The Palestinian and Israeli kids trying to be friends

Summary

Podcast Summary: Today in Focus – The Palestinian and Israeli Kids Trying to Be Friends

Date: October 13, 2025
Hosted/Produced by: Natalie Tena, for The Guardian

---

Episode Overview

This emotionally-charged episode follows a unique and controversial summer camp in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, where 40 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian teenagers come together, seeking to break cycles of fear, ignorance, and hostility. Amid deep divisions post-October 7th and the ongoing conflict, the camp aims to foster empathy, understanding, and the chance of peace by sharing stories and encouraging genuine human connection. The episode documents the hopes, heartbreaks, and transformative moments experienced by both the participants and the adults guiding them.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Camp’s Purpose and the Context of Conflict

• Setting: A summer camp bringing Israeli and Palestinian teens together—many deeply affected by the conflict, usually isolated from one another.
  • Natalie Tena sets the scene, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of the camp and the ambition to build bridges ([01:35]–[03:03]).
• Context: Two years after October 7th, with thousands dead and a fragile peace looming, the task of reconciliation seems overwhelming.

“They’ve come here to try to make a difference and they know it might not be easy.”
— Natalie Tena [03:03]

---

2. Teenagers’ Motivations & Fears

• Palestinian participants speak of a need to share their lived realities:
  • “To tell our story to the world and let them know the pain we are in.” – Daw/Dorinon [02:35]
  • “To speak about peace. And I want to have freedom to go to anywhere in this life.” – Az [02:40]
• Separation: Most have never met teens from the other side; for Palestinians, Israelis are seen only as soldiers and occupiers ([02:51]–[03:09]).
• Fear and Vulnerability:
  • “Actually I'm so scared because I don’t know what their reaction gonna be.” – Israeli Teenager, Noah [03:09]

---

3. Icebreakers and First Connections

• Staff teach the importance of play in breaking down barriers:
  • “Kids love playing, so when they play together, it makes a special bond and breaks the ice.” – Ibrahim, camp helper/former participant [05:25]

---

4. Personal Testimonies and Shared Pain

The Power of Storytelling

• Ibrahim's loss:
  • “My cousin Jihad...a teenager, loved to dance...a bullet ended all that...The IDF soldiers were coming...they shot him. That’s the end of Jihad’s life, Jihad’s dreams...I come to the forum activities for him.” – Ibrahim [06:56]
• Origins of the camp:
  • Parent Circle Families Forum, founded by an Israeli father whose son was killed by Hamas, brings bereaved families together ([08:06]).

Israeli Teenager Daw/Dorinon’s Story

• Grandparents killed near Gaza border during October 7th attacks; family home burned down.
  • “Seeing like my grandparents house on TV and seeing it burned down and knowing that their bodies...are in there somewhere was really, really, really hard.” – Daw/Dorinon [09:34]

---

5. Daily Realities & Systemic Barriers

• Mohemmed’s perspective:

  • “We don’t know anything about each other...The Palestinians think the Israeli is a soldier killer, the Israeli think about the Palestinians as terrorists.” [11:53]
  • Describes the complexity and hardship simply traveling from the West Bank to Cyprus ([13:15]):

    “From Palestinian port to Israeli port in pass three minutes. In this three minutes we wait four hours...this life, this is the Palestinian Houndev.” – Mohammed [13:15]

• Dreams Stifled by Occupation:

  • “My dream to become a pilot but that’s impossible because I am in Palestine and there isn’t any airport...” – Az [13:57]
  • Israeli soldiers “mate with us like we have animal.” – Az [14:39]

---

6. Social Repercussions and Courage

• Stigma for Peace Seekers:
  • “My children were attacked, you know, verbally, only in the classrooms. When they talked about what they did in the summer, ... people think they are crazy.” – Nir Oren, Israeli social worker, lost mother in suicide bombing [15:30]

---

7. Activities to Build Empathy

• Workshops (photography/ video):
  • Teens asked, “who wants to work with...the other side,” initially a hesitant silence—then hands went up across divides ([18:14]).
• Collaborative projects address themes of loss and fear:

  “The idea was our biggest fears and losing our loved ones. That was the film that we did...when Az is saying that I loved my grandparents and I used to hang out with them a lot and now I miss them...Hearing the people...you're taught to demonize...empathize with you is moving and amazing.” – Daw [18:45]

---

8. Difficult Dialogues and Confrontation

• Conflict arises during role-play and dialogue exercises.

