American campuses could learn from Arava Institute's Israeli-Palestinian dialogue

By Luke Tress
Times of Israel
February 20, 2025

"…Since its founding in 1996, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies has developed methods for fostering dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian students… Those methods could apply to US campuses riven by the fallout from the Gaza War…

"The institute hosts 65 students per semester. Around one-third are Jewish Israelis, one-third are from Arabic-speaking backgrounds such as the West Bank and Jordan, and the remaining third are from other areas including the US and Europe.

"The lesson plan includes compulsory dialogue sessions for three to six hours per week… Sometimes participants weep or shout at each other, but the talks continue…

"The goal is to find a 'middle way,' not to win arguments, the institute’s director Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed said recently.

"'The goal is not to convince you the other side is right or wrong… but for each participant to share their story, and to hear the other’s story from them, not from the media.'"

"While the Arava Institute focuses on cooperation around shared natural resources, dialogue in the US could work toward collaborating on joint political or social initiatives.

"The institute’s ability to work on both sides of the conflict has played out in Gaza, where it has helped the Palestinian NGO Damour for Community Development set up off-grid communal shelters that are serving 10,000 people."

About Heart of a Nation

Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.

אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.

نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.