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EDHS Contemporary World Affairs -> Discussion Topics, Week C -> Israel-Palestine Peace Center
Post Info TOPIC: Israel-Palestine Peace Center
Ayesha


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Israel-Palestine Peace Center
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/feb/17/peace-house-israel-architecture 

Opening shortly after a devastating conflict, the Peres Peace House is a venue for propagating peace and improving ties between Israel and its neighbours. Furthermore, this smart new piece of architecture is named after Shimon Peres, elder statesman of Israeli politics, Nobel peace prize laureate and founder of the Peres Centre for Peace, a successful non-governmental organisation. He is also the country's president, which complicates matters. While the Peres Centre arranges for the treatment of injured Gaza children in Israeli hospitals, Peres publicly defends the military attacks that put them there.

The new building enables the Peres Centre to host conferences, talks and arts events. It will also house Shimon Peres's personal library and archives, for the benefit of researchers and students. A one-stop peace shop, if you like. But as well as helping to achieve peace, this building had to somehow represent it - to make solid an abstract quality.

It all sounds rather literal but in reality it works marvellously. On the outside, the Peace House immediately stands out as something different - monumental yet light. To enter, you walk down from the road at the top, through a landscaped park alongside the building and round to the glass front doors facing the sea. While the walls are smooth and flat on the outside, on the inside the concrete strata project out, giving the sides an undulating, almost natural texture. Light entering between these concrete slabs illuminates the space magically, even mystically. At certain times, the low sun shines into the building, casting curious shadows, but generally it is filled with a soft, diffused glow that changes with the time of day. It feels, well, peaceful.


Do you think this "peace house" will make any difference in the conflicts Israel and it's neighbors are having? Is this a sign of hope for peace in the middle east? Is it naive to believe that this piece of architecture can promote peace?

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Ayesha Hussaini <3

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ich_binJason


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it's a piece of architecture, it isn't dialogue or legislation. Its helpful, but ultimately useless. I mean it has bomb shelters on every floor, shows how much they believe in the peace of the building.

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Kody Disbrow


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this building could work as a sign of peace but you also need people that are willing to back up that sign and show they are willing to stand by what they say. architecture alone will do nothing.

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KW00D


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I think that it's highly hypocritical that he decided to erect this so called 'Peace House,' yet it houses things such as his library, and as Jason mentioned, multiple bomb shelters. Furthermore, to say that this building is supposed to represent peace, yet turn and say that he supports Israel's attacks is extremely hypocritical. Although the two seem unrelated, it is hardly believable that he really believes in 'peace,' while he's just trying to help injured children. It appears that Peres is using the children[who have no real stance on this ongoing war, and are just neutral victims caught in the cross-fire] to gain support from the rest of the world.

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coramarie:p


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I'm sure it might allow some peace in israel to shine through some people. Meeting a place with no hate and persicution is nice ovcorse! Eventhough this might be a start to something good it's going to take alot to change how others think, because outside those doors their are people who aren't going to listening and dont care for the most part..

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