World March at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

On October 11th, the Middle East team of the World March reached Tel Aviv in Israel, following its Egyptian leg. Among the marchers was the European spokesperson for the March, the Italian architect, Giorgio Schultze.

This leg was marked by two important appointments: the meeting with the Director of Music and Dance at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and one with the Muncipal Councillor, Meir Margalit, of the Meretz party.

The University Director, as a way of promoting the March’s demands, is to organise a concert of traditional and modern, “multicultural” music (Jewish, Arabic and Western), performed by an ensemble of both students and teachers, on December 16th in the Music Room. This event will be linked up to the concerts that are to be held in Buenos Aires and other cities around the world on the same day.

Municipal Councillor Margalit, from the local branch of the socialist party Meretz, has put forward a number of local proposals in order to improve the situation in Jerusalem, one of which is to create a division in the city that is not territorial but functional, making it the capital of the two states. In brief, this would mean Israeli or Palestinian administrations would be set up, depending on which population has the majority in the various districts. The proposal is supported by some Israelis and the majority of Palestinians. “It seems like a Utopian proposal, but it’s the only way of creating the collective will to share territory,” argues Margalit.

Another proposal that arose out of the meeting with Margalit, which Giorgio Schultze will present at the Noble Peace awards at the Berlin Summit on November 11th, was that of organising a major event in Jerusalem, and to hold the next Summit in Jerusalem, the crossroads of the religions and civilisations of the world.

The day ended with the meeting of the March team with “All for Peace” Radio, which is broadcasting activities connected to peace and nonviolence.