The crown prince of the Gulf state of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, has called on Arab governments to communicate more with Israelis. “We need fresh thinking if the Arab Peace Initiative is to have the impact it deserves on the crisis that needlessly impoverishes Palestinians and endangers Israel's security. This crisis is not a zero-sum game. For one side to win, the other does not have to lose,” he wrote in an op-ed published by the ‘Washington Post’.
“The reality is that peace is a process, contingent on a good idea but also requiring a great deal of campaigning - patiently and repeatedly targeting all relevant parties. This is where we as Arabs have not done enough to communicate directly with the people of Israel. An Israeli might be forgiven for thinking that every Muslim voice is raised in hatred, because that is usually the only one he hears. Just as an Arab might be forgiven for thinking every Israeli wants the destruction of every Palestinian,” the crown prince wrote, adding that Arabs had to reach out to Israeli media to get their message across in Israel.
"Essentially, we have not done a good enough job demonstrating to Israelis how our initiative can form part of a peace between equals in a trouble land holy to three great faiths," al-Khalifa declared.