Olive Branch

THE

Outdoor Leadership Program

Seeds in Spain

Karjat ’06

Alumi Summit

Quake Relief

Youth Magazine of Seeds of Peace

Winter/Spring 2006 Volume X Issue I

COVER PHOTO CREDITS (CLOCKWISE, TOP LEFT): BOBBIE GOTTSCHALK, ERIC KAPENGA,SAJJAD AHMAD, KELSEY JEWELL, JESSE KAPENGA

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departments3 From the Editor3 “ALL—UP!” with Tim4 Your Letters14 Seeds in the Lead29 Art & Poetry

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Winter/Spring 2006 Volume 10 Issue 1The Olive Branch is a magazine written and edited by youthfrom Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,Egypt, Greece, India, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Macedonia,Morocco, Palestine, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Tunisia,Turkey, Yemen and the United States, who are part of the Seedsof Peace program. All opinions expressed in the magazine aresolely those of the writers and not of Seeds of Peace, The OliveBranch, or its staff.

The Olive Branch StaffEric Kapenga, EditorManar Alnatsha & Agam Rafaeli, Assistant Editors

Regional EditorsAfghanistan: Mir Akhgar, Khabir SallahCyprus: Suleyman Gelener, Ersev ErsoyEgypt: Khaled SallamIndia: Divya Moorjaney, Shanoor Servai, Siddarth ShahIsrael & Palestine: Ibrahim Abu Arafeh, Sagi Ganot,Shuki Hasson, Yara Owayyed, Aya ZuaiterJordan: Dana AudallahPakistan: Arooj Babar, Nijah Khan, Rayhan TariqBalkans: Gent SalihuUSA: Joey Katona

All submissions are the property of Seeds of Peace, and maybe edited for length, content or style. Send correspondence to:

THE OLIVE BRANCHSeeds of PeaceP.O. Box 25045Jerusalem 97300Tel. +972 2 582-0222 Fax. +972 2 582-2221E-mail: olivebranch@seedsofpeace.org

The Olive Branch is designed by Paul Segal and Eric Kapengaand printed by Kol Ha’ir. It is made possible by a grant fromthe US Agency for International Development and the Americanpeople, and by donations from Adobe Systems, Inc. Specialthanks to Jenifer Fenton, Hannah Janal, and Promise Partner.

Seeds of PeaceJohn Wallach, FounderJanet Wallach, PresidentBobbie Gottschalk, Executive Vice PresidentTim Wilson, Vice President, Camp and Center DirectorBarbara Zasloff, Vice PresidentChristine Covey, Vice President

Center for Coexistence, JerusalemIssa Abed Rabbo, Mazen al-Jundi, Sami al-Jundi,Ra’id al-Jundi, Walid Abed El Hadi, Ariel Huler, Kelsey Jewell,Eric Kapenga, Jesse Kapenga, Bashar Khamis, Eldad Levy,Reem Mustafa, Zaqloub Said, Tim Wilson, Leena Yahia

Regional Coordinators, Israel & PalestineTareq Arow, Kheirallah Bazbaz, Rona Harari, Inbal Leibovits,Eldad Levy, Ruba Musleh, Tomer Perry, Tamara Qaraqe’,Yaara Sarussi, Sawsan Samara, Maisa Totry

Seeds of Peace is a non-profit, non-political organization thathelps teenagers from regions of conflict learn the skills ofmaking peace. A safe environment is created at our own campin Maine where youngsters can air their views and learn theleadership and conflict resolution techniques required to endthe cycles of war.

regional

Graduate Leadership SummitMiddle East Seeds in their 20s return to Maine to rekindle relationshipsbegun at Camp.

Karjat ’06Indian, Pakistani, and Afghani Seeds and educators meet in Indiafor the first-ever South Asia Regional Conference.

Spain: Taking Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue to EuropeSeeds learn more about each other and about the conflict between Spainand Catalonia while being hosted by the City of Badalonaand its pro-basketball team.

features

Into the Woods: The Outdoor Leadership ProgramEvery summer, second-year campers disappear into the woods of Maine.Ever wondered what happens out there? The mystery is (partially) revealed.

