A group of 40 mayors and heads of councils from the north of Israel convened an emergency meeting on October 13th in Maalot-Tarshiha with the purpose of calming tensions and putting an end to the wave of violent attacks.
The group issued a joint statement, signed by all, calling on Netanyahu and Abu Mazen to meet and resolve the current escalations, warning that long-term efforts to strengthen relations can be lost “with the flick of a knife.”
“We are destined to live together and we have to find a way to live in partnership and peace,” declared Mayor of Migdal Haemek, Eli Barda. Similarly, Saleh Suleiman, Head of the Council of Beunai Nogidat, said to his fellow mayors: “I tell you it is possible to live together. I share the pain of all the families and I am against violence and condemn the attacks and murders. I am attacked quite a bit but I do not care. We must resist the ways of the leaders.”
The full statement signed and distributed by the group of mayors, is as follows:
We the undersigned mayors, Jewish, Druze, Circassian and Arab, living in Galilee in coexistence and shared life, appeal to you in a sincere letter out of our common desire, shared by our citizens, for a peaceful and prosperous life.
In every aspect of our daily lives, we work towards a shared and sustainable life together, and despite current events the majority of our citizens promote tolerance and reject violence. Yet, in recent days, we find ourselves greatly concerned with what we see on the streets of Israel and the general reality.
We believe that a courageous meeting between the two leaders can lead us all from crisis to opportunity. In our opinion, such a meeting will lead to a process of dialogue that would bring hope to both peoples.
We would appreciate if you would accept us as a delegation of Jewish and Arab leaders from the Galilee to hear our ideas and recommendations
See the original statement with signatories, here (Hebrew and Arabic)
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