Peoples with early histories are not only the wealth of human heritage. They are the narrative archive of our worldview about ourselves and others. They are the relief of the shaping of our values, where weaknesses and achievements often compete with each other, as in the sadness of Stefan Zweig's pen; in history, the moments during which reason and reconciliation prevail are brief and negligible. In the study of the fragility of times, wars begin when governments believe that the price of aggression is cheap, says Roland Regan. With the weight of political guilt, wars remain weak chisels to carve a peaceful tomorrow according to Martin Luther King.

    The greatest tragedy of this period of conflict between Israel and Palestine is not the shrill cries that blow the steam of war, but the deafening silence of reason in the arteries of forgotten memory that refuses to emerge from the shallows of the interests of the day. Some people still have a hard time accepting John F. Kennedy's emblematic prognosis; geography makes us neighbours, history friends, economy partners and necessity allies. 

    The connections between Albanians with the conflict region and its surroundings are early, but the Albanian protagonism becomes interesting during the Ottoman period. With 39 prime ministers, the Albanians ruled for 100 years or 1/6 of the existence of this empire. Some of the Albanian personalities have also left their mark on the history of the Middle East countries. 
     Hajredin Pasha (Barbarosa), founder of Algeria, then its governor and admiral of the Ottoman fleet in the 16th century, was a close friend of the king of France Francis I. After the request of the Libyan pariah for the liberation of Libya from the Spanish occupation, he created the fifth legion (Khums) with Albanians from the north of Albania. In his honour, the Libyans named the city where the Albanians landed Khums. 90% of its inhabitants today declare that they are Albanians. 

      The Albanian dynasty of Mehmet Ali Pasha, the Albanian from Zemblak of Korca who founded Egypt, ruled it from 1805-1952. His influence was absolute throughout the Middle East. In May 1833, the British and French governments brokered a settlement known as the Convention of Kutahia in the conflict between the governor of Egypt, Mehmet Ali Pasha, and Sultan Mahmud II. Among other things, his son, Ibrahim Pasha, would be appointed Governor of Syria. Ibrahimi, known by the nickname "red" because of his red beard, administered Jerusalem since 1831. The entry of Albanians into the holy city is described by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore as a celebration for all. ..."for five days, Muslims, Greeks, Franciscans, Armenians, and even Jews, celebrated with dance and music in the streets". Ibrahim Pasha established cultural, ethnic and religious equality for everyone. He invited Europeans to establish consulates in Jerusalem. During the ten years of Albanian rule, until November 27, 1840, the inhabitants of Jerusalem enjoyed freedom. 

      Gjiritli Mustafa Naili Pasha, from Pojan of Korca, was governor of Crete between 1832 and 1851 and grand vizier twice from 1853 - 1854 and 1857 -1857. 

     "The right man in the right place" European diplomatic missions would appreciate the appointment as governor of Lebanon in 1883 of the Albanian Catholic intellectual Pashko Vasa, after an incident that had destabilized the country. 

      Mehdi Frashëri was appointed governor of Jerusalem in mid-1912. Frashëri's decisions are considered the first steps in the creation of the state of Israel. He decided that the Jews should have a self-defence force, a self-organizing council. He also guaranteed another enclave in Ramallah, gave a direct telephone link to the Ottoman army who had given him a guarantee that, in case the Jews were attacked by the Arab tribes, they would come to their defence. In 1937, as Albania's representative at the League of Nations, Frashëri was invited to Geneva to give his opinion on Palestine. His project to create two states on the model of Switzerland with cantons, while Jerusalem would be governed by a commissioner of the League of Nations, was seen with great interest. It remains relevant even today, after more than 100 years. 

     According to British archives, the Albanian Ahmet Hilmi Pasha was the finance minister in the uncreated state of Trans-Jordan, whose independence was recognized by the British in 1923. Then, in 1948, Ahmet Pasha created the first Palestinian government and is known as its first prime minister.