Barrier to Peace? Barrier for Peace?Four Seeds living on the outside of Israel’s Wall/Fence share their opinions.

Model United NationsDelegates to these simulations argue policies that are not their own, giving themvaluable insights into how others think.

Seeds Respond to South Asia QuakeWith funds raised around the world, Pakistani Seeds help victims of October’sterrible earthquake.

Mumbai FloodsAn Indian Seed recounts the disaster first-hand.

My Name is YusufA Gazan relates his interactions with Israelis at his home, at a hospital,and at Camp.

Delegation Leaders Encounter the “Other Side”The adults who accompany Seeds to Maine relate their experiences.

Camp ’05Reflections on another summer on Lake Pleasant.

Reviews: Munich & Paradise NowShira Kaplan and Hatim ElTayeb examine these two controversialOscar-nominated releases.

Interview: Jen MillerYara Owayyed talks to the former camper and counselor aboutInheriting the Holy Land, her new book featuring Seeds.

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BACK COVER PHOTO CREDITS: MELISSA RICHER

ince this is my first issue editing The Olive Branch, I’d like to take this space to introduce myself. I’ve been a counselor at Camp for eight sessions, beginning in 1999 and including the more recent Beyond Borders and Leadership Summit. I’ve also worked for several US

newspapers, including the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. Because this is my first issue, I would like to hear from you about what we’ve done right and what

we can do better. If you are interested in writing, drawing, or taking photos for the magazine, or you have story ideas, please contact us. You can reach Assistant Editors Agam & Manar, and me, at olivebranch@seedsofpeace.org. I would particularly like to talk to Seeds who want to help design the way The Olive Branch looks.

As you read this, we are preparing for our next issue, which will feature stories from Afghanistan, Cyprus and the Balkans. We will also hear from Seeds in Jordan and Egypt. Please let us know if you want to contribute to those stories.

As always, I hope you find The Olive Branch thought-provoking, challenging, and informative.

D ear Olive Branch readers, I am sitting at my house in Maine; it’s gorgeous outside—a snowy, wintry, cold day. Leslie and

I have been on the phone all morn-ing. Again, we’re reading through piles and piles of camp applications. What an exciting time of year! I cannot wait to escort the first busload of Seeds onto camp this summer—our fourteenth season of Seeds of Peace!

Really, it’s hard to believe that we have been at this for fourteen years. With everything that is hap-pening around the world today, Seeds of Peace’s work is more relevant than ever.

It would be easy for all of us to be ostriches—to put our heads into a hole and never look up from the darkness. But, as Seeds and Seeds of Peace supporters, we have all made a commitment—to our homes, to our families, to our nations, to our friends (and foes) across bor-ders, to the world, and to one another. We have all committed to never falter in our efforts as a Seeds of Peace family.

The one thing I am sure of is Seeds of Peace’s Seeds. There is so much I have learned from you all and, now, it is more important than ever for you to teach others the same lessons you have taught me.

I don’t have answers for a lot of what is going on—whether it be a natural disaster or a political

situation. But I believe in the power of Seeds and in all of you who recognize the goodness on both sides; I believe in those of you who realize that you are not always going to agree but that you still need to talk.

I hope that what is written in the pages to follow (the good and the bad) will motivate all of us to step

away and recommit to making com-promises, talking to one another, and working towards a better life for our families and our communities.

We all owe a big thank you to Eric Kapenga, a longtime member of the Seeds family who has just moved back to his hometown of Jerusalem to work at the Seeds of Peace Center as, among other things, The Olive Branch editor. Eric has some great ideas for the organization and is work-

ing hard with many Seeds to turn those ideas into reality.

So, as you juggle all that life is throwing at you, please take the time to really read and understand what is in these pages. And please continue to work hard for the betterment of those around you. We cannot lose hope.

Happy reading—and be safe,

EDITORS’ NOTE: Tim’s fourth grandchild, Eleni-Claire Leotsakos Wilson, was born on Feb. 3rd!

