Tag: politics

Children of Abraham Hosts “100 Tents for Justice, Humanity, and Equality”: Israeli-Palestinian Camping

August 22, 2025

Amidst a summer of record-breaking heat and divisive war, Children of Abraham brought together 200 Palestinians and Israeli Jews for a fun day of camping together. 

The event was multigenerational, with parents, grandparents, and children of all ages, coming from cities and towns around Israel and Palestine. Children were welcome to join Marc’s arts and crafts station, play with puzzles and inflatable carnival games, and get facepainted by a clown. Throughout the event several stands also provided handmade Palestinian crafts for sale, to help support local women artisans.

After enjoying a group dinner, a DJ played ambient music chosen to help everyone relax after a stressful summer. There were also dialogue circles and a Writers Matter group for participants to express their perspectives and experiences. The next morning breakfast was provided for all participants.

With 100 tents spread out on several levels, there was ample space for everyone to sleep comfortably, although some chose to take advantage of this opportunity to stay up late discussing peace and unity with friends from such diverse backgrounds across the holy land. 

During the opening remarks of the evening, Children of Abraham programs director and Palestinian peace activist Mohamad Jamous greeted all of the participants and welcomed them to another initiative to bring people from different communities together in solidarity and friendship. Subsequent speeches emphasized the diversity of the group, as well as the importance in choosing to come together in peace and friendship, for a better shared future. After these warm words, a special award was presented to Children of Abraham founder Jerry Katz for his dedication to Abrahamic peace in the holy land, and globally. For more information about future Children of Abraham events, please contact Mohamad (050-3190239; Mohamad.jamous26@gmail.com).

Organizer Mohamad Jamous thanked those who had supported the initiative, including David, Leah and Yoel, and shared his thoughts on the successful event:

Here I am, waking up to a new day in my journey along the path of humanity and peacebuilding.

I walk like an old man, weary in his features, whose face has been carved by years of pain, carrying on his shoulders a burden heavier than mountains… the burden of two peoples exhausted by wars, torn apart by bloodshed.

For fifteen years, I have stood—again and again—against despair, to organize yet another event, yet another gathering, that brings together what wars have divided.

I bring together people from different religions, nationalities, and backgrounds, to build a bridge of encounters, smiles, and humanity.

I have always—and still—worked to reunite people, just as I did with thousands over the past years.

I walk tirelessly, with no compensation, no salary, no reward.

I walk, carrying wounds that pierced my heart and soul, surrounded by a deep sadness that never leaves me. But I swore to continue… and I have continued.

And today, among the hundreds of programs I have led, I organized an interfaith summer camp that brought together about 200 people—young and old—inside 100 tents.

A camp that restored smiles to the faces of children, smiles I wished I could plant in the heart of every child on this wounded land… in Palestine, in Israel, and across every corner of the world.

Two hundred people shared their days and nights inside tents filled with stories, with tears, with pain…

But also filled with hope.

The theme of our camp this year was: “Justice, Humanity, and Equality for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and for all peoples of the world.”

And I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood with me and supported me, as always, to make this gathering possible—a gathering that unites us, that brings us together, and whispers to us that tomorrow will be better.

First Model UN Conference in Jaffa Celebrates Human Rights

April 30, 2025

Debate for Peace hosted the first Model UN conference in Jaffa this week. JaffaMUN was held on Monday, April 28, with students from Atid Lod, Mar Elias high school, Gernata high school, Studio Ankori, and a range of other schools in Akko, Jerusalem, Haifa, Herzliya, Modi’in, Tel Aviv and additional cities and regions. 

The theme of the conference was “Human Rights”, with a Human Rights committee dealing with freedom of speech, an ECOSOC committee tackling equality for marginalized communities globally, and a US Senate committee addressing school shootings in the United States.

After opening speeches and several hours of lively debates and intense negotiations, all three committees managed to pass resolutions on their respective topics. The Human Rights Council decided to create a global working group on social media safety, urged UN member states to adopt “comprehensive frameworks” to protect the privacy rights of social media users, as well as calling on social media company responsibility, advocating for greater digital literacy, and parental oversight and protection of children’s usage of social media. In ECOSOC, the committee called for developing safety nets for vulnerable populations through government support, advancing inclusive and equitable education, creating National Equality Councils, and Enforcement Organizations for Equality (EOE) to prevent discrimination. The US Senate agreed to improve school safety through updated safety protocols, state adoption of “Extreme Risk Protection Order Laws” (ERPO Laws)”, expanded mental health services, pilot programs to limit weapons access, and modernized responses to active shooter incidents.

