Learning from the Past And Present for a Peaceful Future
INTERVIEWS
Understanding the conflict directly from the teens growing up in it.
Please remember that the opinions of the interviewees do not necessarily reflect our own. Our goal is to educate others about the conflict as well as about the ideas and mindsets of those in it, and we do that through exposing all different viewpoints.
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Please note that, as of this date, most of the interviews with Israeli and Palestinian teens posted on this site occurred before October 2023. In 2024, TPME is working to actively engage with Palestinian and Israeli teens to document their experiences with war and the conflict, and to share their thoughts as to how this generation can move toward peace. Stay tuned as we work to accomplish this mission and add stories to this page.
WHY PEACEBUILDING?
Teens for Peace's new initiative asks Israeli and Palestinian teens a simple question. Why peacebuilding? Our Summer 2021 project aimed to understand the decisions of youth to or not to be involved in peacemaking and to discover how we can increase the amount of youth that are favorable towards peacebuilding programs. We worked with various peacebuilding organizations, including Hands of Peace, Seeds of Peace, and Budo for Peace to reach teenagers that have made the decision to work towards peace. Our 2021 interviews can be viewed below.
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In 2024, with relentless war and continuing violence, we pick up with new interviews of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers, as well as with experts in the Middle East conflict. Stay tuned and find our most recent interviews here.
2024 INTERVIEWS
Rotem - Israeli (Jewish) (16)
In a nuanced discussion, TPME President Idan Yedid and Rotem explored Israeli society and its approach to the current government, the war in Gaza, and Israelis on the political left.
Roni - Israeli (Jewish) (14)
TPME President Idan Yedid discussed with Roni how the war has affected empathy among Israelis, as well as her outlook for peace and desire to learn the other side's perspective from Palestinian teens.
Tamar - Armenian-Palestinian (16)
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TPME President Idan Yedid sat down with Tamar to discuss her perspective as a Christian Armenian-Palestinian living in East Jerusalem. We talked about the unique experiences of Armenians in Jerusalem and how they are affected by the conflict, as well as Tamar's personal experiences.​​
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Shani - Israeli (Jewish) (17)
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Shani and TPME President Idan Yedid sat down to discuss her perspective on the conflict. We talked about trust, which Shani feels has been broken over the past year, and how it can be repaired to achieve peace and coexistence.
A Conversation with Ittay Flescher, Education Director at Kids4Peace Jerusalem
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by Idan Yedid, TPME President
On October 13, 2024 I had the pleasure of sitting down by phone with Ittay Flescher, who, together with Palestinian staff, runs educational programming for Kids4Peace in Jerusalem. We discussed his work in the larger context of peacebuilding amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ittay was born in Jerusalem and moved to Australia as a child, where he later worked as a high school teacher specializing in formal and informal Jewish Education. In 2018, Ittay moved back to Jerusalem and began working for Seeds of Peace, a peacebuilding organization that operates in conflict zones all over the world. Today, Ittay works to bring Israeli and Palestinian teenagers together through a variety of programs. Ittay is also a journalist and has written a new book titled The Holy and the Broken (to be published in January of 2025). You can read more about Ittay and his book at http://www.ittay.au/.
Ittay says that Kids4Peace does not focus on facilitating political dialogue among teens, or any kind of political advocacy. Ittay works with Israeli and Palestinian teens from ages 12 to 18, with most members on the younger side. “Our kids are 12,” Ittay explains. “So they’re not thinking about politicians and two state solutions, and it’s not where their heads are at - they’re kids.”
Instead, Ittay works to cultivate friendships and foster cultural and religious understanding among Israeli and Palestinian teens. “They want to meet people different from them, and they want to understand different cultures and religions and that sort of thing.” Rather than lobbying for a political agreement that would lead to peace, Ittay’s aim is to have Israeli and Palestinian teens feel at peace when they come to his programs.
