The greatest killer in history is war. Many people die from poverty, sickness, or storms, but the greatest artificial killer -- to our regret -- is still the human being. War kills, injures, displaces millions and tears families apart. As human beings, we are forced to ask ourselves why that is.
I believe the answer leads us to an age that preceded today's era of science. Before the boundless promise of technology, we used to depend on the land. The agricultural age lasted at least 10,000 years. And the land was the main provider of the means of living. Naturally, every country wanted to defend their piece of land. So they built armies and security establishments to watch their frontiers. Still, many others wanted to become richer or better and the way for them to do so was to try and take the land of somebody else. The only way to conquer lands of others is by going to war. But the losers of the land would naturally try to get it back and they built armies and created occasions to recover their losses.
The logic of war started to lose its strength the minute we entered the age of science. Science provides more wealth than land. Land can be judged by its size, while science is judged by its yields. We learned this in Israel. If one can have five times yield of the same piece of land, one had better increase the yields than increase the lands. Science by definition doesn't have borders, doesn't have national identities, doesn't create opportunities of superiority. A country that wants to increase its strengths doesn't have to decrease the strengths of others. Science does not need war. It is an engine of growth. But science is neutral and it can also strengthen individual terror and terrorists -- who have neither frontiers, nor laws, nor compassion.
For that reason, it is very hard to fight terror. Terrorists are spread out in non-identified groups. And speaking in the name of a Lord of their own who, according to their rhetoric, cuts the heads of sinners and saves the world.
While at war, there was a camp against a camp -- one camp winning, the other camp losing. In terror, even a camp can hardly stop terrorists because terrorists are not a camp. While the wars created wars, and even when one camp was winning over the other camp, it never brought an end to war. The victor won, but the loser would engage in another battle to regain territory.
When it comes to terror, we have to think how to face this new danger that was so empowered by new technology. If we want to get rid of terror, it is not enough to kill terrorists; we have to kill the reasons for terror -- poverty, lack of opportunity and lack of hope.
In the Middle East, there are 400 million habitants, many of them living in poverty. Half of them are women who are discriminated against, making every nation half a nation, and depriving their own children from the education that only mothers can provide.
Yet we, too, messengers of peace, have a global force to be reckoned with. We live in an interconnected world. Our global village is more accessible and more informed than it has ever been. With the new era of science and technology, our world has changed. We are no longer bound to the land and to national borders. Ideas, innovations and information fly faster than we could have ever dreamed.
This reality is not only a luxury; it is a responsibility. We do not have the excuses of distance and ignorance to justify hatred. And we cannot blame the burdens of the past for our own choices. Today's young generation, full of goodwill, full of potential, must rely on the comfort of their freedoms and neglect the crucial role they have to play in shaping their future.
Our choices matter, and our tomorrow depends entirely on us. For there are those who would love to revert to the days past and revive the prejudices of yesterday.
Peace is not only a matter of overseas legions and situation-room strategies. It can be made between our borders, in our communities, at home and in our hearts. Today, we are reminded that governments have no monopoly on peace. That peace, or the lack thereof, affects each and everyone one of us, and that each and every one of us affects peace.
I have had the blessing to be a public servant for several decades. Over the years, I have come across the tides of peace and the waves of war. Hard decisions, failed attempts, the triumphs of a handshake, the sorrows of disappointment. Yet by all means the most difficult position to negotiate is indifference.
The illusion that our reality is satisfying is the most treacherous of all. For when we can look around and see pain in the world and shrug it off, that is when we know we are on the wrong side of history.
It is up to those who believe in a more peaceful, more tolerant, more hopeful tomorrow to stand up for it. And when leaders seek to rule over people rather than serve them, when governments cater to their electorate rather than to morality, it is up to individuals, wherever they are, to stand for what is right. We need peace between people, not just between governments. That power lies in each and every one of us. We are blessed with the unprecedented tools of science, knowledge, communication, and galloping progress to implement our attempt to spread understanding, generosity, and hope to those around us. We must take full advantage of this opportunity whenever we can.
We must continue to work toward peace, in every way we can, in the Middle East and around the world. We must strengthen the rays of hope and seize the opportunities for the sake of the young generation of the Middle East. And with the promise of science, goodwill, and tolerance, we must continue to push our region toward the new era.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and "Forgive for Peace," in conjunction with the UN's International Day of Peace (Sept. 21, annually). The International Day of Peace is devoted to strengthening the ideals for peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. Forgiveness is the first step on the path toward Peace and therefore the Forgive for Peace Campaign was established. It also marks an annual day of non-violence and calls for a laying down of arms to bring about a 24-hour cease fire on September 21st. To learn more about Forgive for Peace, visit here.