'Seeds of Peace' helps forge vision for peaceful future

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Lina is a 14-year-old Palestinian girl who lives in the town of Jenin on the West Bank. Until a few weeks ago, the only Israelis she had ever come in contact with were soldiers who patrolled the area around the city. Meeting a teenager from Israel, much less making friends with one, was unthinkable.

But after spending three weeks in the United States with other Arab and Israel teenagers at a camp in the Maine woods, Lina says her outlook about Israel and Jews has changed. One of 170 Arab and Jewish boys and girls selected to participate in a program called Seeds of Peace, Lina will turn to the Middle East this month with a greater understanding of the world she lives in and -- the people she lives with.

"They're not just soldiers," she says of her Israeli counterparts. "They are human beings just like us. They have hearts, and they feel, and they don't like the situation either".

I've met with the boys and girls participating in Seeds of Peace several times since the program began in 1993. The first time they came to the White House was to witness Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sign the peace accord in September 1993. They came again this week -- after meeting with senators and with Secretary of State Warren Christopher -- infused with hope about the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

Now three years old, Seeds of Peace brings together boys and girls from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia and Kuwait who show potential for leadership and diplomacy.

Most of the Arab children have never spent time with Jews. Most of the Israels have never spent time with Arabs. In fact, some have lost family members and friends to the violence in the Middle East.

Seeds of Peace helps them leave the past behind and forge a vision for a peaceful future. During three weeks at camp, they share bunks and meals, play sports together and participate in other traditional camp activities. In the evenings, they hold group discussions about politics and their daily lives. Along the way, they learn the art of conflict resolution and become more skilled at negotiating agreements.

They learn empathy, respect and how to agree to disagree about topics as sensitive as who should rule Jerusalem. They also learn how to listen, even when they don't like what they hear.

Seeds of Peace was the brainchild of John Wallach, a former journalist, in response to the World Trade Center bombing. "The treaties that are signed are just pieces of paper unless the peace is real in people's hearts," he says.

One of the first boys to participate, an Israeli named Yehoyada, said the camp experience was a perfect warmup for watching the signing of the historic peace accord in September 1993.

"It was like they put into practice what we did in camp," he says. "We had the feeling that we were showing them the way."

As Wallach hoped, Seeds of Peace has had a lasting effect on the children who participate.

Yehoyada, now 17, has visited friends in Egypt and Jordan. He also has remained friendly with Laith, a Palestinian boy he met through Seeds of Peace. Despite recent setbacks in the peace process -- and the wariness of some family members -- they have stayed in touch over the past three years. The two boys visited Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's grave together. This spring, Laith called Yehoyada after each of the bus bombings in Jerusalem to offer his condolences. "It makes you feel there is still hope," Yeyohada said.

A 16-year-old Jordanian girl named Sara found the program just as enlightening. When she returned to Jordan after participating last year, she led a seminar on the Holocaust to help educate Arab youngsters about the experience of Jews in World War II.

Each time I met young people like Lina, Yehoyada and Sara, I am reminded that we adults have a lot to learn from them when it comes to overcoming stereotypes, bridging historical divides and learning to live in peace. Children often are the best ambassadors. They are Seeds of Peace.

-- Creators Syndicate, Inc.