CAIRO: While high profile leaders struggle to establish dialogue between the West and the Middle East, American journalist John Wallach saw potential in the younger generations.
“It only took one Anwar Sadat, one King Hussein, and one Yitzhak Rabin to change history. That is what one or more of these extraordinary youngsters will do if we give them the chance, Wallach said. With that idea, Wallach decided to establish Seeds of Peace in 1993; an international camp “dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence, according to their official website. But what sounds like an opportunity for youngsters to experience camp life – both fun and educational – is labeled by others as an attempt of forced normalization with a hostile country, Israel to be exact. Seeds of Peace initially brought together teenagers, aged 14-17, from the United States, Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. It now expanded its efforts to other conflict zones including Cyprus and the Balkans, India and Pakistan. After introducing Seeds of Peace to the students of the American School of Alexandria, Alia El-Tayebi jumped at the chance. “I was drawn to the idea of going to a camp in the US and getting to meet people from parts of the world that I would never get to meet, she explained. Ali Ali, currently a sophomore at the American University in Cairo (AUC), echoed El-Tayebi’s sentiment. “It’s a great experience, we went and we met different people from different cultures and backgrounds, we got a chance to hear the other side of the story, he said. Campers, known as “seeds, are divided into groups, which are reshuffled on a daily basis to give everyone the chance to meet. Daily sessions are also conducted to discuss the conflict in question. “Usually the Americans’ views are similar to those of the Israelis’, and the Egyptians’ and Jordanians’ are similar to those of the Palestinians’, said El-Tayebi. Despite, having fundamental differences and opposing views and beliefs on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the participants still became friends. “At the end of the day we are all high school students coming together for a camp during our summer vacation, we knew beforehand that there will be Israelis and they knew that there will be Arabs so we tried to prevent major conflicts and arguments from coming between us, El-Tayebi said. She further explained that as Egyptians, they tried to be as objective as possible. “There were times when we took sides, but usually the discussions weren’t really heated, because participants became friends so they didn’t want to argue with their peers. While El-Tayebi observed that campers of the same nationality generally spent most of their time together, she said that overall everyone got along. “It was a great experience, she said. However, Seeds of Peace has been accused by some of being part of a conspiracy with a hidden agenda. Muslim Brotherhood MP Azab Mostafa Morsi rejects the idea of Israeli and Arab children mingling in the same place. “This is completely unacceptable. Israel is a country that doesn’t want to live in peace, it’s a hostile country. Therefore, we can’t have any negotiations with it or bring our children together, he said. Emad Gad, international relations expert at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, finds that Seeds of Peace is crucial for the upcoming generations. However, he lamented that its positive aspects are lost in the midst of the current situation. “Having communication forums such as Seeds of Peace are important but after a peace treaty is established. How can these teenagers discuss coexistence and tolerance then go back to their countries and witness events like the war on Gaza. These subjects can’t be discussed when there are occupied lands, when there is a country that doesn’t appreciate peace, explained Gad. “Therefore, participants in Seeds of Peace are looked at with suspicion from society. There won’t be any importance of what they are doing until there is peace, because only then can we start talking about living together peacefully, he added.
