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Dozens of Arab, Turkish and Israeli journalists met in Brussels last month for a seminar that highlighted the changes sweeping the Middle East, and specifically the growing Arab openness in the wake of regional revolutions.
A short while after joining the seminar, titled "Euro-Mediterranean Relations in the Wake of the Arab Spring,” I realized that the Arab
world as I knew it was no longer the same.
Instead of the automatic reactions we've become accustomed to, such as journalists who stay away from Israelis or the constant charge that "Israel's occupation is at fault for everything," suddenly I encountered a new, frank attitude. While some participants still clung to past views and odd conspiracy theories, others had no interest in Israel or the Palestinians, instead turning their attention to an incisive, vocal process of self-reflection.
During the seminar, some Arab journalists admitted, even if quietly, that their rulers exploited the Palestinian issue for many years and blamed it for Arab distress.
"For many years, Gaddafi exacted a special tax from us – 'The Jihad tax for Palestine" – amounting to one or two percent of our salary," said Libya journalist Reda Fhelboom. ""They said this tax was for the benefit of Jihad, but we know it supported terror groups worldwide."
Fhelboom is an unusual character, who does hide his liberal, decisive views or his pride over recent events in his home country.
"At age 15 already, when I reached high school, I realized everything was nonsense and started to argue with the teacher," he said. "Even my mother, who wasn't educated, knew that it was all nonsense."
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