Noa Ben-Artzi Philosoph: Working towards Mideast peace

Noa Ben-Artzi Philosoph is the granddaughter of Israel's late Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin. A peace activist since an early age, she became internationally prominent after speaking at Rabin's funeral and is the author of "In the Name of Sorrow," a book of memories of her grandfather. She joined the CNN.com chat room from New York.

CNN: Good morning Noa Ben-Artzi Philosoph. Welcome to CNN.com Newsroom. We are pleased to have you with us today.

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: Hello to our audience. I'm very happy that you are with us today.

CNN: Although you are still a young woman, you have been a peace activist much of your life. What is the focus of your peace efforts?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I must tell you I'm not an official peace activist. I do what I find is important, and I volunteer to missions ad hoc, not as a retainer. I'm not active in a party and I don't see myself as a political person. I'm involved. I know what's going on in my country. I'm interested and care about it, but I'm not an official peace camp leader.

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CHAT PARTICIPANT: How do you promote peace in a region fighting since the dawn of history?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: First of all, by never stop hoping and dreaming for peace. Second, if it was the way you describe it, as a country which will probably never know peace, then there's nothing to live for or expect, there's no tomorrow. If that's the attitude, there's no tomorrow.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do Prime Minister Sharon's hard-line policies towards the Palestinians have any real hope of success? Or should Israel go back to your grandfather's approach?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: As we know from the media, next week there are going to be meetings between Shimon Peres, our minister of foreign affairs, and Chairman Arafat. Is this an act of a government that does not promote peace?

CHAT PARTICIPANT: In your opinion, what concessions need to be made for lasting peace?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I think that the Oslo process was about taking the peace process step by step, in order to build mutual trust. First between the leaders, and then among the people, and only after that, to reach reconciliation. And I think this is the right way to do so. You cannot expect reconciliation overnight.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Your Grandfather was murdered by one of your own people. That must have been a terrible disappointment to your family.

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: Yes it was. It was terrible.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do you think your grandfather would have taken it hard that the Palestinians are using the weapons that he gave them?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I think that those who commit suicide and bomb themselves are not using any of the guns or weapons my grandfather gave them.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Noa, how did your grandfather, or even your mother Dalia Rabin Polisoff, deal with Shimon Peres, who is the head of the "peace camp"? It was clear by everything your grandfather said that he simply did not trust Peres.

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: You know in political life, you have rivalries. Sometimes they are more personal. The fact is that in the last three years of my grandfather's life, when they worked together, it was a government of unity between those two men.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Noa, do you think that there will ever be a point that those who supported peace talks and concessions to the Palestinians will have to move to the right wing perspective and, at least for the time being, admit that you cannot strike peace with Arafat?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I don't think that we can tell the Palestinians who is their leader. And I want to remind everyone that we did not even choose the Palestinians as our enemies.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: What is your advice to people from other nations who want to visit the Mid East region?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: To come and visit. :)

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Noa, do you think George W. Bush should be more involved in issues concerning the Middle East?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I think that of course involvement of the U.S. government is blessed. But I think it cannot replace a mutual good will of both Palestinians and Israelis.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Noa, do you think you will see peace in the Middle East in your lifetime? Might you become more active politically in Israel? It seems to me that you would have wonderful support!

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: First of all thank you. But I wish to have a normal peaceful, quiet life. So to answer those questions, it is yes for peace, and for the time being, no for politics.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Have you made an effort to speak to young Palestinians about the current situation? What is their attitude to the current intifada?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: In the last 10 months, I have not been able to speak to young Palestinians, but I study together with Israeli Arabs in the campus and to them I speak. And although we don't see everything eye-to- eye, the one thing that we agree upon, is there is no alternative to peace.

CNN: Do you believe there is a difference in philosophies between today's Israeli youth and those of, say, 20 years ago?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: Of course there is a difference But it is the resolve of the change of generations, like in the States or any other country.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Noa, do you think the trend of young Israeli's refusing military service due to the Israeli policies of attacking civilians is increasing?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: I don't think that a letter of 60-something young people is abnormal in a democratic country in terms of not wanting to go to the military. You don't hear these kind of things from the Palestinians, because there there is no democracy.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Why are people so opposed to total separation, that is, a big wall with no openings and a demilitarized zone? It worked before, it can work again.

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: The only problem is that it's not like we withdraw from Lebanon. You cannot do it without cooperation and if we are talking about cooperation, we prefer to cooperate about peace, not about a wall. The problem with this wall is, and that's why people are opposed to this idea, is that it will have to be with transfer of population from both sides, because of areas where the Arab and the Israeli villages and towns are located side by side.

CNN: Do you have any final thoughts for us today?

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: If it is possible to sum up this very complicated situation, peace is the only alternative and the sooner we go back to the negotiation table, the better it will be. And I wish luck for both sides in the peace talks next week.

CNN: Thank you for joining us today, Noa Ben-Artzi Philosoph.

NOA BEN-ARTZI PHILOSOPH: Thank you very, very, very much!

Noa Ben-Artzi Philosoph joined the CNN.com Newsroom via telephone and CNN provided a typist. The above is an edited transcript of the interview on Friday, September 07, 2001.