Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp

Alya, a Palestinian Israeli girl, and Yuval, a Jewish Israeli boy, live a short distance from each other in Israel, yet they have totally different and separate lives. Then one summer they have a chance to meet when they attend Peace Camp, a day camp operated by Givat Haviva, an educational organization that works toward Jewish-Arab peace.

At Peace Camp, the Jewish and Palestinian children experience two weeks of fun in close contact with each other. They participate in sports, arts and crafts projects, field trips, and other camp activities. They begin to understand what their shared ancient homeland means to the "other side." Most of all, they learn not to be afraid of each other. Maybe they even become friends.

This eye-opening story offers hope for breaking down the distrust and violence that define the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The children's experiences at Peace Camp may well help their generation build a foundation for living together peacefully in one homeland.