Nonie Darwish’s father was assassinated by the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza when she was 8 years old. His death would become the first in Israel’s controversial policy of targeted military assassinations. One would think that of all people, Darwish would have ample reason to detest Israel, and yet this Egyptian-born mother of three has come out as an avid supporter of the Jewish state, denouncing instead what she calls a culture of violence and intolerance in the Arab world.

Her unique position and views drew a large crowd to the Israel Project to hear Darwish speak along with Miri Eisen, who recently retired after more than 20 years of service in the Israeli Defense Forces. The unlikely pairing have come together to launch a series of speaking engagements titled “Moms for Peace” that is touring the United States this month.

“It is time to end the blame game against Israel,” Darwish told the Washington, D.C., gathering. “Palestinians were rewarded for terror, but those who wanted peace were silenced. In a culture based on pride and shame, Palestinians were educated to get their honor back by terrorizing Israel.”

Darwish’s father, Lt. Col. Mustafa Hafaz, led the fedayeen guerilla operations in Gaza in the 1950s. His assassination quickly turned him into a national hero and a “martyr,” and Darwish said she was encouraged to avenge his death by killing Jews.

Instead Darwish grew up questioning what she calls the “devastating indoctrination” of Arab teachings following her father’s death. “My mother was alone with five children in a culture that gives respect only to families headed by a man. They encourage [women] to deny basic family values,” she said. “I learned hate, vengeance and retaliation.”

Darwish spoke out against this indoctrination, recalling “outrageous lies” she was taught, such as “don’t take a candy from a stranger because it could be a Jew trying to poison you.” Arab teachings have become the main focus of Moms for Peace, which was launched by the Israel Project (along with a TV ad campaign) in an effort to highlight the “culture of hate” that the group argues is pervasive in the Palestinian education system.

Darwish’s fierce support of Israel has naturally won her a strong following among pro-Israeli advocates. But what’s most surprising is Darwish’s harsh criticism of her own Arab culture, as she seethes with anger over what she calls “tyrannical regimes” that she says have fostered hatred and suffering among ordinary Palestinians.

“Surrounding Arab countries created [the first Palestinian movement], and now they tell the United States to pressure Israel for peace when the truth is, it’s the Arab world, all the surrounding Arab countries, that pushed the Palestinians into war,” she declared, pointing the finger at Iran, Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other “oil-rich Arab countries [that] have always neglected the infrastructure and economy of the West Bank and Gaza.”

Darwish argues that Arab leaders use Israel as a scapegoat to mask their own corruption and incompetence. “Fear of a common enemy brings unity to the Arab world,” she said. “Arab leaders point to Israel rather than build schools and roads, jobs or hope for the people. Blaming Israel has become an industry. It enabled [Yasser] Arafat to become one of the richest men in the world while most of his people lived in poverty.”

Similarly, she condemns Islam’s spiritual leaders for spreading messages of intolerance. “The Muslim clergy has failed miserably in stabilizing the society,” she said. “They whip their worshippers into a frenzy of anger and rage against the West.”

She stressed, however, that religion itself is not the problem. “I’m not here to bash Islam the religion … but I’m calling for reformation for the way that Islam is taught…. Terrorists who are holding the Koran while they behead a fellow Muslim is the ultimate insult to Islam—not cartoons,” she added, referring to the controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed that have ignited protests around the world.

Darwish also blasted many other aspects of Arab life, including the submissive role of women, noting the problems of honor killings, female genital mutilation and polygamy. Most importantly though, she decried the fact that moderate voices are not at the frontline of the war on terrorism. “I really get discouraged when the media starts calling terrorists freedom fighters, championing the underdog, but terrorists are not the underdog in the Middle East—they are the oppressors…. The true freedom fighters are the brave moderate Arab voices.”

Darwish said that any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will entail exposing the next generation to one another. “Muslim, Christian and Jewish children should be encouraged to get to know the other and interact,” Darwish said, although she didn’t give any specifics on how this could be accomplished given that Israel and the Palestinian territories are physically separated from one another and the two sides rarely, if ever, interact on a normal basis.

The other speaker in the group, Miri Eisen, spoke less about her concerns as a mother and more on her personal experience in the military defending the existence of Israel. An eloquent speaker who is fluent in English, Eisen was chosen to be a spokeswoman for the Israeli military several years ago—part of an overall strategy by Israel to win what she called the all-important “battlefield of the media.”

Eisen touted the strength of Israel’s democracy and how far Israeli public opinion has progressed over the years. “Israelis talk now freely about a Palestinian state next to Israel, about a two-state solution. You can say it’s too late but that’s where Israelis are now, and in a complete reverse trend, if you look at the Palestinians, that’s not necessarily where we see that they are,” she said, referring to the recent election victory of Hamas, which has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction.

However, Eisen said she remains optimistic that the inclusion of Hamas in government will force them to be more accountable and learn the politics of compromise. And although she concedes that any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if there is one, will not be a happy or easy one, she believes there is ultimately hope for future generations.

“We’re not talking about togetherness, we’re not talking about hugging and kissing and making up, but we are talking about a real future for the two, side by side, that maybe the next generation can have more tolerance.”


Miri Eisen, left, and Nonie Darwish offer their perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a recent discussion hosted by the Israel Project.

 

Croatia’s new foreign minister, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, squeezed in a brief talk at the Library of Congress’s John W. Kluge Center during a hectic U.S. visit to promote Croatia’s continued efforts to forge closer relations with Europe and the West.

Shortly after assuming office in 2005, Grabar-Kitarovic was charged with guiding Croatia into the European Union and NATO. Croatia already began accession negotiations with the EU late last year, and its economy has made steady progress since the late 1990s. “The political consensus in Croatia is clear: Euro-Atlantic integration,” Grabar-Kitarovic said, echoing the sentiments of Ukrainian Ambassador Oleh Shamshur (see above).

Grabar-Kitarovic, who previously served at the Croatian Embassy in Canada and the Croatian Parliament, is no stranger to the United States, having attended high school in Los Alamos, N.M. Similarly, she pointed out that her country is also no stranger to the United States, noting that Croatian sailors came with Columbus to the New World in 1492, settling in North Carolina’s Roanoke Island—records of which are available at the Library of Congress.

The main purpose of the foreign minister’s speech was to tout Croatia’s successes in privatizing its economy, creating a competitive market, and increasing overall stability in the region. “We have become a pillar of stability and we want to continue to bring stability to the neighborhood,” she said.

Grabar-Kitarovic added that Croatia has gone from being a “receiver of assistance” to a “major player” on the world stage, becoming a trusted ally of the United States and contributing to the global fight against terrorism. The government just announced that it will be increasing the number of soldiers it has in Afghanistan under NATO command from 50 to 150, and Croatia continues to train Iraqi security forces outside the country.

She said that the agenda for 2006 includes improving the judicial system and closing the door on post-war issues such as the return of refugees into Croatia. Grabar-Kitarovic, who noted that 118,000 ethnic Serbs have already resettled into the country, concluded: “I am confident we can resolve our own problems very quickly.”


Croatian Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic speaks at the Library of Congress’s John W. Kluge Center.