A letter from Cairo

In a recent article “I Get Letters” I remarked how many letters I receive from readers across the world.

Today, for the very first time, I received a very nice e-mail letter from an Arab Muslim young lady in Cairo, Egypt who reads my articles.

In her letter, Radwa Rashad wrote these very warm words:

“I am a 25 year old Muslim girl living in Egypt. Like many arabs I raised up hating Israel, not because of the religion but because of palestine. My family weren’t strict Muslims.

I also remembered how much I cried while reading stories of Holocaust at yad vashem website. At the end I found your blog. I can’t stop my self from reading your articles.

I didn’t support Zionists. I hate occupation but I really don’t hate Jews. Even I don’t hate Israelis.

I just wish we can forget the past and live in peace.

We all together. I wish those seas of blood end. May our God give us the wisdom and mercy to each other.

And happy birthday to you. Me too my birthday at March 20.

I wish you can write me your thoughts too”. (END)

Her words impressed me and I responded to her reminding her of our 100 year old battle with the Arabs in Palestine. I reminded her how they refused to accept the 1947 United Nations plan of the partition of Palestine into two states for two peoples, how they went to war against us joined by the armies of her country, Egypt. I reminded her of our post 1967 history when we re-united Jerusalem after 19 years of occupation by the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan.

I shared with her facts about our many attempts to arrive at a just peace with the Palestinians but they were uninterested in becoming partners with us.

I also shared our very warm feelings for the late Anwar Sadat who initiated the very first peace treaty between us and any Arab nation. He came to Israel and in our Knesset in holy Jerusalem he addressed all the members of the Knesset and our government.

At the end of his remarks which were received by unanimity, there was standing ovation and clapping of hands. And how he and our beloved Menachem Begin embraced and shook hands before the eyes of the entire world. Even Golda Meier was emotional.

Anwar Sadat won the Nobel Prize for peace but he paid a bitter price. He was assassinated by a fellow Egyptian who opposed peace with Israel.

His name remains with honor among the people of Israel.

I explained that peace with the Palestinians was possible if there was goodwill on both sides and I expressed my opinion (negative) on the Trump peace plan which is biased on behalf of Israel and is unkind, un-realistic and unfair to Palestinian Arabs who do not want to be removed from the lands on which they live.

Radwa Rashad and I obviously cannot agree on matters regarding Israeli-Palestinian problems. But it was very nice to receive her letter from Cairo. Its words indicate that she is hopeful of an eventual peace and she invokes the name of our One God to bless all of us with peace and dignity.

She is the very first Arab to contact me and I am grateful to her for her kind remarks.

May there be an eternal shalom-salaam between us.