I am a Palestinian I grew up in
Palestine Israel Holy Land whichever
your political preference you can choose
but often people have a problem with
figuring out even when I tell people
where I’m from they have problem
figuring out what does that mean them I
grew up in Jerusalem which is the
holiest city in the world and the joke
in Jerusalem is we are holy people
because we just born there so the only
problems we can’t get along together
unfortunately and I deal with one of the
oldest most complicated conflicts in the
world what I want to do is tell you
first about my story and where I grew up
and how my journey had got me to where I
am today I grew up in a place called
actually Bethany and I drew some just
couple miles outside Jerusalem normal
childhood however over there there’s
really no normal childhood
so my early memories is when the First
Intifada started until father for those
who don’t know is the uprising of
Palestinians I was seven years old
watching TV and I saw these guys
throwing stones at some cars and as a
seven-year-old growing in a place where
there is not really much of excitement
or no playgrounds no community centres
nothing cool to do I thought throwing
stones sounds like a fun thing to do I
went talk to my friends who were all six
five seven eight years old and I told
them what do you think we should do the
same thing it looks fun they all agreed
with me we went to the closest road and
start throwing stones but we weren’t
told that we were supposed to throw
stones at the enemy so we throw stones
at our neighbors cars
that night my parents were not happy
with me and I had to do a lot of
explanation but eventually we’ll learn
that okay there’s different road that
you can go and throw stones at which is
a settlement road and at seven years old
that’s what I did I go to the road throw
stones until unfortunately one day I hit
hit that target normally we were
throwing stones and nothing happens but
I hit the target and the driver comes
out and starts shooting at us
but you know when when you live in a
conflict and when you seven each 8-year
old and you see a lot of bad things
happen I saw people being killed people
who’ve been arrested being shot at but
you think you really can avoid that
happening to you it’s it’s kind of like
watching a car accident you think it can
happen to other people you might say a
prayer but you don’t think it’s gonna
happen to me and I lived in that bubble
which was burst very early in my life
when I was nine years old a group of
soldiers came into my home it was about
5:00 in the morning came into my room
and decided to arrest my brother they
see her who was 18 years old at the time
he was arrested for suspicion of
throwing stones taken he refused to
confess the allegation he was beaten up
for 18 days so he would confess that he
did it eventually after 18 days he
signed and whatever paper they asked him
to sign he was sentenced for one year in
prison which I was able to visit him
only one time through it a little bit
before a year passed
theseare was released from prison but by
the time he was released from prison he
actually was incredibly sick he had a
liver failure he had a spleen failure we
took him to a hospital right away and in
the hospital after surgery a few days
later the doctor came to my mom and he
was a idiot doctor he came to her and
said so do you have any more children
and she wasn’t understanding what he’s
talking about she said yes I do said
well it’s good because soon you’re going
to have one less
and a couple days later they still
passed away at the 10 year old you
really don’t don’t comprehend a lot of
things but I understood one thing at
that moment I understood that they seer
didn’t die a natural death all I
remember it is the soldiers coming and
taking him from home and I was very
angry I was very bitter I was very
motivated to do something about and I
felt you know I felt like when somebody
punches you in the face what’s the first
thing you do when somebody gives you
that punch have you ever been punched
anybody come on what do you do you know
you’re all silent are we peaceful people
what do you normally do when you’re
punched in the face you punch back how
many people you know when they punched
in the face they say let me take a step
back and think really logically about
this most of us don’t do that if you
punched in the face you want a hit back
and that’s exactly how I felt I wanted
to hit back I wanted those who hurt me
to be hurt back and that’s what I
dedicated my life for especially I’m the
youngest of my brothers and I in just of
four boys and well we were five boys and
two girls and I’m the opes child which
means my parents didn’t plan on having
meat iceers nine years older than me
but he’s the one just older than me and
so my parents were tired of raising
children by the time I was born and so
he was given that task so my first day
in school normally your parents take you
to school my parents didn’t show up he
took me to school when I had the
problems in school checking and my
grades any of that my parents never came
to check on me in school he was the one
coming fighting with my teachers arguing
in my behalf
doing all that stuff and so for me to
lose him it was a very very personal
thing it wasn’t just losing a brother
