csmonitor--2020-03-23--Daily for March 23, 2020

Daily for March 23, 2020

Verneuil-sur-Seine is not the sort of place you expect to find a revolution going on .
It ’ s a sleepy , nondescript suburb outside Paris , its streets hushed on a recent midweek morning .
But in a cramped office in a converted apartment , an ebullient American mother of five and her French husband , a former auto executive , are busy reinventing capitalism .
Putting purpose before profits and ethics above everything , they are building a new sort of business .
“ We wanted to bring all our personal values into the company , ” says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Basic humanist values like respect for people and the planet.
” Ms. Soubelet and her husband Nicolas make Squiz , re-useable pouches for toddlers to suck applesauce from , which help parents cut down on plastic packaging waste .
Theirs is a tiny company with ten employees ( we ’ ll come back to them later ) , but they are by no means alone .
Even titans of finance are on the same track as a new mood sweeps through businesses on both sides of the Atlantic , prompting CEOs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And the global coronavirus pandemic has added compelling force to this movement .
Suddenly , firms are expected to display compassion and promote the common interest ; the way in which stressed companies treat their workers has become a loud and pressing public concern ; in the United States , paid sick leave has become a political issue .
Battered by the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath , tainted by yawning disparities in income and opportunity , and focused tightly on the bottom line , “ capitalism has been derailed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University economist and recent author of a surprise best-seller “ The Future of Capitalism.
” “ That is stirring new anxieties ... and mutinies ” from Lebanon to Chile and from Brexit to President Donald Trump ’ s election , Professor Collier argues .
“ Potentially , capitalism is a wonderful system , ” he adds .
“ But it doesn ’ t run on autopilot .
It needs rules.
” After decades of laissez faire , he says , from business schools to boardrooms , “ there ’ s a sea change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s bible , the Financial Times , launches a campaign entitled “ Capitalism : Time for a Reset ” as it did last September , you know something is afoot .
In the developed countries where capitalism first flowered , but shifted away from its social obligations , its credibility today is badly tarnished .
A worldwide poll earlier this year found that 56 % of respondents thought the system was doing “ more harm than good.
” And when the pro-free market think tank Legatum surveyed British public opinion in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most often associated with greed , selfishness , and corruption – “ the kind of ‘ brand personality ’ one would expect from an organization in acute reputational crisis , ” its report pointed out .
The current model of unfettered neoliberalism is not keeping capitalism 's promise of rising prosperity for all .
From San Francisco to Stockholm , well-educated people living in a metropolis have done well from globalization and the prevailing ethos of individualism ; less-educated provincials have seen far fewer benefits .
Labor ’ s slice of the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 39 % since 1970 , while the share going to wealthier individuals who own capital ( such as stocks ) has risen correspondingly .
In the U.S. , labor productivity has gone up by nearly 70 % since 1979 , but wages have risen by less than 12 % .
Executive pay , meanwhile , has reached astronomical levels .
In 2018 , the 100 best paid U.S. CEOs earned 254 times the median pay of their companies ’ employees , according to SEC filings .
Income inequalities “ are going very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledges Angel Gurria , the Mexican head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , the free market ’ s Paris-based think tank .
“ You can understand why everybody is so angry.
” Behind the figures is the way capitalism has been practiced for the past half-century , since the free market economist Milton Friedman wrote in a celebrated New York Times article that “ there is one and only one social responsibility of business ... to increase its profits.
” That dictum has dominated business thinking ever since , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sole metric by which to judge a company ’ s success .
CEOs have been obliged – by their boards and their investors – to prioritize quarterly earnings performance over all other criteria .
It wasn ’ t always like this ; Henry Ford was keen on reminding people that “ a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
” But in the 1980s that mindset was swept aside by the outlook expressed in a sign hanging outside the trading room of Bear Sterns : “ Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't help in the long run ; Bear Sterns was the first bank to go under in the 2008 financial crisis .
Back in 1943 , Johnson & Johnson published its business credo , stressing the firm ’ s responsibility to customers , employees and suppliers , and to local communities and the environment , before its duty to stockholders .
That approach was not common then , but it is stirring now in more and more boardrooms as business leaders carve out a new role for their companies .
Last August 181 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including the bosses of Apple , Walmart and PepsiCo , signed a pledge proclaiming their “ fundamental commitment to of our stakeholders ” and renouncing the doctrine of shareholder primacy .
And now the coronavirus pandemic has prompted people to scrutinize such companies ’ behavior , and hold them to higher standards .
Whole Foods , part of the Amazon empire , ran into a storm of public criticism recently when CEO John Mackey suggested that employees could donate their paid time-off hours to colleagues facing medical emergencies .
This appeared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foods ’ staff , rather than the company .
Whole Foods and other firms have revised their paid time off policies to help employees cope with the pandemic .
“ It ’ s these notions of purpose , trustworthiness , values , and culture that underpin a reconceptualization of business for the 21st century , ” said Colin Mayer , the former dean of Oxford University ’ s Saïd Business School , at a recent seminar .
But what does that look like in real life ?
For Elizabeth Soubelet , it all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applesauce in 64-pouch family packs , she recalls , “ and my kids were finishing them in like 14 seconds flat ” and then throwing the aluminum-lined plastic containers away .
“ I grew up in America in the '70s and '80s , in the heyday of trash , ” she says .
“ I thought this was one thing that I could do better.
” She looked online , and found that all the reusable pouches came from China .
That was no good ; she didn ’ t like the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an exploitative sweatshop with poor environmental controls 5,000 miles away .
Bad for the planet .
So she decided to make her own , and with her businessman husband set about creating a company with a simple mission : to help people reduce waste by using the company ’ s reusable pouches , playfully decorated with cuddly exotic animals .
But Squiz also has a broader vision of its purpose , Nicolas explains .
“ We want to build an organization that cares for people generally – our customers , our employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So as to keep the company ’ s carbon footprint light , and to fulfill a social purpose , Squiz entrusts its packing and dispatch to a local nonprofit employing intellectually disabled people .
Last year that meant some time-consuming and costly mix-ups , but Squiz sales administrator Virginie Bartoli , who spent weeks at the packing center sorting things out , discovered a silver lining .
“ I didn ’ t know much about handicapped people , but I realized when I was working there that everyone has the right to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This job I do has made me more human , in some ways.
” Squiz insists that all its products ’ components should be made and assembled in Europe , to European labor standards .
“ We take a stand , ” says Sophie Amman , head of marketing and engagement .
European workers are expensive , she knows , “ but for us the bottom line is not the top priority.
” Still , what does all the care for the environment , the employee perks , the insistence that all materials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line ?
Just how much does it raise the cost per unit ?
“ That ’ s a question that drives me crazy , ” Elizabeth splutters .
“ What would you call the base cost ?
The China price ?
You can only tell the ‘ real ’ price when you add in the damage to peoples ’ health and to the planet.
” Squiz has settled on a price of $ 5.50 for a pouch designed to be used at least 50 times .
Sales have risen 40 % year on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for fairness has spread .
That reputation has been cemented by Squiz ’ certification as a “ B Corporation ” ( the B stands for benefit ) by an independent agency that has validated the company ’ s performance as a sustainable and ethical enterprise .
The 3,000-plus B Corps around the world , which include Ben and Jerry ’ s and the outdoor-gear manufacturer Patagonia , are legally obliged to consider the impact of corporate decisions on their workers , customers , suppliers , community and environment .
They see themselves as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force for good , ” a better way of running capitalism that benefits a range of stakeholders , not just shareholders .
And there is no more vocal champion of “ doing well by doing good ” than Paul Polman .
Mr. Polman , an energetic and talkative Dutchman , climbed the corporate ladder at Procter & Gamble for 27 years .
But he made his name as the boss of a rival consumer goods giant , Unilever , the Anglo-Dutch firm that owns brands worldwide such as Hellmann ’ s , Dove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , until he left his job last year , that he pioneered the stakeholder model of multinational capitalism .
At first , he angered investors when he took over in 2009 by refusing to offer the traditional quarterly profit forecasts on which financial analysts rely , and insisting on taking a longer-term view of his company ’ s performance .
Unilever shares fell 10 % .
Then Mr. Polman alarmed them even more by devoting money and attention to something he called the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan , which involved all sorts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
He pledged Unilever would buy all of its agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources by 2020 .
( In fact , it has managed to hit 70 % . )
He announced ambitious personal hygiene targets in developing countries , launching hand-washing programs for kids and building 30 million toilets .
That built the trust that is especially critical to consumer product companies , but which can decide the fate of any company .
And a global study earlier this year found that ethical issues such as integrity are three times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to trusting a company .
For Unilever , all this paid off .
The company yielded 290 % shareholder return over Mr. Polman ’ s decade at the helm , he says proudly .
“ The development agenda is a business agenda , ” he insists .
“ It doesn ’ t have to be a tradeoff.
” The financial markets are still somewhat hesitant , he says , “ but investors are starting to wake up.
” BlackRock , the largest asset management company in the world , handling $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point .
In his 2019 annual letter to the heads of the companies that BlackRock invests in , CEO Larry Fink urged them to identify and express their companies ’ purpose .
This year he announced that BlackRock ’ s actively managed funds will no longer invest in companies that derive more than 25 % of their revenue from thermal coal .
“ We ’ ll walk away from businesses whose purpose we don ’ t believe is particularly compelling or will ensure that the company will be around for a long time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Keeffe .
In the same vein , the head of the world ’ s largest asset owner , the Japanese government ’ s pension investment fund , warned in an open letter earlier this month that “ companies that seek to maximize corporate revenue without considering their impacts on other stakeholders ... are not attractive investment targets for us.
” Such pronouncements have drawn accusations of “ purpose washing ” ; and activists are still waiting to see any change in behavior by any of the companies that signed on last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of commitment to “ all of our stakeholders.
” “ That was just a statement , ” says Andrew Winston , who advises businesses on sustainability .
“ It didn ’ t actually commit the companies to much of anything and it remains to be seen how they apply it .
But it was symbolically important and it has started a debate.
” Now they must put their money where their mouth is , says Mr. Polman .
And he doesn ’ t think they should be afraid to forge a new path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back him up : In the current stock market rout , ESG funds ( focusing on environmental , social , and governance investing ) have outperformed their peers .
“ Ten years ago , I did what I did as an act of faith , ” Mr. Polman says .
“ But now there are quite a lot of hard facts showing that purpose-driven , long-term , multi-stakeholder firms which respect people and the planet see better business performance .
“ Companies that do all this will be ready for the future .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dinosaurs .
”