From the editorolivebranch@seedsofpeace.org

“ALL — UP!” with Tim

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Director, Camp & Jerusalem Center

4 The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006 5The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006

CAMPREFLECTIONS

Camp completely shifted my perceptionsand my perspective. Not that we used tocurse our so-called enemy before going tocamp, but our views have softened in oneway or the other.

Seeds of Peace provided us an opportunityto voice our opinions and to change ourmindsets.

And now we Seeds are ready to spreadthis message far and wide.

Sundas Manan(Lahore)

BEYOND RIGHTS

Recently posted on the Seeds of PeaceInternet bulletin board:

“We were here first.”“This place is holy for us.”“You have no right to be here.”“All we want is what is rightfully ours.”“You have so many places to live in. Why

did you have to take away ours?”“It’s OUR land!”In a crazy world like ours, where even facts

can vary wildly from one person to the next,we can’t seem to stop fighting about the issueof “rights.” Those statements above weremade by thousands of Israelis and thousandsof Palestinians in a thousand different places,no place more so than at our beloved Seedsof Peace Camp.

Each person who made them was utterlyconvinced they were true. How could itpossibly be any other way? I was born here.My parents were born here. My ancestorswere born here. Here––I’ll show you mydocuments, my certificates, my Bible. I’ll quoteyou a million sources that say that this landis rightfully mine. Mine, and no one else’s.

And there is a fundamental problem inthis––it’s never going to get us anywhere. Ifyou have your rights, and I have mine, andwe all fight to the death to protect them, thendie we will. And people have died, hundredsand thousands, because we couldn’t seewhat we were doing.

We couldn’t see the lives destroyed, familiesdestroyed, homes destroyed––and eventuallythe land we cherish so much destroyed. Allwe could see was “rights.”

I’m never going to stop believing in therights of the Jewish people to this entire land.I’ve been taught this since I was born, andit’s really too late to be changing it now.

Call me brainwashed, call me ignorant, butI believe I have the right to live where I live, tospeak my native language, to openly lead mylife as a Jew in his homeland.

But I also believe that if I cling to my rightsstronger than I cling to my life, I’m not goingto get very far.

For better or worse, there are going to betwo countries on this land. And that––a chanceto live peacefully, to end this stupid fight that’snot about reality but about so-called truthswe can never agree on––is far more importantto me than any right.

Sagi Ganot(Holon)

CYPRUS STILL DIVIDED

Turkish and Greek Cypriots have not beensuccessful in forming a common governmentand accepting each other’s presence on thedivided island.

The “Annan Plan,” prepared by theSecretary-General of the United Nations, wasthe biggest hope on the road to peace and

forming a new Republic. Although acceptedby a majority of Turkish Cypriots, it was rejectedby three-quarters of Greek Cypriots, leavingthe peace process even further behind thanwhere it started.

In my opinion, the most importantcontribution to peace in Cyprus would be theworld accepting that Turkish Cypriots deservepolitical equality and abolishing their unjustifiedisolation.

Seeds of Peace is a big hope in this context,since it teaches young people how to listento one another and show respect for differentperspectives. Seeds proves that the membersof the two communities on Cyprus can livetogether in equality. If these virtues are alsoaccepted by our leaders and taught to thewhole community, we will become twosocieties respectful of each other’s rights,taking the first step towards peace.

Ersev Ersoy(Nicosia)

PALESTINIANELECTIONS

I believe that now is the time for change,for a new era. Fatah lost because thePalestinians did not feel it had improved theirsituation, either politically or economically. Sothey voted for an alternative they believe willimprove their status.

Amin Khatib(Jerusalem)

No one can claim that the Palestinianelections weren’t fair––they were observedby the entire world. The world wanted thedemocratic system applied; it was and thePalestinians chose Hamas.

Stopping aid to the Palestinians is not asolution: you can’t fix a “mistake” by makinganother mistake. The only solution is peacethrough negotiation with those selected tolead the Palestinian people. The election resultsshould be respected as the Palestinian choice,and if not for that, then for the sake ofdemocracy.

Wasim Jabari(Jerusalem)

I love and admire the Israeli and Palestinianpeoples, so it upsets me that Palestiniansvoted for a party which wishes to destroy theirneighbor.

