By Greg Bouwer on the Israel Institute of NZ website…
When The Elders was launched in 2007 at Nelson Mandela’s initiative, it presented itself as an organisation whose influence would derive not from political office or institutional power, but from the experience, judgment and independence of its members.
Former presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and human rights advocates would use their collective authority to help address some of the world’s most difficult conflicts through dialogue, independence and moral leadership.
The organisation’s authority, therefore, rests not simply on the prominence of its members, but on the expectation that their judgments are informed by careful listening, engagement and a willingness to test competing claims before reaching public conclusions.
This week, a delegation comprising Chair Mary Robinson, Deputy Chair Graça Machel, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, and Pakistani jurist and human rights advocate Hina Jilani travelled first to Amman, where they met Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, before continuing to Ramallah for discussions with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin.
Read Greg Bouwer’s op-ed piece in full on the Israel Institute of NZ website HERE.
And read Greg Bouwer’s article on Helen Clark’s post visit warning [Helen Clark warn’s Palestinian statehood is ‘disappearing’] on J-Wire HERE.