A fresh ethos for capitalism? ‘Do the right thing.’ Collapse
Verneuil-sur-Seine is not the sort of place you expect to find a revolution going on.
It’s a sleepy, nondescript suburb outside Paris, its streets hushed on a recent midweek morning. But in a cramped office in a converted apartment, an ebullient American mother of five and her French husband, a former auto executive, are busy reinventing capitalism.
Putting purpose before profits and ethics above everything, they are building a new sort of business. “We wanted to bring all our personal values into the company,” says Elizabeth Soubelet, a trained midwife. “Basic humanist values like respect for people and the planet.”
Ms. Soubelet and her husband Nicolas make Squiz, re-useable pouches for toddlers to suck applesauce from, which help parents cut down on plastic packaging waste. Theirs is a tiny company with ten employees (we’ll come back to them later), but they are by no means alone. Even titans of finance are on the same track as a new mood sweeps through businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, prompting CEOs to shift out of greed and into good.
And the global coronavirus pandemic has added compelling force to this movement. Suddenly, firms are expected to display compassion and promote the common interest; the way in which stressed companies treat their workers has become a loud and pressing public concern; in the United States, paid sick leave has become a political issue.
Battered by the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, tainted by yawning disparities in income and opportunity, and focused tightly on the bottom line, “capitalism has been derailed,” says Paul Collier, an Oxford University economist and recent author of a surprise best-seller “The Future of Capitalism.”
“That is stirring new anxieties ... and mutinies” from Lebanon to Chile and from Brexit to President Donald Trump’s election, Professor Collier argues. “Potentially, capitalism is a wonderful system,” he adds. “But it doesn’t run on autopilot. It needs rules.”
After decades of laissez faire, he says, from business schools to boardrooms, “there’s a sea change going on.”
Peter Ford/The Christian Science Monitor View caption Hide caption Two staff members work at Squiz's office, a converted apartment, in Verneuil-sur-Seine, France, on Feb. 20, 2020. Sales of the company's reusable food pouches have risen 40% as Squiz's reputation for fairness has spread.
Time for a reset?
When the global businessman’s bible, the Financial Times, launches a campaign entitled “Capitalism: Time for a Reset” as it did last September, you know something is afoot.
In the developed countries where capitalism first flowered, but shifted away from its social obligations, its credibility today is badly tarnished. A worldwide poll earlier this year found that 56% of respondents thought the system was doing “more harm than good.”
And when the pro-free market think tank Legatum surveyed British public opinion in 2017, it found the notion of capitalism most often associated with greed, selfishness, and corruption – “the kind of ‘brand personality’ one would expect from an organization in acute reputational crisis,” its report pointed out.
The current model of unfettered neoliberalism is not keeping capitalism's promise of rising prosperity for all. From San Francisco to Stockholm, well-educated people living in a metropolis have done well from globalization and the prevailing ethos of individualism; less-educated provincials have seen far fewer benefits.
Labor’s slice of the global income pie has fallen from 54% to 39% since 1970, while the share going to wealthier individuals who own capital (such as stocks) has risen correspondingly. In the U.S., labor productivity has gone up by nearly 70% since 1979, but wages have risen by less than 12%.
Executive pay, meanwhile, has reached astronomical levels. In 2018, the 100 best paid U.S. CEOs earned 254 times the median pay of their companies’ employees, according to SEC filings.
Income inequalities “are going very fast in the wrong direction,” acknowledges Angel Gurria, the Mexican head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the free market’s Paris-based think tank. “You can understand why everybody is so angry.”
SOURCE: Oxfam | Jacob Turcotte/Staff
Behind the figures is the way capitalism has been practiced for the past half-century, since the free market economist Milton Friedman wrote in a celebrated New York Times article that “there is one and only one social responsibility of business ... to increase its profits.”
That dictum has dominated business thinking ever since, and it has made “shareholder value” the sole metric by which to judge a company’s success. CEOs have been obliged – by their boards and their investors – to prioritize quarterly earnings performance over all other criteria.
It wasn’t always like this; Henry Ford was keen on reminding people that “a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” But in the 1980s that mindset was swept aside by the outlook expressed in a sign hanging outside the trading room of Bear Sterns: “Let’s make nothing but money.”
It didn't help in the long run; Bear Sterns was the first bank to go under in the 2008 financial crisis.
Back in 1943, Johnson & Johnson published its business credo, stressing the firm’s responsibility to customers, employees and suppliers, and to local communities and the environment, before its duty to stockholders.
That approach was not common then, but it is stirring now in more and more boardrooms as business leaders carve out a new role for their companies. Last August 181 U.S. corporate members of the Business Roundtable, including the bosses of Apple, Walmart and PepsiCo, signed a pledge proclaiming their “fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders” and renouncing the doctrine of shareholder primacy.
And now the coronavirus pandemic has prompted people to scrutinize such companies’ behavior, and hold them to higher standards. Whole Foods, part of the Amazon empire, ran into a storm of public criticism recently when CEO John Mackey suggested that employees could donate their paid time-off hours to colleagues facing medical emergencies. This appeared to put some of the burden on Whole Foods’ staff, rather than the company.
Whole Foods and other firms have revised their paid time off policies to help employees cope with the pandemic.
“It’s these notions of purpose, trustworthiness, values, and culture that underpin a reconceptualization of business for the 21st century,” said Colin Mayer, the former dean of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, at a recent seminar.
But what does that look like in real life?
Considering every angle
Peter Ford/The Christian Science Monitor View caption Hide caption Clément Huet, who works at a center for people with intellectual disabilities, packs Squiz pouches prior to distribution on Feb. 20, 2020. Providing work for such centers is part of Squiz's social responsibility, say the company's owners. Squiz is in the vanguard of a swelling movement among businesses to put purpose ahead of profit.
For Elizabeth Soubelet, it all began with shame. She was buying applesauce in 64-pouch family packs, she recalls, “and my kids were finishing them in like 14 seconds flat” and then throwing the aluminum-lined plastic containers away.
“I grew up in America in the '70s and '80s, in the heyday of trash,” she says. “I thought this was one thing that I could do better.”
She looked online, and found that all the reusable pouches came from China. That was no good; she didn’t like the idea of buying something that might be made in an exploitative sweatshop with poor environmental controls 5,000 miles away. Bad for the planet.
So she decided to make her own, and with her businessman husband set about creating a company with a simple mission: to help people reduce waste by using the company’s reusable pouches, playfully decorated with cuddly exotic animals.
But Squiz also has a broader vision of its purpose, Nicolas explains. “We want to build an organization that cares for people generally – our customers, our employees, our suppliers and the environment.”
That isn’t always easy.
So as to keep the company’s carbon footprint light, and to fulfill a social purpose, Squiz entrusts its packing and dispatch to a local nonprofit employing intellectually disabled people. Last year that meant some time-consuming and costly mix-ups, but Squiz sales administrator Virginie Bartoli, who spent weeks at the packing center sorting things out, discovered a silver lining.
“I didn’t know much about handicapped people, but I realized when I was working there that everyone has the right to work,” says Ms. Bartoli. “This job I do has made me more human, in some ways.”
Squiz insists that all its products’ components should be made and assembled in Europe, to European labor standards. “We take a stand,” says Sophie Amman, head of marketing and engagement. European workers are expensive, she knows, “but for us the bottom line is not the top priority.”
Still, what does all the care for the environment, the employee perks, the insistence that all materials be recyclable, do to the bottom line? Just how much does it raise the cost per unit?
“That’s a question that drives me crazy,” Elizabeth splutters. “What would you call the base cost? The China price? You can only tell the ‘real’ price when you add in the damage to peoples’ health and to the planet.”
Squiz has settled on a price of $5.50 for a pouch designed to be used at least 50 times. Sales have risen 40% year on year as the company’s reputation for fairness has spread.
That reputation has been cemented by Squiz’ certification as a “B Corporation” (the B stands for benefit) by an independent agency that has validated the company’s performance as a sustainable and ethical enterprise.
The 3,000-plus B Corps around the world, which include Ben and Jerry’s and the outdoor-gear manufacturer Patagonia, are legally obliged to consider the impact of corporate decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and environment. They see themselves as the vanguard of “business as a force for good,” a better way of running capitalism that benefits a range of stakeholders, not just shareholders.
And there is no more vocal champion of “doing well by doing good” than Paul Polman.
Making capitalism sustainable
Mr. Polman, an energetic and talkative Dutchman, climbed the corporate ladder at Procter & Gamble for 27 years. But he made his name as the boss of a rival consumer goods giant, Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch firm that owns brands worldwide such as Hellmann’s, Dove, and Lipton tea.
It was there, until he left his job last year, that he pioneered the stakeholder model of multinational capitalism.
At first, he angered investors when he took over in 2009 by refusing to offer the traditional quarterly profit forecasts on which financial analysts rely, and insisting on taking a longer-term view of his company’s performance. Unilever shares fell 10%.
Then Mr. Polman alarmed them even more by devoting money and attention to something he called the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, which involved all sorts of projects that seemed harebrained at the time.
He pledged Unilever would buy all of its agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources by 2020. (In fact, it has managed to hit 70%.) He announced ambitious personal hygiene targets in developing countries, launching hand-washing programs for kids and building 30 million toilets.
“Each Unilever brand had a social mission and a purpose,” Polman recalls.
Kevin Wolf/AP/File View caption Hide caption Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, has been in the forefront of moves to give business a moral purpose. Its Sustainable Living Plan, launched nine years ago, requires company executives to look beyond profit, says former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, who came up with the idea.
That built the trust that is especially critical to consumer product companies, but which can decide the fate of any company. And a global study earlier this year found that ethical issues such as integrity are three times more important to people than competence when it comes to trusting a company.
For Unilever, all this paid off. The company yielded 290% shareholder return over Mr. Polman’s decade at the helm, he says proudly. “The development agenda is a business agenda,” he insists. “It doesn’t have to be a tradeoff.”
The financial markets are still somewhat hesitant, he says, “but investors are starting to wake up.”
BlackRock, the largest asset management company in the world, handling $7 trillion, is a case in point.
In his 2019 annual letter to the heads of the companies that BlackRock invests in, CEO Larry Fink urged them to identify and express their companies’ purpose. This year he announced that BlackRock’s actively managed funds will no longer invest in companies that derive more than 25% of their revenue from thermal coal.
“We’ll walk away from businesses whose purpose we don’t believe is particularly compelling or will ensure that the company will be around for a long time,” explains BlackRock spokesman Ryan O’Keeffe.
In the same vein, the head of the world’s largest asset owner, the Japanese government’s pension investment fund, warned in an open letter earlier this month that “companies that seek to maximize corporate revenue without considering their impacts on other stakeholders ... are not attractive investment targets for us.”
Such pronouncements have drawn accusations of “purpose washing”; and activists are still waiting to see any change in behavior by any of the companies that signed on last year to the Business Roundtable’s declaration of commitment to “all of our stakeholders.”
“That was just a statement,” says Andrew Winston, who advises businesses on sustainability. “It didn’t actually commit the companies to much of anything and it remains to be seen how they apply it. But it was symbolically important and it has started a debate.”
Now they must put their money where their mouth is, says Mr. Polman. And he doesn’t think they should be afraid to forge a new path for capitalism. The figures seem to back him up: In the current stock market rout, ESG funds (focusing on environmental, social, and governance investing) have outperformed their peers.
“Ten years ago, I did what I did as an act of faith,” Mr. Polman says. “But now there are quite a lot of hard facts showing that purpose-driven, long-term, multi-stakeholder firms which respect people and the planet see better business performance.
“Companies that do all this will be ready for the future. The rest will turn out to be dinosaurs.”
Read the entire Navigating Uncertainty series.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Pompeo visits Afghanistan to jump start stalled peace deal

