BY LORETTA WALDMAN Palestinian and Israeli youngsters in America on a mission of peace were thrilled yesterday by news of breakthroughs in Mideast talks.
The 46 teen ambassadors said it proves something they already knew—people from their strife-torn homeland can live in peace and harmony.
The youngsters are participants in the “Seeds of Peace” program and are spending most of their summer vacation together at a camp in Maine.
“It’s a great step toward real peace,” said Fadi, a 15-year-old Palestinian. “Now I’ll be able to stay in touch with the friends I’ve made here forever.”
One youngster was surprised that it took negotiators so long.
“If we the children can learn to understand each other, than adults can do it too,” said 13-year-old Omar, from Egypt.
During their two week stay at Camp Powhatan, the boys have spoken openly about their fears, learned about one another’s cultures, and discovered what they have in common.
“We are all the same,” said Assaf, a 14-year-old Israeli. “They’re just normal kids like us.”
Like the Mideast talks, progress between the kids has come one step at a time.
“At first things were pretty stormy,” noted writer-journalist John Wallach, who dreamed up the privately funded program. “But now the kids are really making an effort to reach out to each other.”