I realize that Hamas provides good socialservices; but tell me, is there no other way toget social services? If the Palestinian peoplejust wanted social reforms, and that was theirwill, it would have happened. Instead, thiselection expresses pervasive Palestinianfrustration (that’s my supposition, at least).And I understand completely why you feelfrustrated. I would not put myself in thesituation of being a Palestinian for anything inthe world because I’m aware of how hardyour lives are, how the endless checkpointsand violence wear you down, how you feeldegraded and like refugees.

At the same time, does it make sense toelect a party which promotes and perpetuatesthe cycle of violence? Will it help you?

Adrienne Yoe(Yarmouth, Maine)

My prediction is that Hamas will be broughtinto the mainstream and will be forced to putdown its weapons. Some of its members willaccept; those that don’t will probably joinIslamic Jihad.

Voters paid little attention to the biggerpicture, which centers on negotiations withIsrael and reaching independent statehood.

People were mainly concerned with social

services and were simply sick of Fatah beingso corrupt and unable to deliver onnegotiations with Israel.

Thanks to their social services and abilityto better manage at the municipal level,Hamas as the alternative proved a muchbetter choice than Fatah.

Now we are stuck. The world won’t talkto Hamas, and Fatah won’t form a unitygovernment with Hamas. The solution to thiswill have to be a combination of the worldlistening to the new government formed byHamas and Hamas redefining its policy onIsrael.

Fadi ElSalameen(Hebron)

Given that Hamas has acceptedresponsibility for many attacks on Israel inthe past, Israel has reason to be alarmed atthe outcome of the elections.

If Hamas doesn’t lay down its weapons,as is my expectation, at least Israel will knowwhere to respond. If Hamas resumes suicidebombings/freedom fighting, it will be agovernment-delegated operation. Israelwon’t be fighting private “terrorist” groupswhile also fighting the PA. The two will beunited and the opposition will have a face.

On the Palestinian side, corruption hasplagued Fatah in the past and so thePalestinian people elected Hamas torepresent them. The people who voted infavor of Hamas can’t all have been membersof the party, nor is it likely that they all condonethe violence that it advocates.

Gabby Weinrott(Philadelphia)

I am extremely impressed with thePalestinian people for carrying out a smoothand transparent election. The fact that thePalestinians shine as a beacon of truedemocracy in the Arab world, while still underoccupation, is very inspiring.

What I say from now on is an attempt toguess what the near future holds. SinceHamas has never been a part of theLegislative Council, much less the majorityparty, it is difficult to predict what course ofaction it will take. I believe they are going tofocus on in-house cleanup more thananything.

Governing is a challenge that they havenot taken on before, and being in such adominant position is a surprise, even forthem. They will have to get their act togetherto show the Palestinians that they can be afunctioning government. They are aware that

the Palestinian vote was not so much anaffirmation of support for Hamas but arejection of the corruption and stagnationthat reign in Fatah.

Perhaps the trickiest issue for Hamas willbe how to deal with the internationalcommunity. A lot of aid for the Palestiniangovernment comes from the EU and the US,which may be cut off if members of Hamasbecome part of the new government.

Palestinians may seek alternative sourcesof funding, such as Saudi Arabia and theGulf States.

Those countries are currently benefitingfrom large surpluses due to high oil prices,and may be more willing to give money tothe more accountable Hamas than they wereto a corrupt Fatah.

As for the peace process, what peaceprocess? It has been on hold for nearly sixyears now and the latest steps taken by theIsraeli government are unilateral, not part ofwhat I would consider a “peace process.”

Saad Shakhshir(Amman)

I think that Israel and the US have torespect the results of the democratic processin Palestine and deal with its outcome. Iexpect Hamas to deal with the greatresponsibility of leadership in a reasonableway, as it has done before with social,economic and education problems in theGaza Strip.

