The City of Osnabrück honors the Palestinian politician Abdallah Frangi and the Israeli diplomat Avi Primor with the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Award 2013 for their persistent efforts to promote understanding between peoples and for their commitment to a common path of reconciliation.
*April 8, 1935
During his time as Israeli ambassador to Germany from 1993 to 1999, Avi Primor became known to the German public as one of the most important voices in the German-Israeli dialogue. He also spoke out vehemently in favor of dialogue between the various interest groups. After his diplomatic career ended, he founded and directs the trilateral Center for European Studies in Israel in cooperation with a Palestinian and a Jordanian university to promote and facilitate understanding and cooperation between students from the crisis region.
*November 15, 1943
Abdallah Frangi was the PLO's representative in Germany and other countries from 1982 to 1984, and later exclusively in Germany. Until 2005, as general delegate of the Palestinian General Delegation in Germany, he brought the concerns of the Palestinian people to the attention of the German people through intensive relations with German politicians. After serving as Fatah's foreign policy spokesman from 2007 to 2009, Frangi now serves as President Abbas' personal advisor on foreign policy issues in Gaza and Ramallah. Threatened himself and endangered by attacks, he nevertheless advocates a peaceful two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
What distinguishes both of them is that, despite many setbacks and the currently worsening situation in the Middle East, they continue to advocate dialogue, understanding and the search for a common peaceful solution, in the spirit of the words of the writer Remarque: "One must believe in the future, in a better future. The world wants peace".
Osnabrück, November 15, 2013
