JERUSALEM | In October, a group of 30 Seeds of Peace board members and major supporters participated in a week-long educational trip to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.
The visit deepened understanding of the complex conditions under which Seeds of Peace works, and introduced the group to Seeds, Educators and staff and the impact they are having. Participants also engaged in discussion with diplomats, leading journalists, government officials, and business, nonprofit, and community leaders.
Other highlights included a multi-narrative tour of Jerusalem, a briefing on water resources and environmental sustainability in northern Jordan with Friends of the Earth Middle East, and visits with the Seeds of Peace community.
“Behind the headlines, this was a difficult yet hopeful realization of the reality on the ground, and the important role Seeds play for a brighter future,” said one participant.
Over the course of the week, the group met with Seeds and Educators young and old and deepened their understanding of the context in which Seeds of Peace works. Guides from Mejdi Tours, a multi-narrative tour company working across Israel and Palestine, led site visits in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Sderot, Bethlehem and other areas.
Other highlights included a discussion about the current state of the political peace process with Sa’eb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator and former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and a panel with business leaders in Israel, including Chemi Peres from the Peres Center for Peace.
Meetings with Seeds and Educators, which ranged from in depth conversations about their work in the region to choir performances and lunch chats, were particularly meaningful for the group.
The trip was also marked by facilitated spaces for discussion and processing, in which the attendees were able to reflect on everything they were hearing, seeing, and learning.
“I have never been so emotionally exhausted, but so fully exhilarated, as I was on this trip,” said one the participants.
“The people, the pace, the conflict, the beauty of the landscapes, the humanity, the inhumanity, made for an unrepeatable experience.”
Seeds of Peace hopes to organize similar trips that offer this type of unique learning opportunity.
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