Hiba Nusseibeh(Jerusalem)

ARIEL SHARON

Great leaders are those who are able toread the changing political map and adapttheir policies accordingly. They are able toadmit their past mistakes and opt for anotherpath as they mature. Great leaders realizethat what might have been best for theircountry a few decades earlier is notnecessarily right for their country now. Theyare fluid, and their fluidity is their main strength.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was a greatleader. Sharon changed his horses midstreamin a way no one had foreseen. Apart fromthe international pressure exerted upon him(particularly by President Bush), two otherthings contributed to his change of policy.One was the passing of his wife Lilly, whodied of cancer several years ago.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

ELECTION DAY: Manar Alnatsha (Hebron) took pictures of the day’s events, includingthis one of boys distributing campaign material outside a polling station.

6 The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006 7

CONTINUED

The second was some sort of politicalawakening, which made him read the regionalmap in a different light and realize that it wastime for withdrawal, rather than furtheroccupation.

The thought of Sharon stepping out of thepolitical arena is a saddening one. I haveheard US State Department experts arguethat if Sharon won the upcoming elections,he would have finally shaped the easternborders of the State of Israel. Just like hewithdrew from Gaza and evacuated 8,000settlers, he would have reached a resolutionregarding the West Bank.

But our leader seems to have been takenaway from us. The only real leader in Israelipolitics is now out of the political game. Abulldozer turned into a peacemaker? Sharonwas a human being, who matured alongsidethe State of Israel, and whose political endingcame when we most needed him.

Shira Kaplan(Hertzliya)

When the Gaza pullout took place, a lotof Palestinians were celebrating andcongratulating each other as if a new babyhad been born. I never felt like it was acelebration and had complex feelings aboutthe entire Disengagement.

Ariel Sharon’s Disengagement Planmaintains the occupation, but with moreinternational legitimacy; it has nothing to dowith ending Israeli control over the Gaza Strip.It is very clear, even in the Israeli media, thatIsrael will continue to supervise and guardGaza, maintain exclusive control of itsairspace, and conduct military activities inthe sea off its coast. Moreover, Israel alsoreserves the right to act militarily inside Gaza.

To further legitimize his plan, Sharondismantled the Gaza settlements andreturned the land they were built on to thePalestinians. The Gaza settlements, togetherwith Israeli-only roads and the military basesprotecting them, occupied almost a third ofthe Strip. Where have these Israeli settlersbeen relocated to? Israel? Some, but all arefree to move into new settlements in theWest Bank!

Even as Sharon promised to dismantle thesettlement outposts in the West Bank, theirnumbers kept increasing. It’s hard not to seethe Disengagement as simply another “peaceplan” to ease diplomatic pressure on Israel.All of a sudden, Sharon was a messenger ofpeace; with that perception, he could dowhatever he wanted.

Even though, as some have suggested,Sharon may have been changing before hisdeparture from politics, Palestinians can neverforget his history. He rose to power in theIsraeli political scene with his hard-line policiesand his history of aggression. He is the fatherof the settler movement and was foundindirectly responsible, by an Israelicommission, for the massacres of Palestiniansat the Sabra & Shatila Refugee Camps inLebanon. Under his leadership, the IDFdecimated 13 percent of the Jenin RefugeeCamp. Imagine destroying 13 percent ofRamat Gan, Hertzliya, or Rishon le-Tsiyon?

He has also left us the legacy of the Wall.Originally an Ehud Barak initiative, Sharonredirected it to dissect the Palestinian territory,taking land and water. His disregard forinternational law highlights his disingenuousattitude toward peace; his willingness tojustify the deaths of innocents speaks to hisown moral character. Sharon’s movement

to the “Center” only means that the Centerhas moved much further Right.

Dina Jaber(Nablus)

The Media is doing what no Doctor daresto do. Not because the Doctors are afraid,but because the Media is wrong. Thepoliticians keep saying: “Now’s not the timefor politics.”

They are wrong as well.It is time for politics and only politics, and

not talking about Ariel Sharon’s past, presentor future. A country must act with what it’sdealt, and if that means that a prime ministercan’t function in this role, he must bereplaced, and political changes will occur.

What needs to be avoided is having itsmedia and politicians refer to an ill leader asdeceased.

A quick look at the papers will tell you thatAriel Sharon is no longer with us. Telling aman’s life story while is still alive is nothingbut pure sensationalism. It should not happen.

Let the man wake up, or have a doctordeclare his death, before you do.

