2004 Letters of Commitment
Palestinian Delegation Letter
After all we have been through, we would like to share our thoughts for the sake of the friendships that have been planted in our hearts in the past ten days.
We will never forget a single moment that we spent here or those wonderful people that we met. We thought at the beginning that the Israelis did not want peace – but we were wrong. And now, we promise to continue this path of friendship, peace and harmony by keeping in touch with you all. We promise to work together for keeping the same goal we came all the way to Canada to achieve – to understand the other side, and to listen to them and also to share our opinions.
Peace Camp Canada showed us that these goals can be reached. We understand your point of views, and we will always look for the truth before even thinking of judging people… and remember that we are all human beings despite the differences in our race, religion, and beliefs.
We used to believe that peace is something that is far away, that we cannot achieve, but now we would like to say that peace is the ability to communicate with others. We understand that we all have a right as human beings to exist and have an identity in an independent, free country.
We will share our lessons as Palestinians with our own society and encourage others to live and be a part of this experience.
Sincerely,
Hassan, Maram, Fairouze, Dua'a, Abed, Ahmad, Raneen, Natalie, Nihad, Ra`ed
Israeli Delegation Letter
We, the Israeli delegates are proud and fortunate to be here with you at the first Peace Camp Canada. Our views have changed and developed and we hereby pronounce our obligations to you and to Peace Camp Canada.
We believe that the Palestinian people have the right for their independent country in Palestine, and this belief grew stronger and deeper throughout our days in Peace Camp Canada.
We will do our best to help others see and feel what we have seen and felt.
For us, Peace camp Canada does not end after ten days, rather the real challenge is to make our friendships last and keep promoting peace back home. We commit ourselves to help as much as we can to make sure others can experience what we have.
During our discussions, as heated as they were, we Palestinians and Israelis together have managed to stay calm and listen to the other side. We will do our best not to be blinded by anger and events when we return to Israel, and always try to see the full picture.
We each oblige ourselves when in the army to always act in a humane manner as our conscience dictates to us.
You are all our friends and we are privileged to have shared this experience with you.
Sincerely,
Aklile, Roni, Meirav, Tal, Adi, Noam, Inbal, Saar, Roi, David