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left Afghanistan on Monday without saying whether he was able to broker an agreement between the country 's squabbling political leaders .
Secretary Pompeo was in Kabul on an urgent visit to try to move forward a U.S. peace deal signed last month with the Taliban .
He 'd traveled thousands of miles despite a near-global travel shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic , at a time when world leaders and statesmen are curtailing official travel .
But as his plane took off from Kabul , there was still no announcement on whether he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s political impasse .
Since the signing of the deal , the peace process has stalled amid political turmoil in Afghanistan , with the country 's leaders squabbling over who was elected president .
President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in last September 's presidential polls , Abdullah Abdullah , have both declared themselves the country 's president in dueling inauguration ceremonies earlier this month .
Mr. Pompeo met separately with Mr. Ghani and was meeting with Mr. Abdullah before going to meet together with both Afghan leaders .
His schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming together for a one-on-one meeting , presumably to discuss a possible compromise .
The United States pays billions every year toward the Afghan budget , including the country 's defense forces .
Afghanistan barely raises a quarter of the revenue it needs to run the country , giving Mr. Pompeo considerable financial leverage to force the two squabbling leaders to overcome the impasse .
The political turmoil has put on hold the start of intra-Afghan peace talks that would include the Taliban .
Those talks are seen as a critical next step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow the United States to bring home its troops and give Afghans the best chance at peace .
`` We are in a crisis , '' a State Department official told reporters accompanying Mr. Pompeo .
`` The fear is that unless this crisis gets resolved and resolved soon , that could affect the peace process , which was an opportunity for this country that [ has ] stood in this 40-years-long war .
And our agreement with the Talibs could be put at risk . ''
The official briefed reporters on condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The U.S. and NATO have already begun to withdraw some troops from Afghanistan .
The final pullout of U.S. forces is not dependent on the success of intra-Afghan negotiations but rather on promises made by the Taliban to deny space in Afghanistan to other terror groups , such as the insurgents ' rival Islamic State group .
But within days of the U.S. and the Taliban signing the peace deal in Qatar on Feb. 29 , Afghanistan sunk into a political crisis with Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah squaring off over election results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a promise made in the U.S.-Taliban deal to free up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners .
The insurgents were for their part to free 1,000 Afghan officials and soldiers they hold captive .
The exchange was meant to be a good-will gesture by both sides to start the negotiations .
The urgency of Mr. Pompeo 's surprise visit was highlighted by the fact that the State Department has warned American citizens against all international travel , citing the spread of the new coronavirus .
Mr. Pompeo has cancelled at least two domestic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including one to a now-cancelled G7 foreign ministers meeting that was to have taken place in Pittsburgh this week .
That meeting will now take place by video conference .
Mr. Pompeo 's last overseas trip in late February was to Doha , Qatar , for the signing of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal he is now trying to salvage .
As the virus pandemic has worsened , causing many nations to close their borders and airports and cancel international flights , Mr. Pompeo and the State Department have come under increasing criticism for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseas get home .
Washington 's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad , who has been trying to jumpstart talks between Afghans on both sides of the conflict – the next critical step in the U.S.-Taliban deal – tweeted early Monday that the two sides are talking about the prisoner exchange .
The intra-Afghan negotiations were never going to be easy but since Washington signed the peace deal with the Taliban , it has struggled to get the Afghan government to at least offer a unified position .
Mr. Pompeo 's visit is also extraordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the United Nations , had earlier said it would not again be drawn into mediating between feuding Afghan politicians .
While the Afghan election committee this time gave the win to Mr. Ghani , Mr. Abdullah and the election complaints commission charged widespread irregularities to challenge Mr. Ghani 's win .
In Afghanistan 's previous presidential election in 2014 , also marred by widespread fraud and deeply disputed results , Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah emerged as leading contenders .
Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mediated between the two and eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Mr. Ghani as president and Mr. Abdullah holding the newly created but equal in statute post of the country 's chief executive .
However , the Ghani-Andullah partnership was a difficult one , and for much of its five years triggered a parliamentary paralysis leading up to the September balloting .
This story was reported by The Associated Press with contributions from Associated Press writer Matt Lee in Washington .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
@ @ @ @ @