Ron Roman(Haifa)

Normally, you won’t find me writing abouta member of the Likud party. My ideology isthe complete opposite of its “truth,” and myviews on most of its members are verynegative. Why, then, have I nurtured sympathyand respect for a person I once hated?

Certainly, Sharon is not an innocent. Whena person serves the army for almost 30 years,you may assume he is dragging a bag ofsins on his back (and in his heart). I knowPalestinians hate him: they are very clear onthis issue. They see him as a murderer whobelongs on trial for war crimes. This said, Ihave to conclude that given his actions overthe last three years, he does want peace.No one can forget that it was Sharon whoformulated, planned, and carried out theGaza Disengagement that withdrew Israelisettlers from the Strip. For a person who wasoften called “the father of the settlements,”the Withdrawal was not an obvious move.

Sharon is a part of the generation thatfought and gave blood for this country toexist. For the people that were here in 1948,giving away land is hard. Still, as hard as itwas to do so, he came to realize howimportant it is to give up land for peace. Hechanged from extreme right-wing politicianto peacemaker. I believe it was very hard forhim to reconcile this with his ideology, buthe did so because he knew it was best forthe people who had chosen him as theirleader. His devotion, assertiveness, andrealism made him the great leader he was.

Today, Sharon is not our leader. But hewasn’t defeated by the people: he wasbetrayed by his own body. It doesn’t matterif you are Palestinian or Israeli––I believe wecan all agree that Sharon has made animportant contribution to solving the MiddleEast conflict. That is the way I will rememberhim.

Omer Duvdevani(Rosh Ha’ayin)

According to approval ratings, Ariel Sharonhas been an incredible success as a leader.

Everybody seems to like him (well, noteverybody, but a lot of people). Why?Well, here is what I think. It’s essential to talkif you want to do something.

But talking won’t get things done. At some

See something here you’d like to respondto? Your letters are most welcome!Letters are edited for length, content andstyle. E-mail submissions toolivebranch@seedsofpeace.org

point, you just have to do. I think “doing” isthe key here.

No one can tell exactly what will happenbefore you do something, and if it is somethingbig, it is likely that a lot of people will opposeyou.

A lot of people opposed Ariel Sharon. A lotof people think that he did the wrong thing.But most people supported the “doing.” Theywere just happy that something was beingdone!

Not talked about ...Not agreed about ...Done.For better or worse, someone was finally

DOING something.Aviv Liron(Kibbutz Ein-Harod)

MAINE SEEDS UPDATE

For the Maine Seeds, this year has beenfull of changes, new faces, and new ideas.

In the fall we gathered to discuss Crash,an acclaimed film about racism in the US. Themeeting took the format of a dialogue session.

We hope to organize more discussions andcontinue to have healthy debates about issuesimportant to us.

At the end of December, we receivedshocking news that a Portland Seed hadbeen reported missing on Christmas Eve. Oneof the original Maine Seeds in 2000, SiphatChau is a good friend to many of the PortlandSeeds and part of the Seeds family.

When we learned he was missing, Seedsorganized a search for him the next day. About20 people, including Seeds from 2000, hisbrother, and his friends from Portland,searched the woods, railroad tracks, andwarehouses near his house. Nothing wasfound.

We then made up copies of a photo ofSiphat and put them up around Portland. Weasked a local TV station to do a story onSiphat, which they did.

We are still wishing for his safe return.Tim joined us at a recent meeting and we

discussed the results of the Palestinianelections and the situation in the Middle East.Throughout his travels to visit Seeds overseas,Tim has been an important part of Maineactivities. Portland Seeds are now workingwith dedicated volunteers whose insight andguidance have been incredibly encouraging.

With their help, we have begun work onour annual Thank You Dinner, a LeadershipSummit to reunite Maine Seeds. We hope toraise money for the upkeep of the camp.

We are crossing our fingers that our recentgrant application to fund “Portland ColorGames” is accepted. We want to organizeand host the first local games to encouragefriendship between the six competing schoolsin the City of Portland.