was more losing a dad a friend all of
that by the way if you look at the
picture and thinking what happened to
you used to look at cute
that’s normally what they get from
people who knew me when I was young and
I get really offended when people do
that I grew up very politically active
since then I believe that my duty is to
revenge my duty is to hurt those who
hurt my brother
joined the political party very quickly
I was very active in something called
the Fatah youth movement by 13 I was
incredibly active by 16 I was editing
the youth magazine for Fatah Heath
movement in Jerusalem being one of the
leaders of the movement organizing
protests for two three four thousand
students to come out in the streets
three of my colleagues were killed
through it I was writing a lot of
articles every week I would write two
three articles pretty much similar to
the media today we write they’re wrong
here’s why we you know should never
compromise or do anything that makes the
other look or feel good eventually I
finished high school and realized I
never studied Hebrew in East Jerusalem
because Hebrews the language of the
enemy I was not willing to learn it but
if you live in Jerusalem and you don’t
study Hebrew it’s a problematic because
without Hebrew he can do anything in
Jerusalem in my high school was
mandatory to learn Hebrew I went through
three years not learning one word in
Hebrew because I just thought no way I
did pass all my exams
they’re gonna tell you hell and I I
decided when I studied Hebrew that I
will study in a place that will really
teach me the language is the best place
to study that you can learn the
languages and Israeli place called
open-open is where Jewish and newcomers
go to learn Hebrew not many Palestinians
there actually in my class I was the
only Palestinian in that class and
sitting in that class and looking around
and thinking very uncomfortable because
for 18 years of my life I realized I
have never met a Jew an Israeli who was
not a soldier or a settler 18 years and
as nice as a soldier can be and some of
them can be really really nice you can’t
have a dialogue with somebody with a gun
and suddenly I’m sitting with these
people in a classroom by the way 200
meters
from my school there was a Jewish school
we’ve never talked we’ve never had
anything to do with each other
occasionally we threw stuff at each
other that was it and suddenly I’m
sitting with these people and the
beginning I don’t want to talk to
anybody you know you have all these
stereotypes because when you separate
these are making up myths in your mind
you start thinking that other people
have horns and Tails and crazy stuff and
then you meet and you don’t know how to
deal with it and it wasn’t politics that
actually changed my mind
my first conversation that I remember
that made the difference you know it’s
when you study a second language they
force you to talk to each other and ask
questions how are you who are you what
do you like and that question what do
you like I’m the only Palestinian that I
know on the face of earth who loves
something called country music now
plenty enough in DC I don’t find many
people who agree with me sorry but
suddenly in that classroom
other than my Palestinian friends when I
tell them yeah like Johnny Cash or Brad
Paisley or any of those they all look at
me some of you look at me who’s proud
Paisley but what the heck are you
talking about and suddenly in that
classroom I need some of my Jewish
colleagues who thought country music
that’s a good thing not that many Jews
like country music
don’t misunderstand me but there were a
couple there were a couple and
fortunately they were in that class but
then you start going over other stuff
and you start realizing what separates
us as people is not politics is not it’s
not the things that we come up with and
thinking it’s just al and it’s it’s it’s
really not that it’s a wall not a
physical wall it’s an emotional wall
it’s a wall built of anger of hatred of
fear but most importantly of ignorance
and when you have ignorant and fear that
separates two people you can think you
are better than those on the other side
and you can think that you’re more moral
than those and
other side and you can think they’re
more ethical and you’ll find always good
reasons why you are better and why you
more ethical on my you know moral but
when that wall goes away it’s amazing
how we can come together I realize that
that cycle of violence that they did
this to me so I have to do that to them
is the biggest problem that we have just
because somebody did a horrible action
and my brother was killed in this
conflict
it doesn’t mean my reaction has to be
similar actually by reacting in the same
way I was being a prisoner to that
person who killed my brother instead I
decided I’m going to take a different
direction and taking a different
direction is hard it’s not easy don’t um
I’m not naive to think oh well I become
a peace activist and everything is gonna
be cool and nice it is a hard path you
have to wake up every morning when you
live over there and think which
direction I’m gonna take you read the
newspaper every day then you think this
is depressing even as being talking to
people here and I tell them what I do
and the normal thing they’ll tell me how