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left Afghanistan on Monday without saying whether he was able to broker an agreement between the country's squabbling political leaders.
Secretary Pompeo was in Kabul on an urgent visit to try to move forward a U.S. peace deal signed last month with the Taliban. He'd traveled thousands of miles despite a near-global travel shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when world leaders and statesmen are curtailing official travel.
But as his plane took off from Kabul, there was still no announcement on whether he'd worked out a solution to Afghanistan’s political impasse.
Since the signing of the deal, the peace process has stalled amid political turmoil in Afghanistan, with the country's leaders squabbling over who was elected president.
President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in last September's presidential polls, Abdullah Abdullah, have both declared themselves the country's president in dueling inauguration ceremonies earlier this month.
Mr. Pompeo met separately with Mr. Ghani and was meeting with Mr. Abdullah before going to meet together with both Afghan leaders. His schedule also has Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah coming together for a one-on-one meeting, presumably to discuss a possible compromise.
The United States pays billions every year toward the Afghan budget, including the country's defense forces. Afghanistan barely raises a quarter of the revenue it needs to run the country, giving Mr. Pompeo considerable financial leverage to force the two squabbling leaders to overcome the impasse.
The political turmoil has put on hold the start of intra-Afghan peace talks that would include the Taliban. Those talks are seen as a critical next step in the peace deal, negotiated to allow the United States to bring home its troops and give Afghans the best chance at peace.
"We are in a crisis," a State Department official told reporters accompanying Mr. Pompeo. "The fear is that unless this crisis gets resolved and resolved soon, that could affect the peace process, which was an opportunity for this country that [has] stood in this 40-years-long war. And our agreement with the Talibs could be put at risk."
The official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. concerns.
The U.S. and NATO have already begun to withdraw some troops from Afghanistan. The final pullout of U.S. forces is not dependent on the success of intra-Afghan negotiations but rather on promises made by the Taliban to deny space in Afghanistan to other terror groups, such as the insurgents' rival Islamic State group.
But within days of the U.S. and the Taliban signing the peace deal in Qatar on Feb. 29, Afghanistan sunk into a political crisis with Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah squaring off over election results and Mr. Ghani refusing to fulfill his part of a promise made in the U.S.-Taliban deal to free up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The insurgents were for their part to free 1,000 Afghan officials and soldiers they hold captive. The exchange was meant to be a good-will gesture by both sides to start the negotiations.
The urgency of Mr. Pompeo's surprise visit was highlighted by the fact that the State Department has warned American citizens against all international travel, citing the spread of the new coronavirus. Mr. Pompeo has cancelled at least two domestic U.S. trips because of the outbreak, including one to a now-cancelled G7 foreign ministers meeting that was to have taken place in Pittsburgh this week. That meeting will now take place by video conference.
Mr. Pompeo's last overseas trip in late February was to Doha, Qatar, for the signing of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal he is now trying to salvage.
As the virus pandemic has worsened, causing many nations to close their borders and airports and cancel international flights, Mr. Pompeo and the State Department have come under increasing criticism for not doing enough to help Americans stranded overseas get home.
Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been trying to jumpstart talks between Afghans on both sides of the conflict – the next critical step in the U.S.-Taliban deal – tweeted early Monday that the two sides are talking about the prisoner exchange.
The intra-Afghan negotiations were never going to be easy but since Washington signed the peace deal with the Taliban, it has struggled to get the Afghan government to at least offer a unified position.
Mr. Pompeo's visit is also extraordinary for the fact that the U.S., like the United Nations, had earlier said it would not again be drawn into mediating between feuding Afghan politicians. While the Afghan election committee this time gave the win to Mr. Ghani, Mr. Abdullah and the election complaints commission charged widespread irregularities to challenge Mr. Ghani's win.
In Afghanistan's previous presidential election in 2014, also marred by widespread fraud and deeply disputed results, Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah emerged as leading contenders. Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry mediated between the two and eventually cobbled together a so-called unity government, with Mr. Ghani as president and Mr. Abdullah holding the newly created but equal in statute post of the country's chief executive.
However, the Ghani-Andullah partnership was a difficult one, and for much of its five years triggered a parliamentary paralysis leading up to the September balloting.
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This story was reported by The Associated Press with contributions from Associated Press writer Matt Lee in Washington.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-03-11--In Wuhan, a cautious return to work after coronavirus ebbs

The province at the center of China 's virus outbreak began allowing factories and some other businesses to reopen Wednesday in a show of confidence that Beijing is gaining control over the disease that devastated its economy .
Chinese leaders are trying to revive business after the most sweeping anti-disease controls ever imposed shut down manufacturing , travel , and other industries in late January , sending shock waves through the global economy .
On Tuesday , President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan , the city where the coronavirus emerged in December , in a sign China believes its crisis might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and European governments tighten anti-disease controls .
Manufacturers , food processors , and other businesses in Wuhan that are essential to the national economy or providing daily necessities can resume operation , the Hubei provincial government announced .
The city of 11 million people , about 450 miles west of Shanghai , is the manufacturing hub of central China .
The changes are meant to `` accelerate establishment of economic and social operation order , compatible with the epidemic prevention , '' said a government statement .
Companies that reopen are required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspect employees for signs of disease , and keep workplaces disinfected .
The statement said controls that have kept most people in Wuhan and surrounding cities in their homes for seven weeks will be eased to allow employees to go to work but movement will be tightly controlled .
Companies in and around Wuhan that are reopening include makers of electric car batteries , pharmaceuticals , telecom components , and Chinese-style liquor , according to news reports .
Controls have been eased in other areas of China that are considered at low disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still are in place .
Factories are reopening , but automakers and other industries are n't expected to return to normal production until at least mid-April due to disruption to supplies of components .
A foreign ministry spokesman expressed confidence the impact on China 's economy is `` temporary and limited . ''
He rejected suggestions companies should move operations out of the country or find foreign suppliers of components and raw materials to reduce the risk of future disruptions .
`` Factors and conditions that support the high-quality development of the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spokesman , Geng Shuang .
`` With the recent progress China has made in domestic epidemic prevention and control , key industries including foreign-funded enterprises and leading enterprises have resumed work , '' Mr. Geng said .
`` It is neither realistic nor wise to artificially cut off the global supply chain , nor even tout 'transfer ' and 'decoupling ' of the supply chain . ''
Also on Wednesday , officials at a Cabinet meeting led by Premier Li Keqiang , China 's No .
2 leader , promised easier credit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to a statement read on the state TV evening news .
The officials promised `` relief policies will be equally enjoyed by domestic and foreign enterprises , '' the statement said .
More than 80,000 people in China have been diagnosed with the coronavirus .
Nearly 60,000 have recovered .
Most access to Wuhan was suspended on Jan. 23 in a dramatic effort to contain the outbreak .
Residents were ordered to stay in their homes .
Restrictions spread to cities with a total of 60 million people .
The Lunar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factories and offices closed .
The government canceled group tours and closed shopping malls , restaurants , and cinemas nationwide .
That jolted global auto , smartphone , and other brands that look to China as a manufacturing center and a major market .
In high-risk areas of Hubei outside Wuhan , businesses that supply food and daily necessities , freight handling , and some other services will be allowed to resume , the statement said .
It did not say when restrictions on other industries might end .
Even in low-risk areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ salons , and karaoke bars `` will not resume until the epidemic situation is resolved , '' the statement said .
In high-risk areas including Wuhan , people who are free of infection may use `` point to point '' transportation provided by the government or employers , the provincial government statement said .
Public buses and subways will resume operating in low and medium-risk areas but Wuhan 's transit system will remain shut down , it said .
Wuhan and nearby areas of Hubei are home to factories for global automakers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other industries .
The province accounts for about 6 % of China 's auto production .
Groupe Renault , one of a number of global auto brands that operate factories in Wuhan with Chinese partners , said it tentatively plans to restart production on March 20 but is awaiting a final government decision .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .

