Do you believe that peace can be built by one personal encounter at a time?

Question

BAT YAM, Israel – Giggling children built castles, drew pictures in the sand and splashed water on each other in a refreshing first for Palestinian youngsters from the landlocked West Bank: a day at the beach.

While Israelis and Palestinians are increasingly kept apart by distrust and a separation barrier, grass-roots organizations have been trying to bring them together in outings like this, maintaining that peace is built one personal encounter at a time.Two such groups, Combatants for Peace and Machsom Watch, have been arranging trips to Israeli beaches for Palestinian children and their parents. On Monday, about 75 Palestinians drove by bus from the West Bank's Hebron area to a beach south of Tel Aviv, after crossing an Israeli checkpoint on foot.
For many of the Palestinians, it was their first glimpse of the sea — and a moment of hope.

"We feel we have to live in peace and create an atmosphere for our kids to live a better life than the life we lived," said Ziad Sabatein, a 37-year-old father of five. "We lived through the (Palestinian) uprising and the attacks on each other, we experienced these things together (with the Israelis). Why not experience this way of life?"

Palestinians have largely been barred from Israel since 2000, when they launched an uprising against Israeli occupation and bloody fighting erupted. Although the fighting has calmed down, West Bank residents still need to apply for special permits to enter Israel.

Peace talks with the West Bank government of President Mahmoud Abbas remain frozen, in part because he refuses to negotiate until Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halts construction in Jewish settlements in the territory. But the hawkish Israeli leader has lifted some West Bank checkpoints and pledged to boost the area's economy in a bid to improve the climate.With calm largely restored in the West Bank, Israel has relaxed some restrictions on movement and has made it somewhat easier for some residents to obtain entry permits to Israel.

In contrast, the Gaza Strip, ruled by the rival Hamas militant group's government, remains sealed. Israel, which considers Hamas a terrorist group, has no relations with the Islamic group and has imposed a blockade of the coastal territory, preventing its 1.4 million people from entering the Jewish state except for rare humanitarian cases.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090729/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_beach_day

Answer 1

Yes I agree with that one encounter at a time it does happen one has to have faith,perseverance and hope.

Answer 2

That is the most sound way of achieving Peace.

May we start in our Land to get along.

Answer 3

Yes - small steps so any backward ones can be handled...we could learn many social skills from children.

Answer 4

You can always hope, and try.



It will take a lot of time to bring about peace that way, but someone has to try.

Answer 5

from little acorns grow big oak trees

Answer 6

It has to start somewhere.