There is no question that October 7th and the ensuing war in Gaza impacted Israeli and Palestinian engagement in Kids4Peace. In the years before October 7th, the kids were eager to attend the programs, meet each other and make friends, according to Ittay. Although the COVID-19 pandemic presented an obstacle, progress was being made in both engagement in the program and in the way teens interacted, with the year before October 7th being “a pretty good year”. Promising annual surveys conducted by Kids4Peace regarding their teenage members’ attitudes towards friendship, trust, and peace reflected this progress.
Since the trauma and pain many experienced because of the war, Kids4Peace paused their programs for several months. When programs reopened in May, fewer kids came to participate. However, the kids that showed up had the same level of engagement as prior to October 7th, a sign that the fear, death and destruction experienced by Israelis and Palestinians since the war began did not completely extinguish the desire for peace and coexistence.
However, as we all know, the war is far from over. With recent escalations in Lebanon and Iran, the situation could quickly worsen into a full-blown regional war. The current climate does not bode well for Kids4Peace, and engagement could continue to decrease. “One would assume that that is a likely thing to happen,” Ittay says.
Israeli and Palestinian engagement is clearly closely tied to the political situation, lowering in times of war and volatility. This dynamic presents a challenge for peace organizations like Kids4Peace - when peace is needed more than ever, ordinary Israelis and Palestinians are least likely to engage their kids in peacebuilding programs. “I can’t control the political situation,” says Ittay. “When I recruit with kids or parents, I say ‘this is what we do, this is why we think it's important and…this is why it works”.
Regardless of the political situation, Ittay’s work with Israeli and Palestinian youth leaves him feeling very optimistic about the prospects for peace. “When you treat someone with respect, you show them empathy, they generally treat you with respect and show empathy, and we do that every time we meet on obviously a very small scale, with no more than 50 kids usually, but it works. And if it works with 50 kids, it can work with a thousand kids and it can work with two countries.”
2021 INTERVIEWS
Mor - Israeli (18)
In potentially the most meaningful and thought-provoking conversation we've ever had at TPME, Mor and founder Max discuss the inability of each side to learn about, care about, or respect the culture, language, and traditions of the other. Mor discusses fundamental flaws in the Israeli school system that allows for this tragic disconnection.
Illay - Israeli (20)
We sit down with Illay to talk about his experience with PeaceCamp, how he broke his stereotypes, and how society should begin to fracture the cycle of hatred. Illay provides insight on what fundamental changes we need to make to promote peace and love.
Mo - Arab-Israeli (15)
Mo and I sit down to discuss stereotypes, perspectives, news, and social media. We dissect his experience with PeaceCamp, an organization that brings together Israeli, Arab, and Palestinian youth to go to summer camp together in America.
Liran - Israeli (18)
Among solutions, past and future impacts on himself, and other dimensions of the conflict, Liran shares with us a memory of a truly traumatizing incident. He recounts having only a few seconds of warning before a building he was in was hit with a missile, and we explore how such an event changes a life.
Yaniv - Israeli (13)
Yaniv and I discuss stereotypes and their place in Israeli life. More specifically, we talk about how his preconceived notion that "all Palestinians are murderers" was crushed, and how that impacted his life and views on the conflict. Yaniv speaks on his classmates, on politics, and pervious experiences that guided him to want to become a diplomat for peace as an adult.
Shirin - Israeli (15)
Shirin and I sit down to discuss her experiences with rocket attacks, her identity, her future, and her opinions on the conflict. We talk about how she has never interacted with a Palestinian or Arab teenager and how that has impacted her life as a young person.
Shraga - Israeli (18)
Shraga talks about how he can't really trust the constantly biased media on both sides. He had a shocking incident that happens to far too many in which someone close to him - a teacher - was stabbed to death, so we discuss desensitization. He tells us about how labels play an important role in Israeli life.
Ronald #2 - Israeli (14)
Ronald, our very first interviewee here at Teens for Peace in the Middle East, sits down with us 14 months later to share changing opinions, a reaffirmed stance on the importance of breaking misconceptions, and experiences with the inability to listen to another perspective. We talk about the recent escalation of conflict and the new Israeli government as well, and the changing nature of the situation.
