Ok, so I have send my first project to the Horizon funding system, that is the funding system under the EU.

It is an attempt at building a peace organization to cover the Middle East.

That is not easy, but we need to try.

There is space for more to join, as per the requirements, there has to be multiple donors.

Please send me an email at asgertrierengberg@protonmail.com, if you want to help to try and make peace in the Middle East.

Here under you find to project proposa. It it seen from the perspective of the European Union.

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Do as we preach

The Middle East is an enigma, and a gordic knot. Now it has turned into war again, after a number of years with relative calm.
It is a problem not only for the Middle East, but also for the rest of the world, since the Israel/Palestine war is the mother of all wars. It has a tendency to spread to the rest of the world, through the different connections, allies and so on. It is a world crisis.

What do we do?

I have, for a long time, been an outspoken advocate for the principle of doing as we preach. We preach humanistic democracy, so we should also DO humanistic Democracy. Work with dialogue, with outmost respect for the individual. Not come as a preacher but a friend.

So this project is about that, how do we come as friends in dialogue, and how may this actually work for the peace making of the Middle East.

First of all, we need to take a stroll down the historic lane of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

It started as a conflict between the local Arabs and the Israeli that came from all over the world after the second world war.

The West Bank and Gaza became territories for Arabs to settle on, and not free areas.

This fueled a lot of the resentment between the rest of the Middle East and Israel.

After many years of back and forth, a peace deal was found under the Oslo Accord. Giving the local Arabs a lot of rights, but also curbing the security ability of Israel.

After that, the table turned, and the local Arabs became a wing under some of the enemies that Israel has and have in the Iran Middle East; Egypt, Jordan and prime among them; Iran.

The methods of terror, which was the effect of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terror groups in Gaza was blunt weapons like rockets thrown at Israel indiscriminate of target, hitting children and kindergartens.

So the conflict was not so clean cut anymore.

It culminated in the terror attack of the 7 of October 2023, where trained Hamas fighters and other Gazans went on a killing/raping rampage, leaving the rest of the world chocked.

So we have a conflict with no clear direction concerning right or wrong, it is all just a bit muddy.

How may we, as Europeans work here.

How?

In order for us to understand, what we do to solve the problems at our doorstep, we need to understand the driving factors behind the conflicts.

There could a row of motives, and there are. But at the core of the issue, lies the problem of regional power conflict.

Israel has established itself as a major local power. Even though Israel does not see itself as a local power, because it sees itself more as a member of the European and US family, it is a player in the conflicts in the Middle East.

Over the years, good politicians have made peace with the surrounding local powers. Golda Meir made peace with Egypt, Netanyahu made peace with a lot of the Arab states.

But the rivalry between Iran and Israel has been going on for a long time, and is at the core of the conflicts we have right now.

Iran uses its proxies (supported groups in other countries) as tools to fight Israel and the US. That is the Houthi, forces in Lebanon and so on.

So in order to make peace in Gaza, one needs to see the broader picture. Because the Gaza war is essentially a part of a larger scheme.

Then how may the EU actually make a difference in this hotly contested regional war?

First of all, we have to look at the history of the EU involvement in the regional war. Ms. Mogherini was a strong friend on the Iranian clerics and held a strong position for dialogue with the leaders of Iran.

It is a difficult position to hold, because there are a number of human rights violations in Iran, not at least treating gender issues outside a humanistic frame, but there has, traditionally been a warm friendship between the EU and Iran.

In other words, there is an opening in the diplomatic endeavors that the EU could do between Israel and Iran.

This however would put us in a position a bit off in relation to our closets ally the US. The US is right now actively hitting the Iranian positions.

But, and this is really where I think the EU has a role to play, we still need that voice of reconciliation and peace making.

The EU is the only voice that is ready to go for that option. This is why I truly believe, that what we do here is extremely important for world peace, and for humanistic dialogue in general.

Do as we preach

Then how do we actually do it?

Here I think, as referred to in the intro, that we need to do, is what we propose others to do. That is, be Humanistically Democratic.

We need to bring the dialogue options to the Middle East.

How then?

We do it, by making a project (this project) that furthers the dialogue between the different parts of the region. We go out, as exploratuers, and seek the affirmation of the different parties into a increased dialogue.

The issue is, however, you cant just send anyone, you need to send someone who REPRESENT the European values of humanistic democratic ways.

Here I enter. Being a Democratic/humanistic philosopher, these virtues are at the core of what I believe that I am.

I truly believe in dialogue and I go the extra mile, to get people to understand each other.

A great ideal for me is the rev. Desmond Tutu of the Anglican Church, that sought reconciliation.

It may sound like I am just trying to fulfill the prerequisites of the program, but I honestly, and truly believe in these things.

We need a voice for peace in the Middle East, and I believe, that a project that is funded by the EU, could be such a project.

In practice, what I would do, would be to continue the Social Media Project TV Frihed (TV Freedom) that was funded by the Danish government, and go to the Middle East.

It is a small Social Media project in terms of economy. It is cheap, we use few resources in terms of manpower and we are flexible.

The format is 1/2 hour interview with the persons we work with, and in half an hour we can actually get somewhere.

The project has been instrumental in a lot of green Change developments, but it is also a tool for peace.

Will it work?

Maybe, making peace is difficult. But at the very least, it would show the world, the values of the European Union, in practice. And if it works, we would have gained a whole lot.

PS
If you like the idea, I will flesh out the project in details, and argue for the project tasks and expenses.