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Israel: A Learning Place for Peaceful Conversations
Israel: A Learning Place for Peaceful Conversations
The "School for Peace" lies halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Week after week, Palestinians and Jews from all parts of the holy land lock themselves in a room there in order to talk for three days. Just like in real politics, these simulated negotiations between the groups often break down, but that is not so important in this project. Having sympathy for your enemy is also not emphasized in these negotiations. Instead, the School for Peace focuses on having the young people recognize their own role in the conflict. They do not follow the theory that enemies only have to recognize the human side of their enemies in order to build trust. Questionnaires given to the participants one year after their participation in the courses confirm the success of the methods of the School for Peace. Many particpants admitted that they first changed their mind after the sparks started to fly during the negotiations.
“Our feeling tells us that people just have to get to know each other, and then they’ll lose their hatred and prejudice. But understanding and sympathy for individual people can’t resolve conflicts between groups.” Nava Sonnenschein