Dear Council,I hope you will support this proposal to formalize the sister city relations between Boulder and Nablus.
I attended the Council meeting where this idea – of making Nablus a sister city of Boulder – a few years ago. I was disappointed by the council vote that time rejecting the idea and was saddened by most of the spurious reasons given by a number of the speakers who opposed the proposal.
Nablus is a dynamic city with a rich history. As for partnering with a Palestinian city, it is important. The Palestinian people are an essential component to any Middle East peace and Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation cannot be well understood without a greater knowledge of the situation of the Palestinian people – a direct connection – rather than that experience being “translated” through other eyes.I have been greatly impressed with the fine work done by the Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project. It a kind of informal “Peace Corps” like program that has already built meaningful ties between Boulder and the West Bank. There really hardly is anything like it nationwide. It deserves your support and the official recognition of the city of Boulder.I live in Denver, not Boulder, but my wife grew up in Boulder, went to Boulder High School from which she graduated as valedictorian of her class and my father-in-law, her father, Lowell Fey worked at the National Bureau of Standards (when it was so called) and was one of the key founders of the Boulder Farmers’ Market “back in the day.” So I write, perhaps as “an outsider” but one with strong Boulder roots and ties.Best wishes,Rob PrinceRecently Retired Senior Lecturer of International StudiesUniversity of DenverKorbel School of International Studies-and-publisher of Colorado Progressive Jewish News and Rob Prince’s blog at: robertjprince.wordpress.com
