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American Morning
Israeli and Palestinian Teens Sow the Seeds of Peace
Aired August 14, 2001 - 11:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to take a look now at a program that hopes to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and other strife-torn regions of the world as well. It is called the Seeds of Peace. And it's planting those seeds in Israeli and Palestinian youth who have literally grown up under the gun.
Two participants in this program join us this morning. They are in Washington. And they are 16-year-old Israeli Dudi Shulman (ph) and 16-year-old Palestinian Jamal Obu Zant (ph).
Thank you for coming in, guys. How are you?
DUDI SHULMAN, ISRAELI SEEDS OF YOUTH PARTICIPANT: Very good.
JAMAL OBU ZANT, PALESTINIAN SEEDS OF YOUTH PARTICIPANT: Fine.
HARRIS: Now, as I understand it, you'll be in Washington. You are going to either meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell or you have already met with him. Which one is it?
OBU ZANT: Oh, we are going to meet him in a couple of hours in the State Department.
HARRIS: Yes?
OBU ZANT: Yes. Last session, we went with President George Bush and the first lady -- last first lady Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
HARRIS: Oh, really?
OBU ZANT: Yes.
SHULMAN: Yes.
HARRIS: That's not a bad little travel itinerary there. What are you going to say to Secretary Powell?
SHULMAN: We're going to ask him a couple of questions like the U.S. state, like what they think about the situation and what they are going to do, stuff like that. It's very interesting for us.
HARRIS: What is the most interesting part of it?
SHULMAN: Actually, I don't -- I am really interested about why did it happen and what will the U.S. do in order to stop it or to prevent it to escalate.
HARRIS: How about you, Jamal?
OBU ZANT: Well, I would also like to ask him a few questions, for example about the issue of Israel using artilleries and ammunition that is made in the USA that are internationally illegal -- for example, like nerve gas and radioactive ammunition bullets and etcetera, etcetera. And they're used against innocent people inside Palestine.
And at same time, I would like to ask him about the veto that America had in the U.N. conference about sending an international special inquiry to the region to inspect how the violence started and why it's starting and what's going on. I'd like to know why Mr. Powell did that and why the U.S. government did that.
HARRIS: You guys are going to have a pretty long conversation, it sounds like to me. These are pretty heavy topics for kids your age to have -- and to have to have.
I want to know, first of all, did the two of you meet before you got to Washington or did you know each other before you came here?
SHULMAN: Last year, we were together at the first session in the Seeds of Peace 2000. And we met throughout the coexistence sessions and throughout the activities. We had sports activities and so-called -- and we had water skiing and stuff.
HARRIS: Since have you gone through that and you have known each other for a little while, at least, has this opportunity to get together on such an intimate basis, has it changed the way that you see each other and you see this conflict that you happen to have back at home?
OBU ZANT: Yes. Well, we learn how to appreciate each other for just being who we are and having the opinion that each one of us have. Even though we have different opinions about some things, we disagree with a lot of things, still we are able to understand each other and where does that point of view came from.
And we are able to come to understanding a lot of times on certain issues. Not everything we disagree about. Actually, most of the things we agree about
(CROSSTALK)
SHULMAN: Seeds of Peace has taught us that we -- even if we are disagreeing on a lot stuff, we can still understand each other's opinions and point of views. And in order to use those perspectives of us, we can help each other...
HARRIS: So being...
SHULMAN: ... and support each other.
HARRIS: So being together in this program and actually having a chance to talk with each other as human beings, that you now cannot imagine throwing rocks or shooting at each other?
SHULMAN: Of course not.
HARRIS: So now that you feel that way, then, and you are here in the United States right now, when you watch the news coverage of what's happening back home in your homeland, what do you think when you are watching that on television?
SHULMAN: It's very funny, actually. After the bombing in Jerusalem, a lot of the Israelis got panicked because we have some people that live in Jerusalem. So we called home, asked what's going on. And some of parents reacted like: Oh, it's just a bombing. Everything is OK.
And we were so stressed out that it's very amusing.
OBU ZANT: And at the same time, for example, me, when a bombing happens somewhere like in Tel Aviv, Netanya, Jerusalem, I get worried about the friends that I made in Seeds of Peace that live in those areas. And I call them up and see if they are OK and their families and friends are OK.
And also, at the same time, if a bombing happens in my city where I live, in the West Bank, Tulkarm, my Israeli friends will call me up and see if I'm OK. And they'll express how they don't agree with this way that Israel retaliates and the way that they use their weapons against people and sometimes make mistakes. It brings us together sometimes.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Yes, but just being away from it all and being in another country and being able to sit down with each other and talk and watch it from a distance has been able to change your minds about things, huh?
SHULMAN: We can observe things a lot about precisely observing what had happened, why did it happen, what can we do in order to stop that, and how can we help each other, support each other while some of these things are happening.
HARRIS: Well, I am sure there are many, many people who wish that you could successfully take that message back to your homes and your homelands. Dudi Shulman and Jamal Obu Zant, thank you very much for your time this morning.
And good luck. And have fun talking to Secretary Powell.
SHULMAN: Thank you very much.
OBU ZANT: Thank you very much.
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