(from a recent volunteer) 

Today I met a Palestinian for the first time in my life.  In an ideal world this shouldn’t have been a big deal, however some things are bigger than me. 

Almost every person I meet has an opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… People see the news and then choose a side, they keep forgetting that beyond the power struggles, the messed up relationships and the extremists on both sides - there are normal people, citizens of these countries, wanting to live their lives peacefully and happily, wanting to go to school, wanting to hang out with friends, and wanting to take care of their families.

An opinion of an every day guy or girl from Palestine is denied from me just because I was born to a Jewish family in Israel.  Rarely do we get to meet each other (in most cases NEVER is more fitting), we don’t get to talk, Palestinians need a special permit to enter Israel and so on…  So parted we are from the Palestinian nation. 

Unfortunatly, one can only assume and HOPE that there are some normal, every-day, peace wanting Palestinians, who want to have a connection and are open to talk.

Well, today at some random dinner with people i just happened to meet in Panama half-way around the world from my home, I met a Palestinian.  The first moment I saw her I thought she is an Israeli, so alike we are.  Then she said that she was Palestinian and my heart skipped a beat.  I said immediately where I was from, a little nervous about her reaction, thinking… “maybe she wasn’t as happy as I was to meet her.”  In my head I thought, should I have told her where I’m from?   Maybe she wouldn’t have wanted to talk, maybe she would have reacted in someway I wouldn’t know how to handle…  Many uncertainties.  She didn’t seem to act any differently, so I felt free to express to her how exited I was to meet her. All of a sudden she gave me this huge welcoming hug and at that moment I turned all red and started holding myself from crying. 

It was a cry of relief.  Many people outside of the conflict take the right to judge me personally, only for being an Israeli citizen, and the one person I expected to be the most judgemental towards me is the one who I felt at home with.  My supposed enemy, and no other, is a comfort which cannot replace any support from anyone in the world. 

So there we were talking and listening, just like two every-day women, and I felt lucky to know that what I hoped for was true. 

Be sure, I will share this with all of my friends and say - You know what, “I met a Palestinian, she was a wonderful woman, and I loved her.”  It wasn’t an illusion or a dream…  I would also say, “open your hearts, and things will start to change.” 

I hope that by sharing this I will succeed in making a little step towards breaking down some walls…

–
Danya Landsberg