Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman: Open Letter to President Obama

Mr. Barack Obama

President of the United States of America

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

USA

Dear President Obama,

Ariel Demands to Grow

I, Ron Nachman, am the elected Mayor of the City of Ariel since its establishment 32 years ago.

Over three decades ago I dreamt of establishing a city in Samaria, in the heartland of the State of Israel. My dream was to create a home for Israeli citizens, replete with education, culture, employment and a high quality of life. My dream has been realized.

The City of Ariel is named after Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. Approximately 20,000 residents call Ariel home. In addition, the city’s population swells daily, with an influx of 12,000 students that study at the Ariel University Center.

I believe that you and I have a great deal in common. You are a productive person who believes in the value of actions and in those who take action, irrespective of race or creed. I, too, believe in concerted effort and meaningful actions, through which we can achieve our goals. If I would have to choose a motto that could summarize my belief system it would most likely be “yes we can”.

Please allow me to recognize our achievements. Peace is a lofty goal, which we achieve on a daily basis, here in Ariel. We live alongside our neighbors, we share our employment, we share our infrastructure and resources, we make higher education available to all and we conduct ongoing initiatives which successfully demonstrate the successes of a viable co-existence.

Similarly, I would like to recognize the United States’ significant contribution to peace in this region, as well as your personal efforts to achieve a feasible agreement, for which I am very grateful. Having said that, it is my personal belief that we will not achieve a true and lasting peace through negotiations on the White House lawn, rather through human interaction and cooperation amongst neighbors.

Mr. President, I cordially and respectfully invite you to the City of Ariel. I would like you to see with your own eyes the very issues that are currently being discussed, as maps and even photographs fall far too short of capturing reality. Only the land, the people, the views and the environment are capable of presenting the backdrop for creative and, ultimately, successful solutions.

Both of us, Mr. President, are driven with an intense motivation to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

This letter represents my official invitation to you to visit the City of Ariel, as an integral element in our pursuit towards achieving a true solution that will bring and end to the conflict, improved relations with our neighbors and a better future, forever.

Respectfully,

 

 

Ron Nachman

Mayor of Ariel