Questions Asked During Interview:
-You stated you were recently in the Middle East during the Palestinian/Gaza confrontation with Israel and were in Tel Aviv in November, 2012 while Gaza bombarded Tel Aviv during your author event/dialogue. Also, you stated that a week after the bombing of Tel Aviv during your author event, you travelled to Jerusalem where you were arrested in the Old City while leading an interfaith freedom march. Please explain the two experiences, your fears and your objectives for engaging in the above activities.
-In the title, what do you mean by love and terror? Can you give examples of the love and terror aspects of your experiences in the Middle East?
-What motivates you to travel to the West Bank and lead interfaith dialogues and peace marches with Jews, Muslims and Christians? Could you give us examples of dialogues and peace marches and how they give rise to enhancing the peace process there?
-Do you work with fundamentalist, even extremist Muslims, Jews and Christians? Do you think the fundamentalist approach can somehow be countered or changed into a more tolerant one? (If yes, how?)
-What have been the greatest challenges during your interfaith work in the Middle East?
-You state in your book you were arrested and interrogated not once but many times. Can you explain what your captives did to you? What do you think was their purpose for interrogating you? Do you think it was to intimidate and frighten you so you would leave the Middle East?
-What are your views on whether, from your observations in the areas of the West Bank and Hebron, any progress has being made towards any reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians?
-The Israelis and Americans have been accused of paying lip service to desiring peace in the Middle East, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been accused of being a stay-the-course hardliner whose actions have hardly looked like he’s reaching out to the Palestinians and peace efforts
-Even though you believe that a special calling made you go to the Middle East to help coordinate peace efforts, you mention in your book that people you’ve met are driven by hate, fear and “living in the shadow of illusions.” Can you elaborate? What people are talking about? Palestinians, Israelis or both?
-In the Prologue of your book, you talk about being among a group of Palestinians who turned out to be former Israeli prisoners, one for 28 years. Did you fear at all, because you were known to be an American in their midst, they might turn on you?
-You mention two friends, also peace activists, who were recently murdered. Did you ever return to where they were murdered to find out what happened, i.e. who murdered them? You realize being in the Middle East involves some risk-taking. Did you ever worry that you would be a victim yourself and how might that affect peace efforts?
-What role can a universal religion play in bringing peace, if any? And how do you make room for non-believers in this kind of ideological setup?
-Some spiritualists, nowadays, are giving notions of rebirth of noble souls like Moses, Jesus etc. Do you agree with such idea? (Give a reason for agreement or disagreement.)
-What has been the feedback on your efforts toward bringing peace through interfaith events?
-Is there any link between your peace efforts in the Middle East and your story chronicled in your highly acclaimed book, “Storm Over Morocco?” What is unique about that book and “Love and Terror in the Middle East?”
-What are your views on whether, from your observations in the areas of the West Bank and Hebron, any progress has being made towards any reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians? In other words, do you see progress being made in the world today?
-What have been the greatest challenges during your interfaith work in the Middle East?
-How does one become a peace activist? If you could give the audience some advice what would it be?
-Would you like to write more in future on the theme of spirituality and peace? (if you have an idea, describe a little)
-If you could tell the audience one final thing about your book, what would it be?