  • “Very quickly we came to a question...about the hostages...the Palestinian spoke after that and he said...the reason that the 7th of October happened is because the IDF killed civilians in Jenin...There's a feeling like I represent all of Israel. I'm really, really mad and spoke really passionately...Death is death and it’s never, never right.” – Daw [21:21], [21:56]

• Camp facilitator guidance:

  • Teens are told, “if they want to come together, they can’t compare suffering. Everyone’s pain is valid.” ([22:43])

---

9. Changes and Realizations

For Palestinians:

• Encountering Israelis willing to listen:

  “It contradicts with my idea about Israelis before I came here...So it contradicts with them that there are some Israelis that are willing to listen and are willing to recognize that there's an occupation going on.” – Ibrahim [23:50]

  • “If people are willing to listen, there is a chance for change.”

For Israelis:

• Some question their willingness to join the army:
  • “Since my first camp, I did become more politically involved in opposing the occupation and not wanting to serve in the army...” – Noah [25:39]
  • “I feel like I couldn’t look at it anymore and feel like it only protects me because I feel like it has a cost.” – Noah [26:07]

---

10. Lessons for Adults and the World

• Parent Circle leaders reflect:

  • “It was really, really difficult to take the kids out of the reality that they’re living in abroad and then bring them back...We have kids from Jenin, from Nablus, from Hebron...going through daily challenges with the occupation, but we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.” – Nadine Kumsiya [32:09]
  • “We are the pioneers. We are a model for the path to go to...when things will change, we have the know-how of how to talk to the other side.” – Ayelet Harel [32:46]

• Emotionally, the impact is undeniable:

  • “We need to learn from these kids...to sit down and have conversations with people they never knew, but know as the other side that is hurting their people...without having hate involved.” – Nadine [33:43]
  • “We are people who are living here and most of us are really good people...support people who work for peace...so we can make for these kids a better future. This is our responsibility as adults.” – Camp Staff [34:31]

• From teens themselves:

  • “If they all see us, the Palestinian and Israeli in the summer camp, the war will end because now we are friends and no war with them.” – Daw [36:06]
  • “I get a lot of hope from this camp...it deepens my belief that this war should be stopped.” – Noah [35:21]

---

11. Ongoing Risks and Reality Check

• Shortly after camp, a youth participant was arrested and beaten by IDF during a night raid—a stark reminder of the fragility of hope and coexistence in daily life ([36:44]–[38:27]).
  • “These are children who dared to believe in dialogue and humanity. And yet, she (Nadine) said, the reality around them keeps punishing that hope...this is the emotional landscape they are living in…” – Natalie Tena [36:44]

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “To tell our story to the world and let them know the pain we are in.” – Daw/Dorinon (Palestinian Teen) [02:35]
• “Actually I'm so scared because I don't know what's their reaction gonna be.” – Noah (Israeli Teen) [03:09]
• “My cousin...A bullet ended all that. That’s the end of Jihad’s life, Jihad’s dreams.” – Ibrahim [06:56]
• “We don’t know anything about each other and it’s the main problem.” – Mohammed [11:53]
• “My dream to become a pilot but that’s impossible because I am in Palestine and there isn’t any airport...” – Az [13:57]
• “When I share stories about Palestinian bereavement, they said they probably were terrorists...In Gaza, many Israeli said all babies are potentially terrorists…They’re finding a kind of cognitive resolution and reframing their emotional guilt…” – Nir Oren [16:05]
• “Hearing the people...you're taught to demonize...empathize with you is moving and amazing.” – Daw [18:45]
• “You don’t have to be a peace activist...acknowledge all the pain of the other side...it makes me believe peace is easier than I thought before.” – Daw [22:56]
• “I realized that if people are willing to listen, there is a chance for change.” – Ibrahim [23:50]
• “Since my first camp, I did become more politically involved in opposing the occupation and not wanting to serve in the army.” – Noah [25:39]
• “We need to learn from those kids that we can actually sit down and have conversations with the enemy and work for a better future.” – Nadine Kumsiya [33:43]
• “We are people who are living here and most of us are really good people.” – Camp Staff [34:31]
• “If they all see us...the war will end because now we are friends and no war with them.” – Daw [36:06]
• “These are children who dared to believe in dialogue and humanity. And yet...the reality around them keeps punishing that hope.” – Natalie Tena [36:44]

