BUENOS AIRES - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has responded positively to an initiative of the Latin American Jewish Congress to organize a joint Iftar with the Jewish and Palestinian Muslim communities in Buenos Aires. Abbas expressed his agreement in a letter to Claudio Epelman, the Executive Director of the World Jewish Congress’ Latin American affiliate.
In the Arabic-language letter, Abbas wrote “We welcome your initiative on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan to organize a joint Iftar with the Jewish and Palestinian Muslim communities at the office of the Latin American Jewish Congress in Buenos Aires.”
The Palestinian leader added that he “encourage[s] these types of noble initiatives that contribute to the promotion of dialogue and links between cultures and religions. We have made several contributions in this area; I always make contact with Jewish communities in all parts of the world.”
In conclusion, Abbas wrote: “I wish you success in this noble mission, which will surely contribute t construction to the construction of bridges of peace and the consolidation of tolerance and coexistence.”
The LAJC has organized an event celebrating Ramadan for the last three years, inviting members of the local Muslim community to break the fast in a traditional meal together with members of the Jewish community.
In response to the letter, Epelman said: “Abbas’ message is a significant contribution to the building of bridges between Muslim and Jews, and is yet another sign that initiatives of coexistence can cross borders.
“It is greatly satisfying when, rather than importing conflict, we are able to export the idea of coexistence as a tool for building peace. We hope that this model of relations between Jews and Muslims that we are seeing today in Argentina can serve as an example for more communities in this region, and we look forward to seeing this message of coexistence extend beyond Latin America to the rest of the world.”