The province at the center of China's virus outbreak began allowing factories and some other businesses to reopen Wednesday in a show of confidence that Beijing is gaining control over the disease that devastated its economy.
Chinese leaders are trying to revive business after the most sweeping anti-disease controls ever imposed shut down manufacturing, travel, and other industries in late January, sending shock waves through the global economy.
On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus emerged in December, in a sign China believes its crisis might be passing even as the United States and European governments tighten anti-disease controls.
Manufacturers, food processors, and other businesses in Wuhan that are essential to the national economy or providing daily necessities can resume operation, the Hubei provincial government announced. The city of 11 million people, about 450 miles west of Shanghai, is the manufacturing hub of central China.
The changes are meant to "accelerate establishment of economic and social operation order, compatible with the epidemic prevention," said a government statement. Companies that reopen are required to make "epidemic control" plans, inspect employees for signs of disease, and keep workplaces disinfected.
The statement said controls that have kept most people in Wuhan and surrounding cities in their homes for seven weeks will be eased to allow employees to go to work but movement will be tightly controlled.
Companies in and around Wuhan that are reopening include makers of electric car batteries, pharmaceuticals, telecom components, and Chinese-style liquor, according to news reports.
Controls have been eased in other areas of China that are considered at low disease risk, but travel and other curbs still are in place. Factories are reopening, but automakers and other industries aren't expected to return to normal production until at least mid-April due to disruption to supplies of components.
A foreign ministry spokesman expressed confidence the impact on China's economy is "temporary and limited." He rejected suggestions companies should move operations out of the country or find foreign suppliers of components and raw materials to reduce the risk of future disruptions.
"Factors and conditions that support the high-quality development of the Chinese economy have not changed," said the spokesman, Geng Shuang.
"With the recent progress China has made in domestic epidemic prevention and control, key industries including foreign-funded enterprises and leading enterprises have resumed work," Mr. Geng said. "It is neither realistic nor wise to artificially cut off the global supply chain, nor even tout 'transfer' and 'decoupling' of the supply chain."
Also on Wednesday, officials at a Cabinet meeting led by Premier Li Keqiang, China's No. 2 leader, promised easier credit and other aid to help companies reopen, according to a statement read on the state TV evening news.
The officials promised "relief policies will be equally enjoyed by domestic and foreign enterprises," the statement said.
More than 80,000 people in China have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Nearly 60,000 have recovered.
Most access to Wuhan was suspended on Jan. 23 in a dramatic effort to contain the outbreak. Residents were ordered to stay in their homes.
Restrictions spread to cities with a total of 60 million people. The Lunar New Year holiday was extended to keep factories and offices closed. The government canceled group tours and closed shopping malls, restaurants, and cinemas nationwide.
That jolted global auto, smartphone, and other brands that look to China as a manufacturing center and a major market.
In high-risk areas of Hubei outside Wuhan, businesses that supply food and daily necessities, freight handling, and some other services will be allowed to resume, the statement said. It did not say when restrictions on other industries might end.
Even in low-risk areas, businesses such as cinemas, hair salons, and karaoke bars "will not resume until the epidemic situation is resolved," the statement said.
In high-risk areas including Wuhan, people who are free of infection may use "point to point" transportation provided by the government or employers, the provincial government statement said.
Public buses and subways will resume operating in low and medium-risk areas but Wuhan's transit system will remain shut down, it said.
Wuhan and nearby areas of Hubei are home to factories for global automakers and suppliers of components for electronics, smartphones, and other industries. The province accounts for about 6% of China's auto production.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Groupe Renault, one of a number of global auto brands that operate factories in Wuhan with Chinese partners, said it tentatively plans to restart production on March 20 but is awaiting a final government decision.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.


csmonitor--2020-03-11--‘Something human’: Mideast fight against virus elicits rare unity

“ We have to work together , ” says Dr. Itamar Grotto , associate director-general of Israel ’ s Health Ministry .
“ If you are looking for a positive effect of this event , you could point to this.
” “ In the end , this isn ’ t something related to politics .
This is something human , for the benefit of everyone , ” says Mariana Alarja , manager of a hotel near Bethlehem where she and dozens of Palestinian coronavirus patients are in quarantine .
Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests , and doctors on both sides are sharing data .
Despite decades of arguing over where to draw a border , the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted how Israel and the Palestinian areas in the West Bank are in fact one unit in the battle to preserve public health .
Cases of the coronavirus in Israel appear to be spiking .
In the West Bank , the outbreak has spurred declaration of a state of emergency .
But if cooperation between the two governments has been in decline in the absence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on the ground , the basic impulse to collaborate .
For years , cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians has been in retreat , as peace negotiations became a remote prospect , governments focused on mutual demonization , and President Donald Trump cut support for the Palestinian Authority .
The coronavirus pandemic , however , has forced the sides to put recriminations on hold and instead work together to save lives .
Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals , Israeli labs have analyzed Palestinian COVID-19 diagnostic tests , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite decades of arguing over where to draw a border , the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted how Israel and the Palestinian areas in the West Bank are in fact one unit in the battle to preserve public health .
Handling the challenge requires the sides to collaborate and resist the tendency to focus first on the political .
“ In the end , this isn ’ t something related to politics .
This is something human , for the benefit of everyone , ” says Mariana Alarja , chief manager of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next to Bethlehem , where dozens of Palestinian coronavirus patients – including herself – are staying in quarantine .
As of Tuesday , 29 Palestinians in the West Bank have been diagnosed with the virus .
An emergency was declared there last week .
COVID-19 tests from Palestinians were sent to laboratories at Israel ’ s Sheba Hospital outside Tel Aviv for analysis because the facilities don ’ t exist in the West Bank .
After years of Israeli military closures imposed on Bethlehem , the Palestinian Authority ( PA ) is enforcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from spreading to other cities in the West Bank .
“ A doctor should help everyone , regardless of race or nationality – whether the patient speaks English or Arabic , ” says Ms. Alarja .
“ It doesn ’ t matter if you are an Israeli or a Palestinian , we all have to work on this very quickly.
” While any sign of normalization of ties with Israel carries a stigma among Palestinians , Zaher Nazzal , an epidemiologist at An-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is normal .
Whenever there ’ s a crisis that affects the people ’ s health , collaboration should be possible , ” says Dr. Nazzal .
“ It doesn ’ t mean you put everything behind you , or that you agree with everything that ’ s happening on the ground.
” Since the first Israeli was diagnosed with the virus nearly three weeks ago , the outbreak in Israel is showing signs of spiking : The count stood at 77 on Wednesday , after jumping 50 % Monday to Tuesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Ben Gurion Airport to self-quarantine for 14-days , and on Wednesday banned gatherings of more than 100 participants in closed spaces .
Tens of thousands are already in isolation .
The country has closed its border with Egypt , and both Israel and Jordan have restricted traffic on their border .
The Israeli and Palestinian populations , however , are far more intertwined .
Yet , save for the coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces , cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has all but completely eroded over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the coronavirus includes the health ministries of both governments along with the Israeli military liaison .
Israel in recent days delivered 250 virus test kits to the West Bank and held training sessions for Palestinian medical workers on how to protect themselves .
Israel ’ s Civil Administration , the military-run authority in Palestinian areas of the West Bank , promised to supply medical equipment and training as needed .
“ Viruses and epidemics don ’ t stop at the border , and the spread of a dangerous virus in Judea and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens , ” Dr. Dalia Basa , health coordinator for the military administration , said in a statement , using the biblical terms for the West Bank .
Helping the PA fight the virus “ is both in the interest of Israel and of the highest humanitarian significance.
” In practice , a border between Israel and the Palestinian territories barely exists .
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian laborers from the West Bank commute daily to jobs in Israel .
Palestinian residents of Jerusalem also cross Israeli checkpoints into the West Bank .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ effectively one territorial unit , the discrepancy between the two public health systems figures as a major challenge to containing the outbreak , say experts .
“ Israel has the stronger economy and the stronger health system .
It has not only a moral obligation but a self-interest to help all its neighbors .
Given the seriousness of the crisis , there ’ s an urgent need for much greater cooperation , ” says Gidon Bromberg , Israeli director of EcoPeace Middle East .
“ Should the PA , Jordan , or Egypt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , ” he says , “ Israel should be ready to respond like it responds to earthquakes in other parts of the world.
” Public health threats have spurred cooperation among rivals on other maladies .
A year ago , the “ vaccine diplomacy ” of international organizations prompted Afghanistan and Pakistan to introduce all-age polio vaccinations to travelers at their joint border to combat that virus in the violence-wracked region .
And Cold War era vaccine diplomacy between the U.S. and the Soviet Union helped eradicate polio and smallpox in much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinians have cooperated on health before .
Some 15 years ago , the Israeli , Palestinian , and Jordanian governments established an organization to promote joint public health initiatives – the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance .
The organization sponsored joint epidemiological training for doctors and nurses and promoted research collaboration and a regional network of public health professionals .
Those professional connections still exist , but Israeli-Palestinian government cooperation became nearly nonexistent as political ties eroded , says Nadav Davidovitch , director of the School of Public Health at Ben @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the consortium .
“ On both sides , people on the ground really want to collaborate in spite of the political situation , ” says Dr. Davidovitch .
“ It ’ s part of a shared goal of public health.
” That goal was made more difficult to achieve after the Trump administration cut funding for joint Israeli-Palestinian research projects under a program that promotes Israeli collaboration with its Arab neighbors .
Ikram Salah , a Bethlehem resident who did doctoral studies under Dr. Davidovitch , had a joint epidemiological research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration .
She acknowledges that the public health infrastructure in the Palestinian territories is limited , but says it ’ s due to Israel ’ s military occupation of the West Bank .
“ I ’ m always saying that disease knows no borders , ” she says .
“ As a Palestinian , it ’ s hard to say , but we are not independent .
We are dependent on Israel in all sectors.
” Despite the collaboration in the West Bank , however , there is serious uncertainty about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Gaza Strip , where some 2 million Palestinians live under military blockade in cramped conditions with woefully inadequate infrastructure .
Israel has no direct relations with Hamas , the Islamic military group that rules Gaza .
Though there is a hard border between Israel and Gaza , there ’ s still traffic back and forth .
Military officials reportedly consider an outbreak there a nightmare scenario that will have humanitarian and geopolitical fallout for Israel , as much of the world still holds it responsible for the situation there despite its 2005 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sterile .
It will enter Gaza at some point .
It has to , ” says an Israeli health official who asked not to be named .
“ It ’ s one of the most densely populated places in the world .
It will burn through Gaza very quickly , I ’ m afraid.
” In such a scenario , the World Health Organization would have to intervene to help coordinate efforts between Israel , Hamas , and the Palestinian Authority .
For the time being , however , Israel and the Palestinians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This is being done because we don ’ t have another choice .
We have to work together , ” says Dr. Itamar Grotto , associate director-general of Israel ’ s Health Ministry .
“ If you are looking for a positive effect of this event , you could point to this .
”

