kept it that way.
The interesting thing about Jonathan is that he was a committed “peace maker” and committed to non-violence as a way to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It was at that time that I was first introduced to Jonathan friend, Mubarak Awad, a leading pacifist and long time advocate of non-violence. My wife hosted a large group of peace activists at our home in Virginian and Mubarak and his brother were among them. This note is a salute to Mubarak and to my old friend Jonathan Kuttab for their persistent and long-term vision for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Below is a statement issued by Mubarak as he was exiled from his town by an Israeli court. Of course for being Palestinian. I got this message today from our friend Mark Braverman.

"I am a Palestinian in an enemy court.I am a Christian in a court of Jewish justice.I am from occupied Jerusalem in an Israeli High Court.I accepted coming to court knowing all the odds. I gave you legitimacy andrecognized your High Court of Justice because I am searching for true peace.Only peaceful means can achieve peace. If peace is the sign of victory,victory has to be for both Palestinians and Israelis. Both must be winners;there can be no losers. This would be the great measure of justice.Moral and judicial responsibility is not a historical or religious debate.It is the reality that I face today with the rest of the Palestinian people.You have the power, the law and the gun pointing in my face. I am armed withhope, truth and nonviolence pointing toward your conscience. If the uprisingwill not open your eyes and soul to tell you we need freedom I don't knowwhat will.I am here to fight my deportation order. Uprooting me from my family, land,friends and culture is a disgrace. As a government Israel is doing all itcan to rid Palestinians from their land. It is deliberate,, through unjustlaws that we can't change, with tricks and unfair practices. You aredepriving me of my basic human and religious rights.As a Palestinian I never hated you. I don't hate you now. And I will neverhate you.But as a Jerusalemite I am telling you -- I will be back."