I refuse to fight you. I’ll give you your land, your freedom, your dignity. If you kill me, then the blood will be on your hands. I will not hate you as you hate me. We all have to live with ourselves, and I refuse to keep striking you back with words or violence. Your blood on my hands makes me a killer whether you try to kill me, or not. It does no good to strike you. The result is only a short-lived satisfaction knowing I hurt my enemy, but it resolves nothing, except to make your hatred stronger for me.

Why should you have to fight me for rights? I will hold you and your people no more – no matter what the consequences! Your hate will not make me hate. For we are brothers, despite our differences. We both love our children, despite not dressing the same. We both love to breathe the morning wind, despite our belief of who created it. We both bleed the same color, despite the color of our skin that keeps it from spilling.

The final destination of hate is war. Only through forgiveness will we ever realize peace.

The only real power is in surrender. Therefore, I raise the white flag to challenge both our hearts. I will take the first step by throwing the colors that separate us in the river. I ask you to forget the past that is soaked in red. From now on, white will be the only color of my flag.

We must not let our young men kill each other any longer. We must not kill ourselves with hate. We must not let our leaders lead us with vengeance or fear. Our leaders’ strength will be in winning the heart of our enemies, not shedding their blood. And, we will surely win no man’s heart throughthe killing of his brother, his son, or rejoicing in the tears of his daughter.

The only winners in war are those that hate.