“We have to work together,” says Dr. Itamar Grotto, associate director-general of Israel’s Health Ministry. “If you are looking for a positive effect of this event, you could point to this.”
“In the end, this isn’t something related to politics. This is something human, for the benefit of everyone,” says Mariana Alarja, manager of a hotel near Bethlehem where she and dozens of Palestinian coronavirus patients are in quarantine.
Are humans inclined more for conflict or cooperation? One hopeful answer may be found in the collaborative Israeli-Palestinian response to the coronavirus, as both sides rise above politics.
Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals, Israeli labs have analyzed Palestinian COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and doctors on both sides are sharing data. Despite decades of arguing over where to draw a border, the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted how Israel and the Palestinian areas in the West Bank are in fact one unit in the battle to preserve public health.
Cases of the coronavirus in Israel appear to be spiking. In the West Bank, the outbreak has spurred declaration of a state of emergency. But if cooperation between the two governments has been in decline in the absence of a peace process, there is still, on the ground, the basic impulse to collaborate.
For years, cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians has been in retreat, as peace negotiations became a remote prospect, governments focused on mutual demonization, and President Donald Trump cut support for the Palestinian Authority.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, has forced the sides to put recriminations on hold and instead work together to save lives.
Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals, Israeli labs have analyzed Palestinian COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and doctors on both sides are sharing data.
Why We Wrote This Are humans inclined more for conflict or cooperation? One hopeful answer may be found in the collaborative Israeli-Palestinian response to the coronavirus, as both sides rise above politics.
Despite decades of arguing over where to draw a border, the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted how Israel and the Palestinian areas in the West Bank are in fact one unit in the battle to preserve public health. Handling the challenge requires the sides to collaborate and resist the tendency to focus first on the political.
“In the end, this isn’t something related to politics. This is something human, for the benefit of everyone,” says Mariana Alarja, chief manager of the Angel Hotel in Beit Jala, next to Bethlehem, where dozens of Palestinian coronavirus patients – including herself – are staying in quarantine.
As of Tuesday, 29 Palestinians in the West Bank have been diagnosed with the virus. An emergency was declared there last week. COVID-19 tests from Palestinians were sent to laboratories at Israel’s Sheba Hospital outside Tel Aviv for analysis because the facilities don’t exist in the West Bank. After years of Israeli military closures imposed on Bethlehem, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is enforcing its own closure to prevent the virus from spreading to other cities in the West Bank.
“A doctor should help everyone, regardless of race or nationality – whether the patient speaks English or Arabic,” says Ms. Alarja. “It doesn’t matter if you are an Israeli or a Palestinian, we all have to work on this very quickly.”
Mustafa Ganeyeh/Reuters View caption Hide caption An entrance to the Church of the Nativity is seen locked amid coronavirus precautions, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, March 11, 2020.
While any sign of normalization of ties with Israel carries a stigma among Palestinians, Zaher Nazzal, an epidemiologist at An-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus, says the cooperation makes sense.
“This is normal. Whenever there’s a crisis that affects the people’s health, collaboration should be possible,” says Dr. Nazzal. “It doesn’t mean you put everything behind you, or that you agree with everything that’s happening on the ground.”
Intertwined populations
Since the first Israeli was diagnosed with the virus nearly three weeks ago, the outbreak in Israel is showing signs of spiking: The count stood at 77 on Wednesday, after jumping 50% Monday to Tuesday.
Israel has responded by requiring all arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport to self-quarantine for 14-days, and on Wednesday banned gatherings of more than 100 participants in closed spaces. Tens of thousands are already in isolation. The country has closed its border with Egypt, and both Israel and Jordan have restricted traffic on their border.
The Israeli and Palestinian populations, however, are far more intertwined. Yet, save for the coordination between Israeli and Palestinian security forces, cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has all but completely eroded over the past five or so years.
The collaboration on the coronavirus includes the health ministries of both governments along with the Israeli military liaison. Israel in recent days delivered 250 virus test kits to the West Bank and held training sessions for Palestinian medical workers on how to protect themselves. Israel’s Civil Administration, the military-run authority in Palestinian areas of the West Bank, promised to supply medical equipment and training as needed.
“Viruses and epidemics don’t stop at the border, and the spread of a dangerous virus in Judea and Samaria could endanger the health of Israeli citizens,” Dr. Dalia Basa, health coordinator for the military administration, said in a statement, using the biblical terms for the West Bank. Helping the PA fight the virus “is both in the interest of Israel and of the highest humanitarian significance.”
Rami Amichay/Reuters View caption Hide caption The departures terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, March 8, 2020.
In practice, a border between Israel and the Palestinian territories barely exists. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian laborers from the West Bank commute daily to jobs in Israel. Palestinian residents of Jerusalem also cross Israeli checkpoints into the West Bank.
Because Israel and the Palestinian areas are effectively one territorial unit, the discrepancy between the two public health systems figures as a major challenge to containing the outbreak, say experts.
“Israel has the stronger economy and the stronger health system. It has not only a moral obligation but a self-interest to help all its neighbors. Given the seriousness of the crisis, there’s an urgent need for much greater cooperation,” says Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of EcoPeace Middle East.
“Should the PA, Jordan, or Egypt request emergency hospital facilities to be set up,” he says, “Israel should be ready to respond like it responds to earthquakes in other parts of the world.”
Prior health cooperation
Public health threats have spurred cooperation among rivals on other maladies. A year ago, the “vaccine diplomacy” of international organizations prompted Afghanistan and Pakistan to introduce all-age polio vaccinations to travelers at their joint border to combat that virus in the violence-wracked region. And Cold War era vaccine diplomacy between the U.S. and the Soviet Union helped eradicate polio and smallpox in much of the world.
Israelis and the Palestinians have cooperated on health before. Some 15 years ago, the Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian governments established an organization to promote joint public health initiatives – the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance. The organization sponsored joint epidemiological training for doctors and nurses and promoted research collaboration and a regional network of public health professionals.
Those professional connections still exist, but Israeli-Palestinian government cooperation became nearly nonexistent as political ties eroded, says Nadav Davidovitch, director of the School of Public Health at Ben Gurion University and one of the founding members of the consortium.
“On both sides, people on the ground really want to collaborate in spite of the political situation,” says Dr. Davidovitch. “It’s part of a shared goal of public health.”
Majdi Mohammed/AP View caption Hide caption A Palestinian policeman delivers supplies to hotel staff who tested positive to the coronavirus in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, March 6, 2020.
That goal was made more difficult to achieve after the Trump administration cut funding for joint Israeli-Palestinian research projects under a program that promotes Israeli collaboration with its Arab neighbors.
Ikram Salah, a Bethlehem resident who did doctoral studies under Dr. Davidovitch, had a joint epidemiological research project cut off by USAID under the Trump administration. She acknowledges that the public health infrastructure in the Palestinian territories is limited, but says it’s due to Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank.
“I’m always saying that disease knows no borders,” she says. “As a Palestinian, it’s hard to say, but we are not independent. We are dependent on Israel in all sectors.”
Concerns about Gaza
Despite the collaboration in the West Bank, however, there is serious uncertainty about what would happen should the pandemic spread to the Gaza Strip, where some 2 million Palestinians live under military blockade in cramped conditions with woefully inadequate infrastructure. Israel has no direct relations with Hamas, the Islamic military group that rules Gaza.
Though there is a hard border between Israel and Gaza, there’s still traffic back and forth. Military officials reportedly consider an outbreak there a nightmare scenario that will have humanitarian and geopolitical fallout for Israel, as much of the world still holds it responsible for the situation there despite its 2005 military withdrawal.
“Gaza is not sterile. It will enter Gaza at some point. It has to,” says an Israeli health official who asked not to be named. “It’s one of the most densely populated places in the world. It will burn through Gaza very quickly, I’m afraid.”
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
In such a scenario, the World Health Organization would have to intervene to help coordinate efforts between Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority. For the time being, however, Israel and the Palestinians are focusing on handling the West Bank.
“This is being done because we don’t have another choice. We have to work together,” says Dr. Itamar Grotto, associate director-general of Israel’s Health Ministry. “If you are looking for a positive effect of this event, you could point to this.”


