Peres Center for Peace

  Visiting the Peres Center for Peace made me feel hopeful about the chance for peace among Israelis and Palestinians.  I remember taking a taxi a few days prior and talking with the taxi driver about his views on politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict overall.  He admitted that he was much more hawkish than doveish, and he even bluntly stated that “The only good Arab is a dead Arab”.  While I appreciated his honesty, I was disheartened hearing this and wondered how many other adults share his views.  It seems to me as though that once somebody reaches a certain age, they have already accumulated many prejudices and are set in their ways with their harsh opinions.  It is important to try and promote peace and get through to all age groups, but I really found it clever that many of the programs that the Peres Center for Peace runs are grassroots type strategies that focus on debunking prejudices and stereotypes that children hold against “the other”.   Naturally, children are more open-minded and therefore targeting the young age groups could prevent the expansion of prejudice and eventually lead to a more tolerant and peaceful environment among Israelis and Palestinians. 

     They talked briefly about the many programs and opportunities they provide such as putting on skits for children that display the similarities between the two groups and advocate for intermingling and providing healthcare and surgeries for both Palestinian children in the West Bank and Israelis.  The program that caught my attention the most, however, was the soccer league they made for Palestinian and Israeli children.  Not only does this program bring together children from both groups, but it also gives children the chance to play a sport when they might not otherwise have the means to do so.  I really liked hearing that they always intermix Palestinians and Israelis to be on the same team because then they have to work together instead of just compete against each other.  It was heartwarming to hear that many of the children go home to their families and tell them about the new friends they made that are from “the other” group.  As a result of this, not only do the children learn to put aside their prejudices, but their parents and family members are also exposed to the positive outlook of seeing “the other” as fellow human beings rather than enemies.