about what happened this week how about
so-and-so Prime Minister because it is
very depressing but then you think what
is the other alternative do i watch
what’s happening and do nothing or do i
try and do something to make a
difference one of the things I realize I
have first of all to do is to learn the
narrative and the story of the other and
that’s a key thing learning about other
people you know we were talking today
about learning about animals learning
about species learning about invasions
or endangered areas but you’re not first
of thing we have to learn also about
each other know who is the people who
living there people travel around the
world see incredible sights and forget
to see people we are neighbors and so I
decided one of the important thing in
Jewish history is the Holocaust
Palestinians learn nothing about it I
took a bus went to the Holocaust Museum
I was the only Palestinian there walked
around and there’s
feeling if I recognize their pain then
what does that make me feel am I giving
up my own struggle my own feeling my own
political ideas but it’s nonsense
because it’s only when you recognize the
other that you actually can’t connect
with them this is Rami and Hanan I told
you my story but I want to tell you
another story Rami is one of my main
partners in Israel
he’s a graphic designer grew up as a
soldier Israeli soldiers fought in the
73 war lost many of his friends in it
we actually don’t call ourselves friends
we call ourselves brothers because we
spent tons of times together
Rami lost his daughters Medora in a
suicide bombing in 1997 September 4th a
Palestinian suicide bomber blew up
himself and destroyed the bottle that
Rami lived in however just like my story
Rami is very similar
he decided that revenge is not the way
and so we partnered together and with
other Palestinian and Israeli bereaved
families and said we gonna put an end to
this cycle people use our stories and
use us to spread more hatred and more
vengeance and we said enough is enough
our tears are as bitter our pain is the
same and our blood color is the same you
can’t use our stories we are the most
justified to seek revenge and we say no
and we started working together in the
various projects I was just mentioned
couple before moving on but one one of
them was reaching out to the schools to
communities to refugee camps or soldiers
and saying we want to come and talk to
you and we would go and meet with
Israeli students and Palestinian
students in high schools and it’s
amazing because these students have
never if the Israeli meta Palestinian
before and if the Palestinian have never
met an Israeli before isn’t that amazing
we live minutes away from each other but
they have a lot of ideas about
and the other side and they crazy and
all of that and so when we meet with
them and tell them our story some of
them will storm out and tell us crazy
things but we created a connection every
year we did 1,000 meetings with Israeli
and Palestinian high school students
other than community meetings colleges
police officers refugee camps and
reaching over 30 to 40,000 people every
year that’s the way to break that wall
that’s a way to break the normal
ignorance and fear that exists we did
the stuff that we wanted to reach the
media through so for example we we once
had some Palestinians across the border
go to Israel and donate the blood to
Israelis who were wounded by
Palestinians and then we had these
rallies illegally crossing to Palestine
and donate the blood to Palestinians who
were wounded and we had a very simple
message instead of killing each other we
can help each other live we can coexist
and we can show it by saying our blood
is the same you know it’s funny when I
tell this around here and the state’s
people would ask me so the blood of
Palestinians and Israelis can mix is it
is it kosher that is how polarized we
are it’s not a palestinian-israeli issue
by the way it’s a world issue where the
moment you have an enemy you you want to
draw a line and say they’d their we here
we don’t like them they don’t like us
and that’s it and that’s not true we
have way more to work together we have
way more that brings us together than
separates us three years ago I started
working with George Mason University and
when I moved here one of the things I
realized is the same polarization have a
couple minutes I’m gonna go through
quickly but talk more then I thought the
polarization is is much more than just
in Israel Palestine it also exists here
and we wanted to start bringing groups
to show American Jews Christians Muslims
here students that they can be involved
in the saloon
instead of the problem and you know
people go and tour Palestine in Israel
and see you know archaeology and history
stay in nice hotel and never meet a
person and everyone they want to meet a
person they’ll go either in a
Palestinian trip and come back very anti
Israel or go on an Israeli trip and come
back hating every Jew that ever existed
and we say that’s not the way so we
started an enterprise called mesh
detours to bring people to learn from
each other to bring people that can
actually be together and so these are
some pictures of some of the groups that
brought this is a cab who is a Sufi
guide this is the road we visit areas