Coronavirus versus connection

As I sit down to write this column on March 24 , worlds upon worlds will likely have changed by the time it reaches you on April 6 ( or thereabouts ) .
As we have seen during the coronavirus crisis , entire economies can shift in two weeks .
My state-enforced stay-at-home request here in Massachusetts could be nearing its scheduled end ( or not ) .
Surely , we will all be seasoned pros at physical distancing .
That was one of the challenges with the Monitor Weekly 's April 6 cover story .
How do you write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in two weeks ?
So we took some of the more thematic highlights of our recent coverage and combined them into a look at how the response has shaped us .
But no matter what has changed by April 6 , I wanted to highlight an idea that is sprinkled throughout our stories .
To me , this unprecedented moment of enforced physical isolation has only underscored the mutual power and connection we share .
And not merely by its absence .
In other words , our power and connection are not potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores and workplaces and stadiums – though the stock market would suggest that is the case .
No , what we are proving at this moment is perhaps something far more profound and powerful than a stock ticker can indicate .
We are proving that love matters more .
Just think about it .
By many measures , COVID-19 does not at this point appear to be broadly deadly .
But certain populations appear more vulnerable .
In that light , the sum total of the world ’ s remarkable action is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk .
It is a bold statement of the value of those lives and of our desire to care for them , even at tremendous cost .
It is certainly possible that the financial cost could become too great .
On the day I write this , there ’ s already talk of returning to normalcy before health officials recommend .
But regardless , it is safe to say that the influx of practical love that has been expressed by the world is historic .
It has spilled onto the internet and onto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 feet , of course ) .
As one reader wrote to me , “ I am appreciating , more than ever right now , the kindness of small interactions with neighbors in my apartment building and on the sidewalk – never before has simply exchanging a smile meant so much !
” Another reader wrote of hymn sings from the doorways of her assisted living home .
One grandma made rainbow postcards for neighbors with her young granddaughters .
Here at the Monitor , we ’ re holding virtual lunches with co-workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overcoming the claim that physical distance must weaken connection .
This power is active and abiding in our shared purpose and love , from Germany to Japan .
And perhaps , years from now , we will be able to say that , for several months in 2020 , we found a way to measure our common worth by something more than stocks and bonds .

As I sit down to write this column on March 24, worlds upon worlds will likely have changed by the time it reaches you on April 6 (or thereabouts). As we have seen during the coronavirus crisis, entire economies can shift in two weeks. My state-enforced stay-at-home request here in Massachusetts could be nearing its scheduled end (or not). Surely, we will all be seasoned pros at physical distancing.
That was one of the challenges with the Monitor Weekly's April 6 cover story. How do you write anything about something that could change everything in two weeks? So we took some of the more thematic highlights of our recent coverage and combined them into a look at how the response has shaped us.
But no matter what has changed by April 6, I wanted to highlight an idea that is sprinkled throughout our stories.
To me, this unprecedented moment of enforced physical isolation has only underscored the mutual power and connection we share. And not merely by its absence. In other words, our power and connection are not potential energy, waiting to rush back into stores and workplaces and stadiums – though the stock market would suggest that is the case.
No, what we are proving at this moment is perhaps something far more profound and powerful than a stock ticker can indicate. We are proving that love matters more.
Just think about it. By many measures, COVID-19 does not at this point appear to be broadly deadly. But certain populations appear more vulnerable. In that light, the sum total of the world’s remarkable action is to protect those seen as being most at risk. It is a bold statement of the value of those lives and of our desire to care for them, even at tremendous cost.
It is certainly possible that the financial cost could become too great. On the day I write this, there’s already talk of returning to normalcy before health officials recommend. But regardless, it is safe to say that the influx of practical love that has been expressed by the world is historic.
It has spilled onto the internet and onto street corners (at a distance of 6 feet, of course). As one reader wrote to me, “I am appreciating, more than ever right now, the kindness of small interactions with neighbors in my apartment building and on the sidewalk – never before has simply exchanging a smile meant so much!”
Another reader wrote of hymn sings from the doorways of her assisted living home. One grandma made rainbow postcards for neighbors with her young granddaughters.
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Here at the Monitor, we’re holding virtual lunches with co-workers and pets. Together, we are overcoming the claim that physical distance must weaken connection.
This power is active and abiding in our shared purpose and love, from Germany to Japan. And perhaps, years from now, we will be able to say that, for several months in 2020, we found a way to measure our common worth by something more than stocks and bonds.


csmonitor--2020-03-30--Joseph Lowery: fiery preacher and legendary civil-rights fighter

The Rev .
Joseph E. Lowery fought to end segregation , lived to see the election of the country ’ s first black president , and echoed the call for `` justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream '' in America .
For more than four decades after the death of his friend and civil rights icon , the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. , the fiery Alabama preacher was on the front line of the battle for equality , with an unforgettable delivery that rivaled King ’ s – and was often more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for cutting to the core of the country ’ s conscience with commentary steeped in scripture , refusing to back down whether the audience was a Jim Crow racist or a U.S. president .
`` We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back ; when brown can stick around ; when yellow will be mellow ; when the red man can get ahead , man ; and when white will embrace what is right , '' Mr. Lowery prayed at President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 .
Mr. Lowery died Friday at home in Atlanta , surrounded by family members , they said in a statement .
He died from natural causes unrelated to the coronavirus outbreak , the statement said .
`` Tonight , the great Reverend Joseph E. Lowery transitioned from earth to eternity , '' The King Center in Atlanta remembered Mr. Lowery in a Friday night tweet .
`` He was a champion for civil rights , a challenger of injustice , a dear friend to the King family . ''
Mr. Lowery led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades – restoring the organization ’ s financial stability and pressuring businesses not to trade with South Africa ’ s apartheid-era regime – before retiring in 1997 .
Considered the dean of civil rights veterans , he lived to celebrate a November 2008 milestone that few of his movement colleagues thought they would ever witness – the election of an African-American president .
At an emotional victory celebration for President-elect Barack Obama in Atlanta , Mr. Lowery said , `` America tonight is in the process of being born again . ''
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton , Mr. Lowery also gave the benediction at Mr. Obama 's inauguration .
`` We thank you for the empowering of thy servant , our 44th president , to inspire our nation to believe that , yes , we can work together to achieve a more perfect union , '' he said .
In 2009 , Mr. Obama awarded Mr. Lowery the Presidential Medal of Freedom , the nation ’ s highest civilian honor .
In another high-profile moment , Mr. Lowery drew a standing ovation at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widow , Coretta Scott King , when he criticized the war in Iraq , saying , `` For war , billions more , but no more for the poor . ''
The comment also drew head shakes from then-President George Bush and his father , former president George H.W .
Bush , who were seated behind the pulpit .
Mr. Lowery 's involvement in civil rights grew naturally out of his Christian faith .
He often preached that racial discrimination in housing , employment , and health care was at odds with such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brotherhood of man .
`` I 've never felt your ministry should be totally devoted to making a heavenly home .
I thought it should also be devoted to making your home here heavenly , '' he once said .
Mr. Lowery remained active in fighting issues such as war , poverty , and racism long after retirement , and survived prostate cancer and throat surgery after he beat Jim Crow .
`` We have lost a stalwart of the Civil Rights Movement , and I have lost a friend and mentor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. James E. Clyburn , in a statement Saturday .
`` His wit and candor inspired my generation to use civil disobedience to move the needle on ‘ liberty and justice for all . '
It was his life 's work and his was a life well lived . ''
Former President Bill Clinton remembered walking with Mr. Lowery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama , on the 35th anniversary of Bloody Sunday .
`` Our country has lost a brave , visionary leader in the struggle for justice and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unrealized , of equality for all Americans .
Throughout his long good life , Joe Lowery 's commitment to speaking truth to power never wavered , even in the hottest fires . ''
His wife , Evelyn Gibson Lowery , who worked alongside her husband of nearly 70 years and served as head of SCLC/WOMEN , died in 2013 .
`` I ’ ll miss you , Uncle Joe .
You finally made it up to see Aunt Evelyn again , '' Mr. King 's daughter , Bernice King , said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastor of the Warren Street Methodist Church in Mobile , Alabama , in the 1950s when he met Mr. King , who then lived in Montgomery , Alabama .
Mr. Lowery ’ s meetings with Mr. King , the Rev .
Ralph David Abernathy and other civil rights activists led to the SCLC ’ s formation in 1957 .
The group became a leading force in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s .
Mr. Lowery became SCLC president in 1977 following the resignation of Abernathy , who had taken the job after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He took over an SCLC that was deeply in debt and losing members rapidly .
Mr. Lowery helped the organization survive and guided it on a new course that embraced more mainstream social and economic policies .
Coretta Scott King once said Mr. Lowery `` has led more marches and been in the trenches more than anyone since Martin . ''
He was arrested in 1983 in North Carolina for protesting the dumping of toxic wastes in a predominantly black county and in 1984 in Washington while demonstrating against apartheid .
He recalled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when he and others were protesting the case of a mentally disabled black man charged with rape .
He recalled that bullets whizzed inches above their heads and a group of Klan members confronted them .
`` I could hear them go 'whoosh , ' '' Mr. Lowery said .
`` I 'll never forget that .
I almost died 24 miles from where I was born . ''
In the mid-1980s , he led a boycott that persuaded the Winn-Dixie grocery chain to stop selling South African canned fruit and frozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grip of apartheid .
He also continued to urge blacks to exercise their hard-won rights by registering to vote .
`` Black people need to understand that the right to vote was not a gift of our political system but came as a result of blood , sweat and tears , '' he said in 1985 .
Like Mr. King , Mr. Lowery juggled his civil rights work with ministry .
He pastored United Methodist churches in Atlanta for decades and continued preaching long after retiring .
Born in Huntsville , Alabama , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in a Methodist church where his great-grandfather , the Rev .
Howard Echols , was the first black pastor .
Mr. Lowery ’ s father , a grocery store owner , often protested racism in the community .
After college , Mr. Lowery edited a newspaper and taught school in Birmingham , but the idea of becoming a minister `` just kept gnawing and gnawing at me , '' he said .
After marrying Evelyn Gibson , a Methodist preacher ’ s daughter , he began his first pastorate in Birmingham in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Lowery said he was optimistic that true racial equality would one day be achieved .
`` I believe in the final triumph of righteousness , '' he said .
`` The Bible says weeping may endure for a night , but joy cometh in the morning.
” A member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity , Mr. Lowery is survived by his three daughters , Yvonne Kennedy , Karen Lowery , and Cheryl Lowery .
While plans are underway for a private family service in alignment with public health guidelines on social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Saturday , a public memorial will be held in late summer or early fall .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Errin Haines , a former AP staffer , was the principal writer of this obituary .

