Islands of Peace, A New Model Join Forces to Advance Vision for Middle East Peace

NEW YORK, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Islands of Peace, Inc.(IOP) is announcing its partnership with A New Model, a Baltimore-based organization which developed a model for lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace based on job growth. Such a peace will be facilitated by a strategic/economic alliance between several Arab states, Israel, and the United States.

The two organizations, with complementary approaches to improving the situation in the conflict-plagued region, are creating a united front to advance their parallel visions for lasting Arab-Israeli peace.

"By joining forces, we can bring more visionaries, philanthropists, business people, scientists and politicians to the table who believe there is hope for a more peaceful Middle East," said Joseph Aoun, president of IOP. "Only then can we bring an end to this painful reality and focus on building a peaceful future instead of the continued devastation of war."

IOP and A New Model's aspirations for the beleaguered region are rooted in economic collaboration. The IOP flagship project, The Menorah Islands Project, wishes to construct a space for those on opposite sides of the conflict to pursue "green" business opportunities together.

A New Model's kindred vision is to build a job-producing Green Industrial Zone in the Middle East. This model incorporates state-of-the-art research and technology so that those of all religious and ethnic backgrounds can work together in common purpose to solve the region's most pressing problems, such as clean water, food production and green energy.

"Joseph and I see an opportunity to put in place a new model for the Middle East, a model that inspires a sense of hope and delivers on that promise with jobs which grow our economies, protect the environment and weaken the hold of extremist thinking," said Nick Dahan, founder of A New Model. "Both of us share that vision, that this new model can steer positive change, by putting in motion a self-evident reality on the ground that speaks louder than words."

Dahan said that A New Model "complements" what The Menorah Islands project has worked on since launching in 2015.

"Joseph is very inspired by Israel and Gaza," Dahan said. "Together, we can address the three biggest questions we have: how to curtail extremist thinking, how to protect the environment and how to grow our economies. IOP and A New Model have the infrastructure and support to turn this dream into a reality."

According to Aoun, collaborating with A New Model helps further the mission of Islands of Peace, which seeks to unite like-minded individuals and projects to achieve the goal of a greater, more peaceful Middle East.

"Wars, poverty, hunger and misery in the Middle East are manmade constructs. They can all be remedied by building these types of economically-viable, successful projects," Aoun said. "We both wish to bring hope to the Middle East, especially to the youth who will be the harbingers of positive change in this ongoing conflict."

About Islands of Peace
Islands of Peace, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation which unites great minds that may never have met without a platform on which to collaborate and innovate. Through economic development, education, environmental conservation, and other non-political opportunities, IOP aims to reverse the tide of conflict and adversity by choosing to work together to achieve peace and prosperity. For more information, visit www.menorahislands.com.

About A New Model
A New Model proposes a refreshing approach to the Middle East conflict by using common existential threats to bring people together in common purpose. Through A New Model, the region would transcend borders built by conflict by creating jobs designed to grow the economy, protect the environment, and weaken the hold of extremist thinking. For more information, visit www.anewmodel.org.

SOURCE Islands of Peace