Next year will begin a new cycle of campersfrom Maine. Seeds will be from the centralMaine area, followed the next year with Seedsfrom northern Maine and cycling back toPortland in 2008. This rotation will representmore areas of the state at Camp and giveSeeds an influence state-wide.

Through the busy and trying months, wework toward our goal of improving acceptanceand understanding. While we strive forconnectedness in Maine, we hold onto thegreat dream of peace for the whole world.

Grace Batsford(Portland)

The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006

he 2005Leader-shipSummit,held at

Camp last Augustduring Third Ses-sion, was builtaround the idea ofutilizing the hugeuntapped body ofolder Seeds, andinvolving them inthe decisions of the

organization. The focus of the Summitwas not on regular camp activities thatwould initiate dialogue, but rather on skilland leadership enhancement and identify-ing areas of strength within the 120 par-ticipants that could be used to further thework of Seeds of Peace.

During the week-long Summit, dele-gates participated in one of the followingworkshops: Media, Business, Politics, orConflict Resolution. Each of these work-shops was geared to aid Graduate Seeds(Seeds who are university-age or older)in designing and planning joint projectsthat benefit Seeds of Peace alumni andthat support the organization’s mission.

Distinguished guest speakers from thesefour fields were invited to lecture at campabout their areas of expertise, and were

asked to assist the delegates in designingsuccessful projects.

In addition to the workshops, we haddaily two-hour dialogue sessions whichhelped us identify ways that the organiza-tion can support older Seeds, introducedus to the organization’s future plans, andbegan to establish and develop a strongand well-networked body for graduateSeeds. The dialogue sessions helped putour goals in perspective so that we couldefficiently design projects back in theworkshops.

There was definitely a lot of positiveenergy going around, but very little timeto fully utilize that energy. By the timewe as delegates were able to identify andunite our various goals and needs fromSeeds of Peace, the Summit was alreadyending, leaving us little time to effectivelyplan our projects and present them accu-rately to the rest of the Summit partici-pants.

One of the most significant outcomesof the Summit was the creation of a planfor establishing a steering committee forthe body of graduate Seeds.

The success of the Summit will dependon our energy and enthusiasm now thatwe are home again, back to our personallives and problems. At the end of the day,it’s always up to us to pave the way to abetter future.

9The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006

lderSeeds,where artthou?If there

was one question the2005 LeadershipSummit was intendedto answer, that wouldbe it, though maybein not such theShakespearean

manner.Seeds of Peace realized there was great

potential going untapped in the form ofolder Seeds. (Mind you, younger Seeds,that we are not all that different fromyou—we only went to camp a few yearsbefore you. I was at camp in ’97, wentback in ’98, and have been involved with

Seeds of Peace in Jordan ever since.)The Leadership Summit was a first of

its kind: a gathering of Seeds from 1993to 1999. There were around 120 of us inall, from Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Pales-tine (plus a few Americans here and there).

Being back at camp was a great experi-ence. (Younger Seeds, you may start relat-ing now).

There was still the daily ALL-UP! call(though you could skip breakfast if youfelt like it and Tim didn’t mind too much).There were the dialogue sessions (whichyou were supposed to attend but somepeople skipped).

There were also workshop sessions(which were pretty cool) and the activityperiods (which coincided with the dialoguesessions, which explains why some peopleskipped dialogue). There was lunch and

dinner (and dessert at every meal), butyou weren’t assigned a table.

That said, it wasn’t like a typical campexperience at all.

For one, you didn’t have Counselorsrunning around telling people to speakEnglish. There was no lights-out! Youcould stay up for as long as you wanted.But that meant a lot of people missedbreakfast. There were, believe it or not,smoking areas. (Kids, don’t smoke!)There were also long lectures about thingsolder people care about, like work andpolitics in the real world.

We played a lot of sports, but there wereno Counselors to ask us to wear propershoes (and thus I broke one of my toe-nails playing basketball wearing sandals).

And there was no lights-out! (I’m sorrybut that one was the greatest.)

ONCE AGAIN IN MAINE: Barak Amram (left, Jerusalem), Ruba Musleh (Ramallah) and Hidy Boctor (Cairo) take a break betweenworkshop sessions during the Summit.

