We’ve seen a variety of peace talks between Arab and Israeli leaders, and we’ve seen little actual change in the region. And I think I know why.
The most difficult issue in the Middle East is not that the politicians can’t get along, it’s that the citizens can’t. While some Jews and Arabs cohabitate in peace, many are unable to communicate with each other or recognize their similarities.
Real stability in the region won’t come with any agreement between political bodies. Instead, lasting peace will be achieved when Jews and Arabs are willing to live together and accept their similarities and differences.
Programs that emphasize peace building through mutual understanding and cooperation have the ability to affect the region more than anything discussed at the peace talks.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
Shimon Peres, Israel’s President and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recognized the necessity for Israelis and Palestinians to relate to each other; he founded his Shimon Peres Center for Peace in 1996. The Peres Center promotes peace building between Israel and its Arab neighbors not through political discourse, but through exchange programs that encourage interaction in a variety of fields, including medicine, sports, agriculture, business, IT, education and the arts.
Programs like “600 Goals, One Peace” promote cooperation between Arab and Israeli children in ways that politicians can’t dictate. By simply playing sports together, Arabs and Israeli children are able to look past their differences and recognize their many similarities.
In medicine, the Medilink program allows for Palestinian doctors to train in Israeli hospitals and gain experience that couldn’t be earned in less sophisticated Palestinian medical centers. In 2009, a new version of the program was launched which will, for 3 years, offer 60 year-long fellowship and residency placements for Palestinian doctors in Israeli hospitals.
The Twinned Peace Sport Schools program allows for Israeli and Palestinian children to meet twice a week for soccer and basketball training.
In collaboration with the Palestinian Al Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue, the program seeks to “instill values of peaceful coexistence and encourage self-development through sport over a significant period of time.”
Launched in 2002, the Twinned Peace program annually involves 1,500 to 2,000 children aged 6 to 14 from Israeli and Palestinian communities that are geographically near but ideologically distant.
Concerning the arts, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra brings young musicians from around the Middle East together into a highly competent orchestral setting. Founded by internationally renowned Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and late Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, the orchestra seeks to foster positive interaction between Arab and Israelis.
The group has performed throughout Europe and the Middle East and has produced recordings and DVDs.
Said died in 2003, but Barenboim continues the orchestra in hopes a creating a “…platform where the two sides can disagree and not resort to knives,” which he enunciated in an interview with the UK Guardian.
Programs like the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the many sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace may not lead to immediate changes in policy, but they can foster mutual understanding and pave the way for changes in policy that lead toward peace.
Reach Ben at bnegley@asu.edu
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