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery fought to end segregation, lived to see the election of the country’s first black president, and echoed the call for "justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" in America.
For more than four decades after the death of his friend and civil rights icon, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the fiery Alabama preacher was on the front line of the battle for equality, with an unforgettable delivery that rivaled King’s – and was often more unpredictable. Mr. Lowery had a knack for cutting to the core of the country’s conscience with commentary steeped in scripture, refusing to back down whether the audience was a Jim Crow racist or a U.S. president.
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back; when brown can stick around; when yellow will be mellow; when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right," Mr. Lowery prayed at President Barack Obama’s inaugural benediction in 2009.
Mr. Lowery died Friday at home in Atlanta, surrounded by family members, they said in a statement. He died from natural causes unrelated to the coronavirus outbreak, the statement said.
"Tonight, the great Reverend Joseph E. Lowery transitioned from earth to eternity," The King Center in Atlanta remembered Mr. Lowery in a Friday night tweet. "He was a champion for civil rights, a challenger of injustice, a dear friend to the King family."
Mr. Lowery led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for two decades – restoring the organization’s financial stability and pressuring businesses not to trade with South Africa’s apartheid-era regime – before retiring in 1997.
Considered the dean of civil rights veterans, he lived to celebrate a November 2008 milestone that few of his movement colleagues thought they would ever witness – the election of an African-American president.
At an emotional victory celebration for President-elect Barack Obama in Atlanta, Mr. Lowery said, "America tonight is in the process of being born again."
An early and enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Obama over then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, Mr. Lowery also gave the benediction at Mr. Obama's inauguration.
"We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union," he said.
In 2009, Mr. Obama awarded Mr. Lowery the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
In another high-profile moment, Mr. Lowery drew a standing ovation at the 2006 funeral of Mr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, when he criticized the war in Iraq, saying, "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor." The comment also drew head shakes from then-President George Bush and his father, former president George H.W. Bush, who were seated behind the pulpit.
Mr. Lowery's involvement in civil rights grew naturally out of his Christian faith. He often preached that racial discrimination in housing, employment, and health care was at odds with such fundamental Christian values as human worth and the brotherhood of man.
"I've never felt your ministry should be totally devoted to making a heavenly home. I thought it should also be devoted to making your home here heavenly," he once said.
Mr. Lowery remained active in fighting issues such as war, poverty, and racism long after retirement, and survived prostate cancer and throat surgery after he beat Jim Crow.
"We have lost a stalwart of the Civil Rights Movement, and I have lost a friend and mentor," House Majority Whip, U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn, in a statement Saturday. "His wit and candor inspired my generation to use civil disobedience to move the needle on ‘liberty and justice for all.' It was his life's work and his was a life well lived."
Former President Bill Clinton remembered walking with Mr. Lowery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on the 35th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. "Our country has lost a brave, visionary leader in the struggle for justice and a champion of its promise, still unrealized, of equality for all Americans. Throughout his long good life, Joe Lowery's commitment to speaking truth to power never wavered, even in the hottest fires."
His wife, Evelyn Gibson Lowery, who worked alongside her husband of nearly 70 years and served as head of SCLC/WOMEN, died in 2013.
"I’ll miss you, Uncle Joe. You finally made it up to see Aunt Evelyn again," Mr. King's daughter, Bernice King, said in a tweet Friday night.
Mr. Lowery was pastor of the Warren Street Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1950s when he met Mr. King, who then lived in Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. Lowery’s meetings with Mr. King, the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and other civil rights activists led to the SCLC’s formation in 1957. The group became a leading force in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
Mr. Lowery became SCLC president in 1977 following the resignation of Abernathy, who had taken the job after Mr. King was assassinated in 1968. He took over an SCLC that was deeply in debt and losing members rapidly. Mr. Lowery helped the organization survive and guided it on a new course that embraced more mainstream social and economic policies.
Coretta Scott King once said Mr. Lowery "has led more marches and been in the trenches more than anyone since Martin."
He was arrested in 1983 in North Carolina for protesting the dumping of toxic wastes in a predominantly black county and in 1984 in Washington while demonstrating against apartheid.
He recalled a 1979 confrontation in Decatur, Alabama, when he and others were protesting the case of a mentally disabled black man charged with rape. He recalled that bullets whizzed inches above their heads and a group of Klan members confronted them.
"I could hear them go 'whoosh,'" Mr. Lowery said. "I'll never forget that. I almost died 24 miles from where I was born."
In the mid-1980s, he led a boycott that persuaded the Winn-Dixie grocery chain to stop selling South African canned fruit and frozen fish when that nation was in the grip of apartheid.
He also continued to urge blacks to exercise their hard-won rights by registering to vote.
"Black people need to understand that the right to vote was not a gift of our political system but came as a result of blood, sweat and tears," he said in 1985.
Like Mr. King, Mr. Lowery juggled his civil rights work with ministry. He pastored United Methodist churches in Atlanta for decades and continued preaching long after retiring.
Born in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1921, Joseph Echols Lowery grew up in a Methodist church where his great-grandfather, the Rev. Howard Echols, was the first black pastor. Mr. Lowery’s father, a grocery store owner, often protested racism in the community.
After college, Mr. Lowery edited a newspaper and taught school in Birmingham, but the idea of becoming a minister "just kept gnawing and gnawing at me," he said. After marrying Evelyn Gibson, a Methodist preacher’s daughter, he began his first pastorate in Birmingham in 1948.
In a 1998 interview, Mr. Lowery said he was optimistic that true racial equality would one day be achieved.
"I believe in the final triumph of righteousness," he said. "The Bible says weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
A member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Mr. Lowery is survived by his three daughters, Yvonne Kennedy, Karen Lowery, and Cheryl Lowery.
While plans are underway for a private family service in alignment with public health guidelines on social distancing amid the pandemic, the family said late Saturday, a public memorial will be held in late summer or early fall.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Errin Haines, a former AP staffer, was the principal writer of this obituary.