A white donkey appeared on the evening of December 1st at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel. Under the strict circumstance of airport known for security, such a sighting seemed an auspicious event.
This day, HWPL Chairman Man Hee Lee, a global peace activist from South Korea, visited to conduct peace talks between Israel and Palestine. He has met numerous leaders of politics, religions, youth and women groups and the press of 170 countries for world peace and the cessation of war.
In Israel, donkey is a symbol of peace. At the moment Mr. Lee arrived in Israel, it was of note to see a donkey waiting for him. Interestingly, Mr. Lee’s clothes and the donkey had the same white color, which universally stands for light.
The owner of the donkey, Zacchaeus,who used a pseudonym said, “Local people at the airport were surprised by the fact that old proverbs of Israel are being accomplished – the Messiah comes riding on a donkey”, and they asked to whom he was referring. “Mr. Lee is a global peace activist from South Korea” he said. “Thankfully, Mr. Lee gave a new name for this donkey ‘the donkey of peace’. Zacchaeus also added, “If he visits Israel again, I will be glad to take this donkey to him.”
Furthermore, a donkey is a stubborn type of animal that does not tend to follow people. However, despite their first encounter, it seemed that the donkey did not want to be apart from Mr. Lee even after he went out of the airport.
Through this journey, Mr. Lee appointed ‘Mar Elias Educational Institutions’ as a ‘HWPL Peace Academy’ and he had a meeting with the leaders of Israeli-Palestinian youth and women groups followed by a meeting with Mayor Vera Baboun of Bethlehem. Furthermore, he discussed the enactment of the international convention for accomplishing substantial peace with the President of Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.
