The challenges of coexistence

A science major travels to the Middle East to understand the struggle for peace there

 

By Donata Ling    -    www.livingcitymagazine.com

“Aren’t you afraid, Donata?” I was asked this question several times before I left for the Middle East. But being the person I am, I had to see it for myself. This past summer, I was given the unique opportunity to participate in a course titled “Coexistence in the Middle East” through the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Along with almost 50 students from every continent, I had a glimpse of the challenges and complexities of coexistence in Israel, a land shared and claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, where Jews, Christians and Muslims have their common roots.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. First of all, I was a science major, and suddenly I was studying about the confluence of Western and Middle-Eastern civilizations. Until then, Israel’s international relations with Arab and Muslim countries and Palestinian-Israeli relations had only been titles to me. I had never travelled to the Middle East.
On the first day, we walked for what seemed to be hours in the scorching heat to study Jerusalem’s historical centre, home to all three monotheistic religions. I was shocked to see the neighbourhoods divided by religion. Nonetheless, the words of John Paul II kept ringing in my ears, “If we can find peace in the Middle East, there will be peace in the whole world.”

Before this trip, I had the conviction to understand the struggle for peace in the Middle East, since it receives no shortage of media attention. Indeed, I was hoping to wrap my head around the Arab-Israeli situation by engaging in the Coexistence in the Middle East programme. However, during the course, the more I heard from different government officials, religious leaders, nongovernmental and political activists, the more I was left puzzled and confused at the complexity of the situation there.How can the Israelis and Palestinians find peace amidst the tension in the Middle East? This question was always subject to debate, because each person had a different narrative and opinion.
However, then I heard from people’s own experiences affected by the conflict: a Holocaust survivor, a Christian living in Jerusalem, a Palestinian and a Jewish family. They all shared one message: we must love one another.
It’s easier said than done, but when both Palestinian and Israeli families, both having lost a family member due to the conflict, expressed love for one another, I found a snapshot of the only possible answer.
There’s still a lot more I have to learn, but this experience has definitely opened my eyes — being aware, being open, being educated.