Ariel HulerSeeds of Peace |
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Personal Transformation and Prison:
“ Even though you know, or you think you know, you can always know more. In my group [when I was a facilitator at the Seeds of Peace summer camp] there was one Palestinian kid who was once taken for an investigation at the police. According to his story he was treated very badly. I became more familiar on the emotional level with the issues of Palestinian prisoners. I got a sense then that way too many people are put in jail. This is the sense I got from people who were in my group. This was very strong to hear from the kids, they are 14-15 years old. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ There were also some interesting dynamics between Israelis and Palestinian-Israelis [at the Seeds of Peace Camp]. When you learn more about the conflict you come to understand [that the term Arab-Israelis is not really accurate]. […] This is a name that Israelis prefer to describe these people. But if we refer to this definition as describing their conflict of identity, it's not between their Arab identity and their Israeli identity; it's between their Palestinian identity and their Israeli identity. It's not accurate to describe them as Arab-Israelis. Sometimes right at the beginning when a Palestinian-Israeli, or a Palestinian living in Israel, or however they describe themselves, describes himself this way, this already creates some problems for the Israelis, if they have no experience with this group, or haven't gotten deeper into their understanding of the conflict[…] ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ Palestinians living in Israel are really caught in the middle. Everybody at camp knows these kids have the hardest time at camp. But I think camp also strengthens their sense of identity, of being what they are. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
Obstacles and Challenges and Political Peace Processes/Political Leadership:
“ I just had a discussion today about the media, that was trying to deal with the fact that in surveys Israelis reflect some understanding that a solution would be a two-state solution and that they are willing to withdraw from all the settlements in order to achieve this. When they do surveys you can see that the majority of the Israeli public, around 65%-70%, thinks more or a less that that's the deal. They're prepared for this. But when elections come around they don't vote for parties that represent these ideas. And that's a paradox in Israeli society. Voting originates in a lot of places. There is this Ashkenazi - Sephardi conflict, and many Sephardi people, even though they support the idea on the whole, or understand that there should be some compromise, would never elect a leftist party. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
Obstacles and Challenges and Political Peace Processes/Political Leadership:
“ I always use this analogy when people that are coming from outside the conflict don't understand the context: I tell them to try and imagine what kind of relationship a traumatized couple would have. And I think this is the case with the Israeli and Palestinian societies. I think honest leaders should do as much as they can to show their societies what are the essentials, what is the trauma that the other side is suffering, because this conflict is not only about borders, it's about traumas. Both societies have different traumas. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
“ The Israeli society is more and more America-oriented, and I think most of the people feel that the United States is a true ally. I think the problem now is that the Palestinian side doesn’t see the States as a neutral party. So maybe the American involvement doesn’t help. Maybe it does the contrary. I always have an idea that might sound bizarre, but I think that Jordan, Egypt and Germany -- Germany because of the history -- could be very powerful mediators. ” [Source in Complete Interview]
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