that actually suffer it’s a Jewish town
that was hit by Palestinian rockets from
Gaza this is a guy who does dialogue
with people from Gaza even though he’s
being hit by those Rockets and you have
Palestinians in Gaza part who do the
same this is the wall that separates the
two sides and we go and talk and deal
with these issues from both sides we
meet the Israelis and Palestinians this
is a bedouin guy that normally people go
there and never know that there are bad
ones who have their own problems by the
way they’re doing projects and solar and
stuff and getting operations railways
and Palestinians to help them this is a
Druze family people go there and don’t
know what is even Druze these are the
most people who lose family members in
that conflict they’re in proportion to
of their children of these this couple
were killed as soldiers Israeli soldiers
this is a Jew militia group who went to
a Palestinian refugee camp slept two
nights in Palestinian homes ate drank
everything with them this is what
bringing stereotypes a Christian group
who doing domestic violence issues we
don’t only talk about politics
a rabbi volunteering in an Arab school
that was vandalized planting a tree
together Arabs Jews Muslims interfaith
youth all of that together so what makes
a difference you have normally three
options if there is a fire in a building
you have three options of what you can
do you either run away which is what
most people do you know especially you
live in five six thousand miles away why
should you care but you know it does
affect your life that’s what must be
run away the second you decide to create
a committee and decide who’s responsible
for this conflict is it the Israelis or
the Palestinians I think it’s the Brits
but that’s a different story okay that
laugh is taken from my time and it’s
America and the third option is to bring
your pocket will fill it with water and
then put it on the fire if you don’t
have a bucket you bring a cup you fill
it with water and you put it on the fire
and if you don’t have a cup you bring a
spoon and you fill it with water and you
put it on the fire but with really a
person with a spoon be able to end the
conflict no but if everyone here is
willing to take that spoon if you
willing to take that risk and care a
little bit about what’s happening 5,000
miles away then it is possible I want to
end it’s 40 seconds long so it’s short I
want you to see this video and this
video is my hope and vision for what’s
possible in Israel Palestine
you
so the cool thing I can sell throw rocks
just not at people we can do this we can
play baseball thank you
you
Palestine Israel Holy Land whichever
your political preference you can choose
but often people have a problem with
figuring out even when I tell people
where I’m from they have problem
figuring out what does that mean them I
grew up in Jerusalem which is the
holiest city in the world and the joke
in Jerusalem is we are holy people
because we just born there so the only
problems we can’t get along together
unfortunately and I deal with one of the
oldest most complicated conflicts in the
world what I want to do is tell you
first about my story and where I grew up
and how my journey had got me to where I
am today I grew up in a place called
actually Bethany and I drew some just
couple miles outside Jerusalem normal
childhood however over there there’s
really no normal childhood
so my early memories is when the First
Intifada started until father for those
who don’t know is the uprising of
Palestinians I was seven years old
watching TV and I saw these guys
throwing stones at some cars and as a
seven-year-old growing in a place where
there is not really much of excitement
or no playgrounds no community centres
nothing cool to do I thought throwing
stones sounds like a fun thing to do I
went talk to my friends who were all six
five seven eight years old and I told
them what do you think we should do the
same thing it looks fun they all agreed
with me we went to the closest road and
start throwing stones but we weren’t
told that we were supposed to throw
stones at the enemy so we throw stones
at our neighbors cars
that night my parents were not happy
with me and I had to do a lot of
explanation but eventually we’ll learn
that okay there’s different road that
you can go and throw stones at which is
a settlement road and at seven years old
that’s what I did I go to the road throw
stones until unfortunately one day I hit
hit that target normally we were
throwing stones and nothing happens but
I hit the target and the driver comes
out and starts shooting at us
but you know when when you live in a
conflict and when you seven each 8-year
old and you see a lot of bad things
happen I saw people being killed people
who’ve been arrested being shot at but
you think you really can avoid that
happening to you it’s it’s kind of like
watching a car accident you think it can
happen to other people you might say a
prayer but you don’t think it’s gonna
happen to me and I lived in that bubble
which was burst very early in my life
when I was nine years old a group of
soldiers came into my home it was about
5:00 in the morning came into my room
and decided to arrest my brother they
see her who was 18 years old at the time
