Today I travelled to the village of Aqabah in the northern part of the West Bank, to meet the head of the village, Haj Sami. Haj Sami is no ordinary guy and his village is no ordinary village. He is dedicated to peace and has created an oasis around him.
Aqabah is a small village with 300 people, a mosque, a school and a medical clinic. Aqabah is also located in what used to be an Israeli military training ground. In 1971, when Haj Sami was sixteen years old, he was wandering in the fields during a military training exercise, and was accidentally shot by Israeli fire. The incident left him in a wheelchair.
But it did not deter his commitment to peace. Haj Sami has a zero tolerance policy on violence and he implements this policy in every aspect of daily life: at schools, mosques and in the home. He told me that once an Israeli military jeep skidded and turned over on a road near the village, injuring three soldiers. He immediately sent people to help and provide medical assistance.
He speaks fluent Hebrew and encourages dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. His latest project is to build a peace house where Israelis and Palestinians can meet, share their grievances and frustrations and then find ways to build a better future.
Haj Sami's energy is infectious. And the village is eerily peaceful. I feel a huge sense of hope. It is exhilirating. And I am off to celebrate!
22 days to go...
Ca, as I have said before, there are so many stories of comaraderie and togetherness among Israelis and Palestinians, but they never make it to the papers - getting along is NOT NEWS. If the press and the politicians stayed out of it, we'd all be living together more peacefully.
ReplyDeleteLee