Three wars in 10 years and an 11-year Israeli blockade have left thousands of buildings in the Gaza Strip in ruins. What if affordable construction blocks could be made out of the rubble of war itself? This was the challenge that 23-year-old Majd Mashharawi set herself – and she may have found an answer in her ‘Green Cake’ invention.

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Getting hold of construction materials in Gaza, where Israel controls borders, airspace and waters, is expensive and time-consuming – if possible at all. It was after studying civil engineering at the Islamic University of Gaza that Mashharawi came up with an alternative to cement.

Green Cake looks like ordinary concrete but is more environmentally friendly as it re-uses coal ash. It is called ‘cake’ because it is much lighter than concrete, and the blocks are 25 per cent cheaper than concrete equivalents. Helped by a grant from the university, by August 2016 the project had received its first commission.

“Gaza is a closed area with limited resources and many different, severe problems,” says Mashharawi. “But people here start every day with a sense of hope. I have been through three wars, lost two of my best friends, and my house was partially destroyed. It was hard and horrible, but what I went through made me believe in change.”

Even getting to university was a huge challenge. “Stereotypes here state that women are not suitable for engineering as it requires hard work and muscles. But physics and mathematics are my passions: I wanted deeply to be an engineer.”

I particularly want to encourage female engineers to be independent, strong and capable

Mashharawi hopes Green Cake will help Gaza residents towards self-sufficiency by freeing them from the need to import building materials from outside. And she believes it could have a positive impact on employment too.

“Gaza has the highest unemployment ratio in the world: over 40 per cent of graduates are without jobs. I particularly want to encourage female engineers to be independent, strong and capable.”

Mashharawi said that the people living in Gaza are what make her feel positive about the future. “A famous quote here reads: ‘You cannot build your future without helping others to build theirs.’ I believe in this. Shall I go along with this ugly, unacceptable reality? No. There is a better way to live.”

The post The young engineer with a plan to rebuild Gaza appeared first on Positive News.

The Arab League initiative for peace

The Arab Peace Initiative (API), which is an extraordinary document, would require all Arab countries to normalise relations with Israel in return for comprehensive Arab-Israel peace. The plan offers full recognition of Israel but only if it returned fully to the 4 June 1967 lines, including along the Golan Heights and in east Jerusalem. It also requires a “just solution” for Palestinian refugees, which will bring security, stability and prosperity to the region. It is also worth considering France’s proposal to have European-run border monitors between the Gaza strip and Israel, in an effort to end hostilities and encourage peace.

The role of US in brokering peace

The attempts of successive US presidents, including the present Obama administration, to bring peace are laudable but questionable. Attempts to bring peace in the region can only be genuine if the US stops funding Israel and its allies with billions of dollars worth of the latest high-tech weaponry. Israel’s military aggression against Palestinians amounts to possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN and governments across the world should enforce a legally binding military embargo on Israel similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid.

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Learning from the Northern Ireland peace process

Northern Ireland has become relatively peaceful and prosperous following the Good Friday agreement brokered in 1998. This model is being increasingly applied by political leaders to solve other conflicts around the world. Some of the lessons learned that could be applied in the Israel-Palestine conflict:

1. There should be a lasting ceasefire to end violence as all parties are fed up with 60 years of infighting.

2. Start negotiations between all parties in the conflict – including sworn enemies – in a trusted manner, for sensible solutions.

3. Agreement for a two-state solution in which Palestinian statehood is recognised and Israel’s identity and right to exist is acknowledged.

4. Agreement for equitable sharing of scarce resources, such as oil, water food, land.

5. There is a need for strong leaders to help communities develop trust and close and friendly relations without excluding any group.

6. Genuine efforts at decommissioning weapons and prisoner release.

7. Setting up an Israeli-Arab Council to settle differences instead of resolving them on the battlefield.

8. No rigid preconditions for achieving the objectives of political peace process.

9. Israel needs to adopt more humane approach towards the people of Gaza and lift the blockade and barriers. Palestinian groups should reciprocate with a ceasefire and stop all acts of violence against Israeli people.

The post Peace in the Middle East: international co-operation and learning from Northern Ireland are key appeared first on Positive News.