he was arrested for suspicion of
throwing stones taken he refused to
confess the allegation he was beaten up
for 18 days so he would confess that he
did it eventually after 18 days he
signed and whatever paper they asked him
to sign he was sentenced for one year in
prison which I was able to visit him
only one time through it a little bit
before a year passed
theseare was released from prison but by
the time he was released from prison he
actually was incredibly sick he had a
liver failure he had a spleen failure we
took him to a hospital right away and in
the hospital after surgery a few days
later the doctor came to my mom and he
was a idiot doctor he came to her and
said so do you have any more children
and she wasn’t understanding what he’s
talking about she said yes I do said
well it’s good because soon you’re going
to have one less
and a couple days later they still
passed away at the 10 year old you
really don’t don’t comprehend a lot of
things but I understood one thing at
that moment I understood that they seer
didn’t die a natural death all I
remember it is the soldiers coming and
taking him from home and I was very
angry I was very bitter I was very
motivated to do something about and I
felt you know I felt like when somebody
punches you in the face what’s the first
thing you do when somebody gives you
that punch have you ever been punched
anybody come on what do you do you know
you’re all silent are we peaceful people
what do you normally do when you’re
punched in the face you punch back how
many people you know when they punched
in the face they say let me take a step
back and think really logically about
this most of us don’t do that if you
punched in the face you want a hit back
and that’s exactly how I felt I wanted
to hit back I wanted those who hurt me
to be hurt back and that’s what I
dedicated my life for especially I’m the
youngest of my brothers and I in just of
four boys and well we were five boys and
two girls and I’m the opes child which
means my parents didn’t plan on having
meat iceers nine years older than me
but he’s the one just older than me and
so my parents were tired of raising
children by the time I was born and so
he was given that task so my first day
in school normally your parents take you
to school my parents didn’t show up he
took me to school when I had the
problems in school checking and my
grades any of that my parents never came
to check on me in school he was the one
coming fighting with my teachers arguing
in my behalf
doing all that stuff and so for me to
lose him it was a very very personal
thing it wasn’t just losing a brother
was more losing a dad a friend all of
that by the way if you look at the
picture and thinking what happened to
you used to look at cute
that’s normally what they get from
people who knew me when I was young and
I get really offended when people do
that I grew up very politically active
since then I believe that my duty is to
revenge my duty is to hurt those who
hurt my brother
joined the political party very quickly
I was very active in something called
the Fatah youth movement by 13 I was
incredibly active by 16 I was editing
the youth magazine for Fatah Heath
movement in Jerusalem being one of the
leaders of the movement organizing
protests for two three four thousand
students to come out in the streets
three of my colleagues were killed
through it I was writing a lot of
articles every week I would write two
three articles pretty much similar to
the media today we write they’re wrong
here’s why we you know should never
compromise or do anything that makes the
other look or feel good eventually I
finished high school and realized I
never studied Hebrew in East Jerusalem
because Hebrews the language of the
enemy I was not willing to learn it but
if you live in Jerusalem and you don’t
study Hebrew it’s a problematic because
without Hebrew he can do anything in
Jerusalem in my high school was
mandatory to learn Hebrew I went through
three years not learning one word in
Hebrew because I just thought no way I
did pass all my exams
they’re gonna tell you hell and I I
decided when I studied Hebrew that I
will study in a place that will really
teach me the language is the best place
to study that you can learn the
languages and Israeli place called
open-open is where Jewish and newcomers
go to learn Hebrew not many Palestinians
there actually in my class I was the
only Palestinian in that class and
sitting in that class and looking around
and thinking very uncomfortable because
for 18 years of my life I realized I
have never met a Jew an Israeli who was
not a soldier or a settler 18 years and
as nice as a soldier can be and some of
them can be really really nice you can’t
have a dialogue with somebody with a gun
and suddenly I’m sitting with these
people in a classroom by the way 200
meters
from my school there was a Jewish school
we’ve never talked we’ve never had
anything to do with each other
occasionally we threw stuff at each
other that was it and suddenly I’m
sitting with these people and the
beginning I don’t want to talk to
anybody you know you have all these
stereotypes because when you separate
these are making up myths in your mind
you start thinking that other people
have horns and Tails and crazy stuff and
