Middle East Institute Teaches Peace with Environmental Studies
The Arava Institute plans to show the world that lasting peace can be achieved by working together to solve shared environmental issues. They are training Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders to find collaborative solutions to environmental issues that afflict both peoples. The result, they hope, will be a sustained peace through cooperation.
But in one of the most conflict-ridden regions of the world, what chance does the institute had in promoting peace through environmental studies? Just read the experiences of one Jordanian alumnus named Zein and judge for yourself.
There is always fear and trepidation about things we don’t know and people we’ve never met; well I guess this is part of human nature and exactly what I felt when I was crossing the border to Israel for the first time in the Spring of 2004.
Oh, that day I would never forget. Everything seemed strange. I remember how weird it felt seeing the Israeli flag! To see the land and buildings, to drive through mountains that seem to split between Jordan and Isreal, just to do things on the other side is strange. In that evening I was in the Arava Institute in a kibbutz [a communal settlement in Israel] meeting strangers.
Honestly, I didn’t have any expectations about what I would find. I was interested in academics more than anything in the beginning. I never studied about the environment and never lived away from home with a bunch of Israelis, Jordanians, American, Jews, Christian and Muslims, with such a wide diversity of community on all levels: traditionally, culturaly, educationally, religiously; with so many different personalities: a combination that I’ll never ever meet anywhere else, thanks to the Arava!
During this time I studies about the environment and coexistence with my friends who were at one point total strangers.. My favorite moments were sitting with my Israeli friends having coffee in a spot looking at the Jordanian mountains.
I understood during that time a very important thing–that borderless environment will bring us together and help in achieving a real peace between two countries that share the same resources.
Becoming more caring about the environment and aware that I can change is real significant to me, but the biggest change was to accept others and coexist for the sake of peace. Frankly, that wasn’t easy at all; it was hard and challenging, like sitting and eating together after a hot emotional discussion, but it was the best part!
I always think how lucky I am to have this chance to meet my neighbors that I knew nothing about. People I met are amazingly nice and welcoming, when they found out that I am Jordanian they congratulated me for bring brave and cheered me for studying abou the environment and working on building peace in the region. I am proud of myself and of being a pioneer in making a real peace.
Two and half years passed now and I am holding each memory, each minute, and each friend in my heart.
Successfully completed environmental projects of the Arava Instutite include an assessment of biodiversity in the southern Arava desert, proposed improvements of water and air quality legislation, and research into restoring contaminated urban land.
In 2007, the institute also hosted Comedy Without Borders with Sarah Silverman. You can see a video clip here. They also participated in the Isreal Ride, a 300 + mile bicycle ride from Jerusalem to Eliot to promote peace and environmental protection.
References and Resources:
The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Desert Dreams No. 9 / Winter 2006 | The Arava Institute
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