“When we dialogued with Mr. Dore Gold, members of Knesset, and members of organizations fighting for peace,” he said, “the disagreements did not relate to the Arab Peace Initiative. They accept the Arab Peace Initiative.
“Arab societies have this picture of Israeli society that it embraces a culture of death, wants to spill blood, and does not believe in peace. That is incorrect.” He continued, “The Israeli society that I encountered embraces a culture of peace, has accomplishments it wants to (protect), wants coexistence, and wants peace.”
Hakim also criticized those condemning his delegation’s visit as attempting to use the Palestinian issue for political gain. “Lets stop exploiting the Palestinian suffering and issue to achieve political gains in the region. We want to achieve a new reality for the Palestinian citizen, different from the miserable reality under which he currently lives.”