then you meet and you don’t know how to
deal with it and it wasn’t politics that
actually changed my mind
my first conversation that I remember
that made the difference you know it’s
when you study a second language they
force you to talk to each other and ask
questions how are you who are you what
do you like and that question what do
you like I’m the only Palestinian that I
know on the face of earth who loves
something called country music now
plenty enough in DC I don’t find many
people who agree with me sorry but
suddenly in that classroom
other than my Palestinian friends when I
tell them yeah like Johnny Cash or Brad
Paisley or any of those they all look at
me some of you look at me who’s proud
Paisley but what the heck are you
talking about and suddenly in that
classroom I need some of my Jewish
colleagues who thought country music
that’s a good thing not that many Jews
like country music
don’t misunderstand me but there were a
couple there were a couple and
fortunately they were in that class but
then you start going over other stuff
and you start realizing what separates
us as people is not politics is not it’s
not the things that we come up with and
thinking it’s just al and it’s it’s it’s
really not that it’s a wall not a
physical wall it’s an emotional wall
it’s a wall built of anger of hatred of
fear but most importantly of ignorance
and when you have ignorant and fear that
separates two people you can think you
are better than those on the other side
and you can think that you’re more moral
than those and
other side and you can think they’re
more ethical and you’ll find always good
reasons why you are better and why you
more ethical on my you know moral but
when that wall goes away it’s amazing
how we can come together I realize that
that cycle of violence that they did
this to me so I have to do that to them
is the biggest problem that we have just
because somebody did a horrible action
and my brother was killed in this
conflict
it doesn’t mean my reaction has to be
similar actually by reacting in the same
way I was being a prisoner to that
person who killed my brother instead I
decided I’m going to take a different
direction and taking a different
direction is hard it’s not easy don’t um
I’m not naive to think oh well I become
a peace activist and everything is gonna
be cool and nice it is a hard path you
have to wake up every morning when you
live over there and think which
direction I’m gonna take you read the
newspaper every day then you think this
is depressing even as being talking to
people here and I tell them what I do
and the normal thing they’ll tell me how
about what happened this week how about
so-and-so Prime Minister because it is
very depressing but then you think what
is the other alternative do i watch
what’s happening and do nothing or do i
try and do something to make a
difference one of the things I realize I
have first of all to do is to learn the
narrative and the story of the other and
that’s a key thing learning about other
people you know we were talking today
about learning about animals learning
about species learning about invasions
or endangered areas but you’re not first
of thing we have to learn also about
each other know who is the people who
living there people travel around the
world see incredible sights and forget
to see people we are neighbors and so I
decided one of the important thing in
Jewish history is the Holocaust
Palestinians learn nothing about it I
took a bus went to the Holocaust Museum
I was the only Palestinian there walked
around and there’s
feeling if I recognize their pain then
what does that make me feel am I giving
up my own struggle my own feeling my own
political ideas but it’s nonsense
because it’s only when you recognize the
other that you actually can’t connect
with them this is Rami and Hanan I told
you my story but I want to tell you
another story Rami is one of my main
partners in Israel
he’s a graphic designer grew up as a
soldier Israeli soldiers fought in the
73 war lost many of his friends in it
we actually don’t call ourselves friends
we call ourselves brothers because we
spent tons of times together
Rami lost his daughters Medora in a
suicide bombing in 1997 September 4th a
Palestinian suicide bomber blew up
himself and destroyed the bottle that
Rami lived in however just like my story
Rami is very similar
he decided that revenge is not the way
and so we partnered together and with
other Palestinian and Israeli bereaved
families and said we gonna put an end to
this cycle people use our stories and
use us to spread more hatred and more
vengeance and we said enough is enough
our tears are as bitter our pain is the
same and our blood color is the same you
can’t use our stories we are the most
justified to seek revenge and we say no
and we started working together in the
various projects I was just mentioned
couple before moving on but one one of
them was reaching out to the schools to
communities to refugee camps or soldiers
and saying we want to come and talk to
you and we would go and meet with
Israeli students and Palestinian
students in high schools and it’s
amazing because these students have
never if the Israeli meta Palestinian
before and if the Palestinian have never
met an Israeli before isn’t that amazing
