As the fall semester comes to a close, the pressure on students rises due to final papers and final exams on the horizon. The level of intensity increased this week because of a number of interesting visits and activities:
- On Monday, the Director of the Jordan Department, of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, David Guvrin and his Deputy, Frieda Yovel, visited the Arava Institute and met with students and staff. We discussed the improvements in the visa process and the challenges we still face. Promises were made to continue to improve the system. David and Frieda were very pleased to hear about the growing relationship with Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and the potential joint academic program.
- This same day, the students held a Peace Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar(PELS) session on the experience of the Israeli students who had served as soldiers in the Israeli army. The Israeli students first wrote about their experiences in documents that were passed out prior to the session. During the session, the Israelis talked about their experience. The other students asked questions and expressed their own feelings. Some staff members of the institute also contributed. One staff member talked to the students about what it is like to be a mother of an Israeli soldier.
- In the evening, I met with the students for a general update on what is happening at the institute. I discussed the latest developments with Ben Gurion University and the possibility of a minor in environmental studies next fall, student enrolment forecast for next semester, developments in research, events of the past few months and the Arava Alumni Peace and Environmental Network (AAPEN) conference coming up next month. Though the students are under a lot of pressure, the atmosphere was very positive. Students made suggestions about student recruitment and raised issues of balancing the academic program with the coexistence program.
- On Wednesday, the institute hosted Professor Saleem Ali from the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont. Professor Ali was invited by the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University to participate in a conference on the potential for establishing a Peace Park in the Golan Heights as part of a reconciliation of the conflict between Israel and Syria. Professor Ali has worked on this issue for years creating parks along the border of his home country, Pakistan and India. Professor Ali is also collaborating on research into the feasibility of a Peace Park in the Golan Heights. He visited the institute, spoke to students and met with faculty.
- Deputy Minister of Israeli Defense Matan Vilnai, made a short stop at the Arava Instiute as part of his tour of the region with Udi Gat, Chair of the Hevel Eilot Regional Council. Though the meeting was brief, less than an hour, it was a very meaningful and moving visit for all. Students generally leave the institute by Thursday afternoon but apparently many decided to stay in order to have the opportunity to meet the Deputy Minister of Defence. General Vilnai has always been a strong supporter of the the institute helping us out with permits for Palestinians and visas for Jordanians. Though he had visited the institute in the past, he had not yet met with students. About 30 students and staff filled up the small meeting room. Four representative students spoke first telling their personal story of how they came to the institute, and what their experience has been so far: Adi Segal from the US, Nancy Theodore from Jordan, Adli Kaaleyleh from Palestine and Amirit Rosen from Israel. During the student presentations General Vilnai asked questions about family background, history and he also related his only personal experiences as both a soldier and as a peace maker during the Olso Agreements. After the initial presentations, other students made comments and asked questions. Students did not hold back, bringing up tough issues such as Palestinian permits, the life of Palestinians under occupation and the Gaza War. General Vilnai was not thrown by these questions and gave very honest answers admitting that when war is fought in densely populated places like Gaza, civilian lives will be lost. Vilnai expressed the dilemma that he faces as an Israeli General, knowing that he is both responsible for the lives of Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians. This was a very human meeting between two sides of an inhuman conflict. After the meeting with the students, General Vilnai turned to me and said "David, you are doing holy work - I will help you in any way I can."
David Lehrer
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