Amir - Israeli (14)
Amir and I discuss the biased media, and he portrays the conflict as a fascinating metaphor between a parent (the world) and fighting children. We talk about how the conflict has brought shame to both sides, and how he doesn't always like the fact that he's from Israel when asked.
Idan - Israeli (16)
Idan previously lived in the USA, so he has the ability to compare life both in his new home of Israel and earlier on. We discuss Israeli and Palestinian politics and corruption, as well as how to start thinking about a solution.
Marsel - Israeli-Palestinian (18)
Like many Arab-Israelis, Marsel faces a question of identity that has played such an important role in his life. We talk about ignorance, hopelessness, and yet hope at the same time - especially during and after COVID.
Alisa - Russian-Ukranian-Israeli-Palestinian (17)
As you might expect from the title, Alisa has a fascinating background. Despite some internet difficulties, Alisa and I had a fascinating conversation about being raised Israeli with a Palestinian mom. She wants to be Prime Minister, and, like many, feels beholden to both Israelis and Palestinians in crucial decisions like IDF involvement. Being involved in politics, Alisa's life is filled with difficult conversations. Listen now!
Serena - Palestinian
Serena lives in East Jerusalem, one of the most disputed territories in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. We discuss IDF practices and one very traumatic experience that Serena will never forget.
Maysan - Palestinian (16)
Maysan is an Arab living in Israel in a purely Arab town, which constrains her from meeting and befriending Israeli Jews. We talk about the Arab-Israeli struggle of identity, her worries towards the future, and the importance of how many are raised to fear and hate.
Itai - Israel (17)
Itai talks to us about the fear of living with a mandatory bomb shelter and how interactions like this lead to misconceptions and fear. He speaks thoughtfully on why the relationship between these people is what it is and and what we can do to promote peace.
Amjad - Palestinian (16)
In our first Gaza interview ever, I discuss with Amjad what it was like to grow up in a place often overlooked, but struggling. We talked about the psychological impacts of a Gazan childhood, about school, rockets/missiles, and more.
Dona - Palestinian (16)
As an Arab living in Israel, Dona talks to me about her worries for the future and finding equality in a job. We discuss the media, racism, and what needs to be changed in the status quo.
Shiri - Israel (14)
Shiri lives in the center of Israel and has numerous deep, personal experiences relating to the effects of the conflict. She shares with us some of her opinions on Hamas, the IDF, and more.
Shahd - Palestinian (16)
Shahd lives in an Arab town in Israel. She is part of the shared Palestinian identity, and says that identity crisis is an important part of the issue that affects many teens. We discuss racism, misunderstanding, and the importance of education.
Mihal - Israel (17)
Our very own Director of Israeli Operations, Mihal, speaks with us about the importance of education and the impact of ignorance. We also discuss some occurrences that happened to her and her friends demonstrating racism and hatred.
Shai - Israel (16)
Shai is a student in Israel who feels strongly about the importance of education in solving this conflict. We discuss how fear and misunderstanding come from childhood, and the avoidance of the topic in school and elsewhere.
Ronald - Israel (13)
Our very first interviewee, Ronald, is a freshman in high school in central Israel with both Israeli and Palestinian friends. Ronald and I discuss the importance of misconceptions and the unwillingness to listen, and where that comes from.
Ahmad - Palestinian
Ahmad lives in Hebron in the West Bank, where checkpoints and soldiers are part of everyday life. We talk about acts of violence and how people he knows have been immediately affected.
Eliya - Israeli (15)
"Killer". Eliya tells us how people see her, call her, and think of her as a killer because of where she lives. She worries this stereotype will impact her future, and is frustrated at what she says are rumors that have created a cycle of hatred leading to this concept.
Luna- Palestinian (14)
Luna has a Palestinian family but was born in and lives in Israel. She tells me about her view of the importance of equality and peace for both groups.
Michal - Israeli (17)
Despite some language barriers, Michal and I discuss crucial topics including the cycle of hatred education. If parents learn to hate, Michal says, then the kids will too. She paints a clearer picture of the dynamic between Israel and Palestine, and sets straight some untrue stereotypes.