PALESTINE
The International School Network visited the Permanent General Mission of Palestine to interview the Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Waleed A. Siam.
H.E. Mr. Siam explained to us the current critical situation of Palestine. He explained to us that Palestine is losing much of its land through wars, which are fought not for religions but for homeland. He explained that this has affected so many Palestinians to become refugees in their own country. H.E. Mr. Siam commented that even his grandfather’s homeland is located 7 minutes away from where his family lives. H.E. Mr. Siam expressed to us his desires for Palestine to be widely recognized as a soverign country with its own sea and borders. He noted that despite the hardships, Palestine has a 99% literacy rate. He introduced to us that Palestinians value education as the most important resource in society; many Palestinians belong in the top class of of medication, engineering, and law.
H.E. Mr. Siam expressed to us his two main goals as the Ambassador of Palestine in Japan. Firstly, he is aspires for the Japanese people and government to continue helping Palestine economically, which he is very grateful for. Yet more importantly, he is would like the Japanese government to recognize Palestine as a country. Japan hasn’t recognized Palestine as a sovereign country despite Japan having voted for Palestine to be recognized in the General Assembly of the United Nations.
When H.E. Mr. Siam was a child, he had different aspirations for his future. He had wanted to become a doctor, engineer, and pilot before he settled with his career plan of becoming a politician, where he believes that he can help his country.
H.E. Mr. Siam explained that the term “peace” has been misused in many occasions throughout centuries. He believes that peace is attained through the price of wars, as wars are easy to start but peace is hard to rebuild. Moreover, H.E. Mr. Siam stated that peace would be impossible to attain as long as the large countries of the world are focused on spending and profiting from weapons. He believes that such money should be spent on security purposes, such as for food and medication, that can help people to survive. He expressed that the mentalities of governments and corporations must change in such way so that humankind can be more peaceful than violent. H.E. Mr. Siam explained that despite such difficulty, he does hope for peace, as “it is the only way to enjoy life”.
As a message towards students, H.E. Mr. Siam believes in the importance of reading. He stated that reading many kinds of books and stories from different countries will help open the minds of readers. Secondly, he expressed the importance of traveling and seeing the world with your eyes. H.E. Mr. Siam noted that phones and the internet provides people with too much information that a lot of it is wasted and does not stick to the mind. He therefore expressed that he hopes young people can get off of their phones to enjoy life and nature as it is, and to engage in more human communication.
H.E. Mr. Siam also expressed to us the importance of education. He explained that education can cure society like medication. He noted that education should b emixed and broad, and not just done traditionally. He believes that students should learn to be critical, and open to different ideas.
Reported by
Madoka Nishina
Participants
Madoka Nishina Keio University
Karen Nishina Kumon Kokusaigakuen
