by Hod Ben Zvi and Giorgio Gasperoni

Traveling to Bergamo, San Marino, Pesaro, Rimini, Ancona, Urbino, and Rome, Israelis and the Palestinians had many opportunities for interaction and new insights. Two senior participants from the respective communities, Dr. Azmi Abu-Soud and Dr. Shuki Ben Ami, served as guides and mentors to the youth leaders.

Since the beginning of 2008, YFWP has particularly emphasized the role of youth leadership in bringing peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis within the long tradition of the Middle East Peace Initiative projects organized by the affiliated Universal Peace Federation (UPF), which have brought thousands of peace ambassadors from all over the world to the Holy Land.

"As the executive director of YFWP Israel, I felt it was a top priority for us to raise a new type of leadership," says Hod Ben Zvi, "leadership composed of bright and savvy Israelis and Palestinians who are ready to know one another on a personal level. Most of the participants will hold some leadership positions in their respective nations. Some are already holding such positions or running for municipal elections.

"Realizing that big and important political decisions are often decided, for good and for bad, by the leaders' personal relations, we took the path of preparing those young leaders prior to their taking office, letting them get a firsthand experience of the character and human nature of their counterparts. The project was aiming to forge future alliances by present friendships."

There were many hidden battles, Zvi said, such as getting visas for the Palestinians and clearing Israeli security. "Ben Gurion Airport is not a friendly place for Palestinians and Israelis to meet," noted one participant. "While I was shepherded through security as an Israeli, my fellow Palestinians were interrogated. I met most of my colleagues only after we landed in Milan." Also, many participants were inclined toward ideological debates and it was a challenge to get them to acknowledge being "one family under God" in practice.

Prior to embarking on the mission, all participants were educated in YFWP principles of peace, emphasizing one's essential spiritual and moral nature; the principle of living for the sake of others; the importance of cooperation beyond the boundaries of ethnicity, religion, and nationality; and the ultimate reality of our kinship as children of God.

YFWP's first project took place in early January 2008 based on an initiative of Giorgio Gasperoni, the UPF Secretary General from the Republic of San Marino, and Hod Ben Zvi from Israel. They brought twenty Italian youth leaders for a fact-finding tour and dialog in Israel and Palestine. Since then, YFWP has developed leadership seminars, engaging various individuals and groups such as Realizing the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. III, Faith Link from Europe, Mashatzim from Israel and many others. The international delegates traveled around Israel and Palestine, joining group discussions and service projects. Often local youth leaders, who gave them a first hand experience of life in the Middle East, joined them.

The Israelis and Palestinians engaged in conversations, discussions and even shopping and outings. At times, they held formal meetings, which often heated up as political issues were raised, especially since there were a number of political science major graduates among the delegates. As a result, some of the more fruitful interactions were the informal ones.

Discovering Italy

The delegation began the trip sightseeing in the exciting and beautiful city of Bergamo. Meetings took place at the town hall with various local organizations dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East. This created an opportunity for the young leaders from both sides to convey their respective viewpoints. One of the highlights of the visit was a football game between a hastily put together between the Israeli-Palestinian team and a semi professional local Italian team. The local town people cheered the teams, and though the guests were beaten 12 to 4, they all celebrated together joyfully, enjoying authentic Italian pizza at a restaurant after the match. One participant commented, "Amazingly, we lost by eight. We did however play as a team of sportsmen and demonstrated to the crowd that Israelis and Palestinians can play together."

From Separation to Cooperation "I could see the light of hope in your eyes whenever we were traveling together to the marvelous Italian towns.. . ." Read one testimony

Toward evening, all were able to come to dinner together and enjoy the magnificent meal prepared by the foreign ministry of San Marino. This was also an opportunity for the delegates to celebrate the birthday of the main host, Giorgio Gasperoni, as well as the first marriage anniversary of one of the Israeli couples that joined the trip. This was a high point following the tension from the day before and all joined in singing happy birthday in Hebrew, English, Italian and Arabic.

In Rimini, the delegation was hosted in the home of Anna Marie, a key local Ambassador for Peace. Anna, a music teacher, performed beautiful songs accompanied by her brother, a gifted guitarist. In addition, she invited a local blues group who brought the spirit of Memphis to the colorful international delegation. Gasperoni and three of his children took care of the entire delegation: driving, guiding, and translating. Later that evening some Palestinian participants prepared a delicious Middle Eastern meal at the Gasperoni home. "Entering the big kitchen in Giorgio's house revealed for me a special atmosphere of friendship and cooperation," said one Israeli delegate. "The astonishing tasty smell, the Palestinian girls who were cutting the salad and singing, the pride in the eyes of the people who just finished preparing their 'masterpiece,' fried shrimps and calamari, with all of this one could not remain indifferent. Something meaningful was happening in this kitchen and we were all in a melting pot." When the time came to leave, everyone joined hands in restoring the place from a Mid Eastern restaurant back to the Gasperoni home.

In Pesaro, the municipality provided bicycles and participants rode around town and were greeted by the mayor. They then went to the beach in the southern part of the city for some fun and relaxation. The hosts, eager to show their city, introduced them to different institutes and facilities, including a care center for the mentally handicapped. The facility is honored among the people of Pesaro due to its unique approach based on full integration of the handicapped into the society.

Delegates later met with students from a branch of the Uorbino University in Pesaro and had a round table discussion with them. "Everywhere I went I met Italians who cared for peace," one delegate, Eyal, said. "This is heart warming."

On the last day, they traveled through the countryside from region to region, until reaching Colle Mattia on the outskirts of Rome. That night they spent walking around Rome, visiting some of the Eternal City's great attractions, and the next morning drove to the airport for their flight back home. Even Israel's national airline, El-Al, known for its strict security, was inspired by the project, allowing both Israelis and Palestinians to go together through the same standard check up.

Though the entire experience challenged the delegates on all levels, most the participants found that beyond their differences and strong political views, they are brothers and sisters who have similar dreams and hopes. One of the participants commented: "People's connection is universal, and even a historical conflict cannot separate the sympathy between humans."

"Endless conversations about historical facts, or digging into politics will not bring us the hope that a fruitful and loyal cooperation between the two sides can build," said another. "We have to start trusting each other and building strong bonds that we will create a new generation of leaders for PEACE."

For more information on YFWP's leadership training and peacemaking efforts around the world and how you can get involved, visit our Projects page.