Announcement before the assassination of the Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir and the current situation in the middle east

As we recently identified ourselves with the pain of the Israeli families whose adolescents’ that were kidnapped and assassinated, and as we reject this crime, today we also express our condolences to the family of 16 year old Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir’s, who was obscenely murdered by extremist groups who kidnapped and burned him alive.

Once again, we condemn and repudiate the violence which both the Israeli youth, and now the Palestinian adolescent Abu Khdeir, have suffered. These criminal acts are the result of irrational hate and intolerance by those proclaiming extremist ideologies that seek to share vengeance, to alienate those who trust in the adoption of urgent measures to promote dialogue and a peaceful resolution to these conflicts; since violence only creates violence.

As Global Ambassador of Peace, I plea for sanity and prudence, so that in the context of understanding and respect for others, regardless of: their nationality, political ideology or religious faith, be clear that these crimes are isolated expressions of extremist groups seeking to impose their radical beliefs by attacking the lives of those who they consider their enemies. These heinous crimes do not express the feelings of the people involved in the conflict, nor can they be an expression of the policy of the rulers; because the lives of innocent people can never, under any circumstance, regardless of the context to assume the hostilities, be threaten.

At the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace we are confident that both Israelis and Palestinians want to live in peace and overcome this cycle of violence that has been initiated and supported for many years by terrorist groups. The clearest sign of the true feelings of these two nations can be seen by the actions of the families of the murdered Israeli adolescent, Naftali Fraenkel, and the massacred Palestinian teenager, Abu Khdeir, who, according to the press, are communicating and consoling each other via phone calls. The sentiment of Arabs and Jews is also projected in the words of Yishai Fraenkel (Naftali Fraenkel’s uncle) who told reporters that: "The life of an Arab is worth the same as the life of a Jew. Blood is blood, murder is murder, regardless of whether it is the death of a Jew or an Arab."

To stop this cycle of violence, it is essential that the West no longer justify the actions of terrorist groups, and the support from countries that fund extremist movements should end. In summary, it is necessary to consider all sides of this conflict and support initiatives for dialogue, because we all contribute to the peace of the Middle East as an International Community. And the situation of the world relies heavily on Middle Eastern peace.

William Soto Santiago

Global Ambassador of Peace