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‘Switching Souls’ by Naima Nas, Egypt

Author: Naima Nas
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We could spend another 100 years discussing, debating and dying over the right to the Holy Land. The question remains: who has the right to do what with it? What is it we actually want from it? Is it access? Control? A trophy? Or is it justplain victory confirmed on a written ownership document? With […]
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‘Because You Too, You Wake Up Every Morning Hoping for a Better Future’ by Rahma Sghaier, Tunisia

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Lately, I’ve been trying to bury my head in my pillow for as long as I can, desperately trying to escape the insane escalation of bloodshed surrounding us. I’m sitting now and thinking that even basic things can’t happen in many places in the Middle East…that on the other side of the world, many people […]
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‘The Fast Lane to Reconciliation’ by Sasha Shlomzion Clarfield, Israel

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How many of you think religion was and is a major factor in the creation and continuation of the hostile relationships between Israelis and Palestinians? I’ll assume there are quite a few. In fact, it would be quite rational to say that many wars and battles throughout world history have been fought and sustained by […]
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‘Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover’ by Adonis Salameen, Palestine

Author: Adonis Salameen
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I drove my car at seven pm. I had no idea what I would face ahead. All I knew was that I was invited by a friend to attend a strange meeting with strange people who speak another language. All I knew was that I was about to meet with a “religious group”. To me […]
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‘We Have More in Common Than What You Think’ by Manal Harrouche, Algeria

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I was raised in a community that indoctrinated in me fear, hate, and a strong feeling of dislike towards whoever is not me, i.e: whoever who is not Muslim and not Arab. When I started reading, I started shaping my personality myself. When I started shaping my world through the books I read, I recognized […]
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‘Rockets and Ice Cream’ by Sarah Perle, Israel

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Our silly crazy world. Just went to the neighborhood supermarket. It was a few minutes after hearing a couple of distant “booms”. The place was incredibly empty and quiet, especially for a Thursday night. The old smiley security man at the entrance told me that they shut down the radio to make sure they could […]
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‘Childhood in War’ by Iris Fisher, Canada

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To the politicians and leaders responsible for the ongoing war in Israel/Gaza: Did you have a good childhood? Have you not become the person you are today due to your upbringing; how you were raised, nurtured, supported, cared for and loved? Think as far back as you can.  Think of the laughs, the cuddles, the […]
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YaLa in the News: ‘Le Camp de la Paix Mise sur le Web’

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YaLa Young Leaders was featured on Le Monde!!!! Malgré le regain de tension au Proche-Orient, certains croient encore à l’Union sacrée. L’Israélien Uri Savir, 61 ans, architecte des accords d’Oslo au début des années 1990, est de ceux-là. Alors que le processus de paix semble compromis, l’ancien diplomate a lancé la YaLa Academy, choisissant à dessein […]
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‘HAVE WE LOST HOPE?’ By Angy Shavit, Israel

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Hi All, I’m not big on making political posts because I feel like my blog is suppose to make you smile rather than cry, but living in Israel has forced me into feeling a certain way that I would like to address. The past month has been rough on both Israelis and Palestinians. Over a […]
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‘The Land of Deceptive Utopia’ by Sahar Amarir, Morocco

Author: Sahar Amarir
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I love a land, the land of deceptive utopia. It is a land at the crossroads of civilizations, the land of lemon and olive trees, of milk and honey, of the bride of the sea and the white city, of the shrine of the friend and the golden holy city. It’s a land whose sweetness […]
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‘My Ramadan Story’ by Sarah Perle, Israel

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This is my Ramadan story, and the one of my grandfather and my family. We are Jews. I grew up listening to stories about my grandfather. He was quite a character my grandpa! He arrived to Northern France after the Algerian Independence war in the early 1960s. Algeria was his home, Arabic his language, and […]
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How you ALL turned me into a YaLa’er by Stuart Baldock, UK

Author: Stuart Baldock
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After spending almost a year in the Middle East, people in the UK often ask – ’what was the best part’? Now I could talk about my dangerous new addiction to canned pickled chilli’s. As a Brit I knew I had a problem as when during a study break I went into the fridge and […]
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Being from the MENA region; my reputation is destroyed! By Maroi ECH-CHARKAOUY, from Morocco

Author: Mario Ech-Charkaouy
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After spending a very nice day in Budapest, I hit the road to Prague hoping it would be as beautiful as Budapest; nice, cozy and full of nice people. I arrived to Prague late on a Saturday night, and as it was night the tourist office in the Prague’s train station was closed. There was […]
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‘The Same and the Other’ by Rafaela Barkay, Brasil

Author: Rafaela Barkay
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Recently a friend asked my opinion about the 2014 Palestinian Oscar-candidate movie “Omar”. Usually I don’t retain for too long the details from the films I watch, and I can watch them again two or three times until I start to recognize the story – which in some cases can be an advantage. But with […]
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‘A Week of Heartbreaks’ By Mohamed Abubakr, Sudan

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The story of how I got into peace is not a cute, warm and fuzzy one.  The moment I realized that there’s no good in war, and that peace is the only way, also happens to be one of the worst moments of my life, and absolutely the worst ever for sixteen year old me. […]
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‘What the YaLa Conference Taught Me’ by Uri Savir from Israel

Author: Uri Savir
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  I thought I knew it all. I had been to numerous and important peace conferences and gatherings: the signing of the Oslo Accords in September 1993; thereafter the international donor conference for the establishment of a new Palestinian Authority with Clinton, Arafat and Peres; and in the following years, the Casablanca and Amman conferences […]
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‘Few hours in Amman’ by Hamze Awawde, Palestine

Author: Hamze Awawde
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How amazing that I crossed the three security checks (first the Palestinian one, then the Israeli, Jordanian the third) in 4 hours only. I couldn’t believe that in none of them nobody questioned my purpose to travel to Jordan. Not all days are bad days in our Palestinian reality. The first thing I noticed, upon […]
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‘Peace Begins With a Flat Tire’ By Kiki Belzer, Israel

Author: Kiki Belzer
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“Beware of camels near the road” a road sign warns. I’m heading northbound, driving on Route 90 through the west bank, hypnotized by the surrealistic views of Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan. After a long time behind the wheel,  this deserted road has a tranquilizing effect on me. Bon Iver playing through my speakers, […]
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‘When Reality Fades Away’ By Henriette Chacar, Israel

Author: Henriette Chacar
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What if our world isn’t real? Do you believe in an alternative universe? What if our most critical decisions, and the ideals we value the most…are simply a trivial choice determined by an alien being that’s playing the Martian version of “The Sims”, with us as its imaginary characters? Crazy, right?! I could swear to you […]
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‘Being Alone, Together’ By Megan Hallahan, USA

Author: Megan Hallahan
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One of the things that has struck me most in my past 2 years with YaLa Young Leaders is how many times I have heard, from so many different young people coming from almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa, that they feel as if they have found a family in YaLa. […]
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