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PHOTO BY RON SACHS

PHOTO BY JOEL E. JACOB

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Top: An Israeli gives Al Gore a gift from the Israel delegation. Above left: Vice President Al Gore addresses the Seeds of Peace teens on the White House steps. "Real peace is in your
hands," he says. Above right: Tarek Shamma, of Egypt, and a friend stand under a "peace bridge" created by the campers.

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while the next evening's groups might
deal with issues relating to values,
prejudice, and negotiations and con-
flict resolution.
Every evening, facilitator Mitch
Ross (son of former Michigan state
Sen. Doug Ross), who is working
toward a master's in international
conflict resolution, took different
group members on a night hike where
they experienced similar levels of fear
and had to rely on each other for sup-
port.
Often the teens would sing because
they had a need to hear each other's
voices and get through the hike to-
gether.
It was during these coexistence
meetings that smiles often turned to
tears, tempers flared, and differences
came out.
On numerous occasions, talks fo-
cused on Jerusalem, an issue Israelis
and Palestinians discussed passion-
ately.
"We wanted to leave Jerusalem for
the end because it's hardest to talk

about," said Michael Hessel, 13, who
grew up in Israel and recently moved
with his family to Bethesda, Md.
'When we first discussed Jeru-
salem, I was hurt by a lot of what was
said. Now I realize that's what
the Palestinians were taught."
After a series of discussions with
the Palestinian teens, Michael, who
said he would rather die than lose
Jerusalem, changed his thinking. He
now says he might be more willing to
recognize Jerusalem as the capital for
Israel and the Palestinians. His
friend, Daniel Shinar, an Israeli,
doesn't agree.
"Every time Israel makes peace, it
has to give something away," he said.
"I have a hard time understanding
the Palestinian point of view. I try
and put myself in their way of think-
ing and it's somewhat easier to un-
derstand them. I can talk with the
Palestinians and we can have fun to-
gether. But when trust is the issue, I
don't feel I can trust them 100 per-
cent like I can the Jordanians and

Egyptians. I still have the feeling with
the Palestinian that he wants my
land."
Israelis found talks about the Hobo-
caust equally disturbing. While some
Arabs denied it ever happened, others
maintained the number of Jewish
deaths were exaggerated.
One morning, some of the Israeli
teens returned to their Arab peers
with facts on the Holocaust they ob-
tained from the Internet.
For the most part, the deniers be-
came less skeptical. Others asked,
"How can we feel sorry for something
that happened so many years ago
when our relatives are being killed
right now?"
A Palestinian teen named Abeer
was disappointed the Israelis didn't
always accept her position. However,
she thinks the camp has helped pro-
mote understanding.
Those who participated in the pro-
gram were screened through a series
of tests and interviews, and each
wrote an essay on "Why I Want

To Make Peace With the Enemy."
Most of the participants were new
to the program; others were return-
ing peace makers. This summer
was the first for Shouq of Jordan.
"I didn't imagine myself talking, to
Israelis," she said. "Here, they're chil-
dren before Israelis. Now I realize we
are all children and, together, we act
as the body of a child. If any part
hurts us, it hurts all the kids in the
world. If an Israeli or Palestinian has
a problem, it's my problem, too.
"Peace isn't easy, but the bravery
peace needs is not any less than the
bravery war needs."
Seeds of Peace participants arrive
with the idea that making peace will
be easy. Shortly into the program,
they learn how difficult it is.
The camp director, Tim Wilson, a
former professional football player
and now a teacher in Pittsburgh,
brought an added dimension. As an
inner-city educator, Mr. Wilson deals
with intercultural tensions daily.
"I believe in this program because

