Don’t forget we have a dream that I hope someday will come true. I hope this day comes in your time and then peace…peace.
Yours sincerely,
Salem Nazzal, student
Birzeit University
An American friend of the University instructor forwarded Salem’s heartfelt letter to a number of cyber-friends, as well as to Senator George Mitchell, Obama's special envoy for Middle East peace. Mitchell was also a peace broker for President Clinton in Northern Ireland. The former Senate Majority Leader was named to the post in January. CNN said, “The move could signal that Obama plans to get involved in the Mideast peace process early in his term.”
Salem lives in a small home in a rural town in Ramallah, just south of the university, with his parents and nine siblings. Birzeit University does not offer a major in English translation, so he hopes to further his studies in English by some other avenue.
Resources:
Special Envoy George Mitchell Kicks Off Mideast Peace Mission
click here Accessed April 28, 2009.
George Mitchell named special envoy for the Middle East click here Accessed April 28, 2009.
Pamela Olson, who generously provided the photographs of the university and of Ramallah, is currently working on a book entitled Fast Times in Palestine , a memoir about her experience living in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories for 18 months. She says, “In the process, my worldview was torn to pieces, and in many ways my experiences were profoundly disillusioning. But the balance of my memories in Palestine are not just good -- they were some of the best times of my life. I emerged with much greater faith in the basic goodness of humanity and in the reasons to have genuine hopes for peace.” www.pamolson.org
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