Daniel BarenboimBERLIN (dpa) ó Symphonic conductor Daniel Barenboim on Sunday [27 June]received the Givat Haviva Peace Center award for promoting peace in the Middle East.
The general musical director of Berlin's State Opera Unter den Linden received the award in ceremonies in Berlin from Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, who heads the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Peace. The Israeli conductor was praised for promoting understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. He is a well-known critic of Israel's settlement policy.
Givat Haviva is an education, research and documentation center founded in 1949 by Hakibbutz Hsarzi Federation. The campus is located in the northern Sharon Valley in Israel.
Noted for his critical stance on Israel's policy toward the Palestinians, Barenboim lashed out again Sunday at what he called "intransigence" by the Israeli government. But he also had harsh words for the Palestinian leadership. "These are two peoples who belong together and who must find a way of living together," he said on N-TV television. "I'm not talking about two nations, but rather two peoples. The Israeli government refuses to recognize that fact," Barenboim said. "And the current Palestinian leadership is also unfortunately unprepared to see reality on this issue."
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