During the closing ceremony, several students were recognized for their achievements by advancing collaborative solutions within their respective committees. These included: India (Maya Beres, Yachad High School), Morocco (Alin Gavrizavee, Atid Lod), and the United Kingdom (Malak Abu Hjool, Mar Elias school) in the HRC committee, Sweden (Yehonatan Navon, Ironi Yud Dalet), Philippines (Lamar Shker, Mar Elias) and China (Nada Namouz, Mar Elias) in ECOSOC, and Corey Booker (Vera Nosovitskaya, Younited), Chuck Schumer (Jordyn Cline, Yachad High School), and Elizabeth Warren (Yonatan Zelenko, Atid Raziel) in the US Senate.

Debate for Peace thanks Maya Ilany and Abigail Noa Buganim for writing the study guides for the conference, and the chairs and Secretariat team: Abigail Noa Buganim, Naomi Gildor, Shaked Shimony, Josh Kugelman, Carmel Hillmann, Yousef Abdlghny, Dafna Beres, Yael Yakobovich and Gai Regev.

DfP Students from 10 cities Participate in YMUNE in Geneva, Visit UNESCO

March 21, 2025

The 2025 Debate for Peace delegation to Yale MUN Europe brought thirteen students from ten cities around Israel, as well as Azerbaijan and Kosovo for three days of international level Model UN competition, as well as several meetings to learn more about peacebuilding, education and diplomacy. This year’s YMUNE conference, held in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the centers of global diplomacy, featured ten committees discussing topics ranging from autonomous weapons systems, to space colonization, with students from seventeen countries and four continents collaborating to cocreate innovative responses to pressing global issues.

The Debate for Peace group included students aged 14-18 from Hand in Hand (Jerusalem), Ort Hilmie Shafie (Akko), Studio Ankori (Jaffa), Atid Raziel (Herzliya), Ironi Gimel (Modi’in), Younited (Givat Haviva), Yachad Modi’in, Hadassim (Even Yehuda), Ibn Sina high school, “Thiya” Moscow, and QSI International School of Kosovo (Pristina), from three religious backgrounds, and speaking more than half a dozen languages. Special recognition goes to Jon Hoxha, Yousef Abd El Ghany, Maya Krittenstein, Ari Plosker and Madian Marana for winning awards during the conference, marking one of the most decorated Debate for Peace MUN delegations.

In addition to participating in the conference, the delegation held several meetings, including talking to Mehra Rimer from B8 of Hope, a Swiss non-profit supporting Israeli-Palestinian peace programs, and Ambassador Randolph Debattista, Permanent Representative, and Counsellor Bernard Mifsud, from the Mission of Malta to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva. 

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the UNESCO liaison office and International Bureau of Education (IBE) archives, and learn about the contributions of UNESCO and the IBE to peace through education worldwide.

Communications Officer Francesca Lualdi from the UNESCO Liaison Office said that she was “inspired by the vision these young individuals have for a world where ‘discrimination’ and ‘conflict’ give way to ‘equality’ and ‘peace,’ and by their unwavering hope to live in a better, more unified world”, and her colleague Sitong Pei added “these enthusiastic and talented students.showed me that with the dedication of the younger generation, peace is still within reach as long as we continue striving for it.”

Henri Bourgoin, who gave the delegation a behind the scenes tour of the IBE archives, explained that “It’s always a beautiful and humbling experience for me to be around the rising generation and to see that the flame of love for knowledge and sharing is always present.”

Svein Oesttveit, Director of the UNESCO-International Bureau of Education, shared that “This visit profoundly inspired me, filling me with hope and ideas about how education can contribute to and even create peaceful conditions, building bridges between those who distrust each other while living in bubbles of isolation, ignorance, and prejudice. This initiative demonstrates that with clear guidance and well-defined pedagogical approaches, individuals can learn to see ‘the other’ in a more positive light. Through constructive communication based on empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to engage, it is indeed possible to transform the negative spiral of mistrust and sometimes hatred into a positive cycle of trust, friendship, and even love. It delivered a compelling message to the world we live in today: We can address some of the most entrenched conflicts peacefully, bringing sustainable hope to future generations.”.

