Regional panel – speakers from the Middle East

Peloni:  Israeli Author Tom Wegner setup a panel discussion on peaceful coexistence in the Middle East between the Abrahamic faiths.  Mudar Zahran arrived about half way thru the video and challenged the group with some important statements, many of which are described below.

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Key points raised by Mudar Zahran in the second half of this conversation:

• Middle East conflicts should be analyzed based on their root causes, not headlines or symptoms.
• Colonial-era British and French policies intentionally created long-term regional instability.
• Jordan constitutes most of the territory which was initially assigned as the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.
• Muslim Palestinian statelessness is central to the conflict remaining unresolved.
• Jordan could have resolved Palestinian statehood but chose not to.
• Palestinian leadership was imposed by Western interests and serves to help prolong the conflict.
• Arab governments benefit from maintaining the status quo rather than resolving the issue.
• The “right of return” is viewed as impractical and destabilizing for all sides.
• Jewish refugees from Arab countries constitute a parallel displacement population.
• Jordan’s monarchy perpetuates apartheid-like policies.
• The Muslim Brotherhood is deeply embedded in Jordan’s political system.
• Islamist movements are tools of the controlling regime, not the opposition.
• Jordan’s control of Holy sites fuels religious incitement.
• The October 7 attacks were indefensible and beyond justification.
• Gaza is a strategic geopolitical “point of gravity.”
• Hamas’ rise was tolerated by the West to maintain instability in the region.
• U.S. administrations prior to Trump are criticized for sustaining the conflict.
• The Trump administration prioritizes regional stabilization.
• Hamas will be dismantled and removed from Gaza.
• Gaza will be demilitarized and economically rebuilt.
• Qatar is a Western intermediary acting under Western direction.
• Western governments are responsible for enabling the spread of radical Islamist influence.
• Gulf funding of Western universities is linked to ideological radicalization.
• Designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorist organization is how to defeat Islamist networks.
• Europe’s migration crisis is deliberate, not accidental.
• Radical Islam is a tool of political control.
• Arab societies need to accept responsibility for their governance failures.
• China is an emerging strategic threat in the Middle East.
• Sustainable peace requires structural change, not symbolic reconciliation.

Panel participants included:

Juliana Timorazi, head of the Christian Rescue Foundation in Iraq, former Nobel Peace Prize nominee, prominent leader of the Assyrian people

“Lady Lebanon,” a well-known Lebanese blogger, a prominent voice for the rights of the Christian minority – Maroni in Lebanon

Mudar Adnan Zahran, Head of the Jordanian Opposition Coalition, Jordanian – Jordanian – Jordanian leader who struggles for the democratization of Jordan

Haider Al-Asadi, founder of the Israel-Iraq Friendship Association, Iraqi Shi’ite working for peace and tolerance in the Middle East

Hosted by Tom Wagner and Dora Bender