Youth views – Minutes away but worlds apart
June 5, 2008, Common Ground News Service, Middle East Times
An Israeli student and a Palestinian lawyer – who met in the United States as youths engaging in a dialogue program five years ago – discuss growing up with a unique, non-confrontational view of the “other side.” The two now are co-directors of the Peace Now Youth Dialogue program, which encourages young men and women from both sides of the conflict to forge and sustain a future peace agreement. It is fascinating to note how the two do not see eye-to-eye on all aspects of the conflict. Abed Eriqat, the Palestinian, disagrees with his Israeli counterpart, Noa Epstein, in his belief that all Palestinians have a moral right to return to their pre-1948 homeland. However, through dialogue, he has found common ground with Noa, acknowleding that “the full implementation of this right is unrealistic, and that insisting on it would be a recipe for perpetual conflict.” Discover how these two individuals found shared interests amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without sacrificing their identities and beliefs.
The story can also be found here, at the Common Ground News Service site.
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