Debate for Peace expresses its gratitude to the YMUNE team for all the hard work in running another incredible multicultural learning experience, to the diplomats and peacebuilders who met with the delegation, and to the members of this year’s delegation for the high-level performance throughout the trip.

TIQVAMUN IX at China International University: 150 students debate human rights, sustainable development, and war

May 27, 2024

TIQVAMUN, Israel’s second oldest MUN conference, was hosted by the Chen Young Ambassadors School at Thursday, May 23. This year the conference brought together 150 students from over a dozen schools and cities for a full day of Model UN at the UIBE-ISRAEL China International University in Petah Tiqva. The students competed in six committees ranging from beginners (Human Rights Council; UN Environment Programme) to intermediate (UN Development Programme) to advanced (African Union, and 9/11 two-cabinet crisis). 

After a full day of the conference, the awards were announced: In HRC, Maya Kessel (Hadassim), Shachar Cohen (Hadassim) and Maya Sinclair (Yachad) were Outstanding Delegates, while Guy Regev (Atid Lod) was Best Delegate. In UNEP, Yuval Prusak (Misgav), Hili Michaeli (Atid Lod), and Yarden Indursky (Meitarim Ra’anana) were Outstanding Delegate, while Omer Attia (Hadassim) was Best Delegate. In UNDP, Amir Liba (Shoham), Hadar Rosenfeld (Atid Lod), and Naya Sagiv (Atid Lod) were Outstanding Delegate, and Rotem Weiss (Branco Weiss Rabin Keshet Mazkeret Batya) was the Best Delegate.

In the advanced committees, in the African Union Tzlil Israeli (Atid Lod) and Gilad Revel (Branco Weiss Mazkeret Batya) were Outstanding Delegates, and Alon Rozenson (Shoham high school) Best Delegate. In the US Cabinet, Roy Bernstein (Atid Lod) and Nika Berditchevsky (Debate for Peace) were Outstanding Delegates, and Alma Ben Avraham (Shoham) was Best Delegate. In the Taliban-Al Qaeda cabinet, Rotem Tsadok (Branco Weiss) and Ziv Maman (Shoham) were Outstanding Delegate, and Ward Uweis (Debate for Peace) was Best Delegate.

Director of the Young Ambassadors School, Sharon Seiden Volcani, congratulated the students who organized and participated in the conference, and said that the conference instilled values of democracy, diplomacy, problem-solving, debate, civil discourse, and negotiation skills to the participants. TIQVAMUN IX’s Secretariat included Maya Avraham (Secretary General), Yaniv Becker (USG), Eve Burde, Amichai Kremer, Shani Eigerman, and Ella Fishler. Thanks to the US Embassy for its support of the conference, and of MUN in Israel.

Delegation to Philadelphia and DC with Writers Matter and Heart of a Nation Brings Message of Hope and Empathy

April 18, 2024

In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, Debate for Peace partnered with Professor Bob Vogel to run a 9 week writing course to help students and teachers process the emotions that they were facing. The writing, which covered themes ranging from fear and pain caused by the war, identity, questions about the future, and more, turned out to be very powerful and moving. 

Over the last week, with the help of Professor Vogel’s Writers Matter, and Jonathan Kessler’s Heart of A Nation, a delegation of six students and two teachers traveled to the US to read their work and speak about their experiences. These meetings highlighted the difficulties that Jewish Israeli and Palestinian teenagers have faced in the last six months, as well as their dedication to forge a new, peaceful future together.

The group met with public and private middle school and high school audiences, visited four college campuses, several synagogues and a church, met young professional groups, and spoke at the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia and the Israel Policy Forum in DC. In Philadelphia they also had a chance to interact with local participants of the Writers Matter program, and to lead a peer writing session. 

In total, the delegation met with about 500 people during the course of the delegation. The reactions were overwhelmingly positive, with many audience members and participants mentioning how inspired they felt, encouraging the students to keep writing together, and even asking how they could get involved.

Debate for Peace is grateful to the US Embassy for its support, to Professor Bob Vogel for his selfless dedication to giving students a voice, to the generous donors who enabled the delegation, to Mr. Jonathan Kessler and Heart of a Nation for hosting and facilitating the delegation’s visit to DC, and to all of the groups who invited the delegation to present.