Sami Ammous(Amman)

EGYPTIANS Maha Azmy (left), Mai Abou Samra and Mariam Kamal catch up.

ShereenEl Sammaa

(Cairo)

T

8 The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006

Seeds renewties at Summit

120 alumni back at Camp

spent the three best weeks ofmy life at the Seeds of PeaceCamp in Maine, and I think ourone week at Karjat couldaccount for the fourth best. Not

only for the fun andenjoyment I had, butalso because of whatI learned there.I met Seeds fromprevious years,people I had alwayswanted to meet. Itwas a fabulousgathering and Imade many friends.I thank my Indian

friends for making us their guests,introducing us to their wonderful

families, and showing us aroundMumbai.

Camp made me think big and thisconference made me think bigger andmore positively. But most of all, it mademe think about myself to an extent anddepth that I never thought possible.

I developed confidence in myselfand what I can do as an Afghan teenagerand a young and open-minded personfor my country and for a future of peace.

Thanks to the active listening andcommunication exercises we did at theconference, my communication skillshave improved. We reached a series of conclusionsand decisions that could be veryeffective to the future of peace andSeeds of Peace in the region.

assport, please,” said theimmigration officer frombehind the desk. “How longare you here for?”“Umm, about four days,” I

replied, scratching my head.“And what are here for?” she asked,

raising an eyebrow.“Seeds of––”“Oh, agriculture.”“No,” I laughed. “Indo-Pak peace

dialogue.”Her lips eased upwards in a smile.

She stamped mypassport andhanded back mydocuments.

“Welcome toMumbai, ma’am.And good luck.”

I was in Karjat,outside Mumbai,along with 55other Seeds fromIndia, Pakistan,

and Afghanistan, to attend the 2006South Asia Regional Conference.

We reflected on past achievementsand difficulties and chalked out goalsfor the future. The emphasis was ongood communication; most of ourworkshops centered on active listening,a skill invaluable to everyday life aswell as conflict resolution.

It was T-shirt hot. It was green. Itwas windy. And it was four days ofamazing discovery. The activelistening, the not-so-active listening,the warm-up games, the heateddiscussions, the rolling lawns, theswings, the Seeds of Peace song, thetalent show and the immense talent itshowcased, the food, the meetings, thestar-studded sky––the conference wasfantastic.

Karjat ’06 was a milestone. It wasa milestone because it was the first ofits kind. It was a milestone because itwas cross-generational, includingSeeds and educators from all threecountries.

It was a milestone because it wasproductive and challenging and fun.More than anything else, it was amilestone because it brought us alltogether. It brought delegationstogether, it brought the Indians andPakistanis together, it brought theAfghans, Indians, and Pakistanistogether. It was truly South Asia.

To me, this conference was all aboutsynergy, a concept Tom (our facilitator)introduced as our session began.

11The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006

I

For four days in January, 24 adult educators and 56 Seeds fromAfghanistan, India and Pakistan met in Karjat, India, for the first-ever South Asia Regional Conference. Seeds representing all yearsof the South Asia program reconnected with old friends, met newfriends, and worked to create a strong foundation for continuedregional programming. Seeds also focused on building communicationskills to improve their ability to manage conflict through dialogue.

PLANNING: Indian Seeds presentcollaborative project proposals to theiradult educators.

P

BOYS IN BLUE: Roman Zardosht (left)and Aryan Bahadary, both from Kabul,were part of a 21-Seed delegation tothe conference from Afghanistan.

LOOKS LIKE CAMP: Hamza Usmani (left, Lahore), Najibullah Haddad (Kabul),Sanket Brahmbhatt (Mumbai) and Suresh Kenkre (Mumbai).

FIRST SOUTH ASIA CAMPERS: Representing the 2001 camp delegations fromSouth Asia, Zunaira Hijazi (left, Lahore) and Radhika Lalla (Mumbai) served ascounselors during the conference, helping to run sessions and facilitate discussions.

EDUCATORS: Pakistanis and Indianstake part in their opening session.

Haris Saboor(Kabul)

Mira Sethi(Lahore)

10 The Olive Branch Winter/Spring 2006