      Thousands of Albanians still live today in Damascus, Aleppo, Oman, Alexandria, Cairo, favourite cities for them. Albanian families are considered aristocratic and still have influence in these countries. They have fanatically preserved their origins. They are distinguished by the surnames, Albani or Arnauti. There are approximately 550 Albanians living in Palestine, mainly in Jerusalem, who arrived more than 200 years ago.

      During World War II a part of the European elite settled in those territories, mainly Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. King Zog went to Egypt. Even the reason why the Egyptian generals in 1952 were used to overthrow King Farouk was Zog's role in the royal court as Farouk's adviser who insisted that he accept the creation of the state of Israel. 

      The attitudes of the Albanian state in relation to the Palestinians and the Israelis began to take shape after 1945. Albania officially recognized the state of Israel on April 16, 1949. Until 1973, the attitude of communist Albania against Israel "as a state created by Zionism and world imperialism" , was a dogmatic position. With the creation of the OCP, Albania supported the Palestinian cause but stayed away from the terrorist actions of the OCP in the 70s and 80s. Its representatives enjoyed diplomatic status in Albania. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1990. Albania had already recognized the state of Palestine since 1988. Palestine has an embassy in Tirana, but Albania does not have an embassy in Palestine. 

      Almost parallel, in May 1990 the first signals of a change in Tirana's policy towards Tel-Aviv came through the contacts of our ambassador in Rome Dashnor Dervishi and his Israeli counterpart Mordechai Drori. On August 19, 1991, Foreign Minister Muhamed Kapllani visited Israel and both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish diplomatic relations. With the fall of communism, one of the first steps that Albania took, in addition to diplomatic relations with the USA and Russia, was the advancement of diplomatic relations with Israel. The Albanian state supported the Oslo agreement in 1993 and continued to cultivate good relations with the Palestinians. 

      In the middle of 1998, Prime Minister Nano decided to open a permanent headquarters for the Albanian embassy in Tel Aviv. Arafat's last visit to Albania was in 1997, while Prime Minister Nano visited Tel Aviv and Ramallah in 1998. During the time of the second intifada and Sharon's government, Albania maintained balanced relations with the parties. Deputy Prime Minister Namik Dokle attended Arafat's funeral 19 years ago. Even during the period before and after the Arab Spring, Albania continued to cultivate good and stable relations with the parties. 

      With the opening of the Israeli embassy in Tirana in August 2012, relations between the two countries began to intensify. The high-level visits of President Topi and Meta, then of Prime Minister Rama and Deputy Prime Minister Liberman and other officials, accompanied by the signed agreements, contributed to the strengthening of relations between the two states. Of course, their peak is Israel's recognition of Kosovo in 2020, in an agreement initiated by President Trump. Meanwhile, Albania-Palestine relations did not improve due to two reasons. The position of the Palestinian Authority against the Kosovo issue and the freezing of recognition by the Arab League after the fall from power of President Morsi. 

      The visit of President Meta in 2019 and Prime Minister Rama in 2021 in Cairo served to melt the stagnation of Kosovo's relationship with the Arab League but also of Albania's relationship with the Arab League and Palestine. Of course, also because of Tirana-Ankara relations, Albania's attitudes towards Palestine over the years at the UN have been constructive. 

      There are few countries that, in the crisis that started 2 months ago in Gaza, a crisis that has raised tensions in the Middle East to the level of a world crisis, have good relations with the two parties in the conflict. Therefore, at this historical moment when Albania is a member of the UN Security Council, the first achievement at these levels since the establishment of the UN, it is important to maintain a high performance with both sides, serving peace and stability in the Middle East region and national interest with the addition of new recognitions of Kosovo by OBI and the Arab League. Diplomacy needs cohesion and pragmatism. Quixotic political fanaticisms, like those of Albanian-Palestinian relations during the communist era, are infantile and useless pirouettes. In politics, says Ted Kennedy, as in mathematics, what is not completely correct is wrong.