we live minutes away from each other but
they have a lot of ideas about
and the other side and they crazy and
all of that and so when we meet with
them and tell them our story some of
them will storm out and tell us crazy
things but we created a connection every
year we did 1,000 meetings with Israeli
and Palestinian high school students
other than community meetings colleges
police officers refugee camps and
reaching over 30 to 40,000 people every
year that’s the way to break that wall
that’s a way to break the normal
ignorance and fear that exists we did
the stuff that we wanted to reach the
media through so for example we we once
had some Palestinians across the border
go to Israel and donate the blood to
Israelis who were wounded by
Palestinians and then we had these
rallies illegally crossing to Palestine
and donate the blood to Palestinians who
were wounded and we had a very simple
message instead of killing each other we
can help each other live we can coexist
and we can show it by saying our blood
is the same you know it’s funny when I
tell this around here and the state’s
people would ask me so the blood of
Palestinians and Israelis can mix is it
is it kosher that is how polarized we
are it’s not a palestinian-israeli issue
by the way it’s a world issue where the
moment you have an enemy you you want to
draw a line and say they’d their we here
we don’t like them they don’t like us
and that’s it and that’s not true we
have way more to work together we have
way more that brings us together than
separates us three years ago I started
working with George Mason University and
when I moved here one of the things I
realized is the same polarization have a
couple minutes I’m gonna go through
quickly but talk more then I thought the
polarization is is much more than just
in Israel Palestine it also exists here
and we wanted to start bringing groups
to show American Jews Christians Muslims
here students that they can be involved
in the saloon
instead of the problem and you know
people go and tour Palestine in Israel
and see you know archaeology and history
stay in nice hotel and never meet a
person and everyone they want to meet a
person they’ll go either in a
Palestinian trip and come back very anti
Israel or go on an Israeli trip and come
back hating every Jew that ever existed
and we say that’s not the way so we
started an enterprise called mesh
detours to bring people to learn from
each other to bring people that can
actually be together and so these are
some pictures of some of the groups that
brought this is a cab who is a Sufi
guide this is the road we visit areas
that actually suffer it’s a Jewish town
that was hit by Palestinian rockets from
Gaza this is a guy who does dialogue
with people from Gaza even though he’s
being hit by those Rockets and you have
Palestinians in Gaza part who do the
same this is the wall that separates the
two sides and we go and talk and deal
with these issues from both sides we
meet the Israelis and Palestinians this
is a bedouin guy that normally people go
there and never know that there are bad
ones who have their own problems by the
way they’re doing projects and solar and
stuff and getting operations railways
and Palestinians to help them this is a
Druze family people go there and don’t
know what is even Druze these are the
most people who lose family members in
that conflict they’re in proportion to
of their children of these this couple
were killed as soldiers Israeli soldiers
this is a Jew militia group who went to
a Palestinian refugee camp slept two
nights in Palestinian homes ate drank
everything with them this is what
bringing stereotypes a Christian group
who doing domestic violence issues we
don’t only talk about politics
a rabbi volunteering in an Arab school
that was vandalized planting a tree
together Arabs Jews Muslims interfaith
youth all of that together so what makes
a difference you have normally three
options if there is a fire in a building
you have three options of what you can
do you either run away which is what
most people do you know especially you
live in five six thousand miles away why
should you care but you know it does
affect your life that’s what must be
run away the second you decide to create
a committee and decide who’s responsible
for this conflict is it the Israelis or
the Palestinians I think it’s the Brits
but that’s a different story okay that
laugh is taken from my time and it’s
America and the third option is to bring
your pocket will fill it with water and
then put it on the fire if you don’t
have a bucket you bring a cup you fill
it with water and you put it on the fire
and if you don’t have a cup you bring a
spoon and you fill it with water and you
put it on the fire but with really a
person with a spoon be able to end the
conflict no but if everyone here is
willing to take that spoon if you
willing to take that risk and care a
little bit about what’s happening 5,000
miles away then it is possible I want to
end it’s 40 seconds long so it’s short I
want you to see this video and this
video is my hope and vision for what’s
possible in Israel Palestine
you
so the cool thing I can sell throw rocks
just not at people we can do this we can
play baseball thank you
you
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