---

Notable Activities & Turning Points (with Timestamps)

• [05:25]: Icebreaking games help kids bond across lines of conflict.
• [17:39]–[18:45]: Teens collaborate on photo and video projects about fears and loss, sharing perspectives.
• [21:21]: Role-play exercise reveals rifts and emotional wounds but also opportunities for difficult conversations.
• [25:39]–[28:50]: Israeli teenager Noah discusses decision not to enlist in military, influenced by camp experiences.
• [36:44]–[38:27]: Aftermath - News of a participant’s arrest brings into focus the persistent dangers and emotional toll of peace-building efforts.

---

Conclusion and Final Takeaways

The camp, however small in scale, stands as both a fragile oasis and a radical experiment. It is an arena of hope, pain, and courage where teens and families model what leaders have failed to achieve. The participants, by confronting each other’s suffering and their own biases, make real, if imperfect, steps toward understanding. Their testimony, and the ongoing challenges—including arrests and societal backlash—underline how difficult, yet vital, these dialogue spaces are.

“We need to learn from those kids...that they can talk about their hardest feelings...without having hate involved.”
— Nadine Kumsiya [33:43]

“If people are willing to listen, there is a chance for change.”
— Ibrahim [23:50]

---

For more on reconciliation, peace-building, and the lived realities of those facing protracted conflict, the episode offers a powerful, nuanced glimpse—illuminating both the possibilities and the obstacles that define the path to peace.

Transcript

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

This is the Guardian.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Today, the summer camp for teenagers with a bold ambition.

[Quo Advertisement Voice]

Running a business means juggling a lot of moving parts. And when your communication tools can't keep up, things start to slip. Missed calls, slow replies, scattered conversations. They're not just frustrating, they're lost opportunities and revenue left on the table. That's where quo comes in. Spelled Q U O. Quo is the number one rated business phone system on G2, trusted by over 90,000 businesses. One shared business number for calls and texts. So every conversation stays visible, organized and accountable. It works from an app or computer. You can keep your existing number, add teammates and sync your CRM, letting you scale without adding complexity. And with built in AI, Quo logs, calls, summarizes conversations and flags next steps, even after hours, stop missing customers. Stop leaving revenue on the table. Try quo free and get 20% off your first six months at quo.comtech that's quo.comtech

[Camp Staff/Helper]

quo.

[Quo Advertisement Voice]

No missed calls, no missed customers.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Hi, it's Lucy Hoff here. Just to say today we're bringing you something a bit different, an episode presented by our producer Natalie Kattena. We hope you enjoy it and we'll be back with you as normal tomorrow. It's a boiling hot day in August and I've just arrived at a summer camp in the Troodos mountains in Cyprus. I'm stood outside a building surrounded by pine trees and I can see small groups of children who are huddling around tables and chair. A camp leader is welcoming children, smiling and strumming a guitar. But there is something different about the 40 teenagers gathered here today. They're all from Israel or occupied Palestine and many have been bereaved by the decades long conflict in the region. What made you decide to come to the camp?

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

To tell our story to the world and let them know the pain we are in.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

To speak about our life in west bank under occupation, to speak about peace. And I want to have freedom to go to anywhere in this life.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

I live in Israel. You don't meet Palestinians in Israel, not from the west bank and just can't come there and they won't be welcomed if they tried.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

They've come here to try to make a difference and they know it might not be easy.

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Actually I'm so scared because I don't know what's their reaction gonna be.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

They probably have different worldviews. So you're afraid, so what if everybody will be like not accept each other.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Bringing together Israeli and Palestinian teenagers is controversial. Once an Israeli MP even threatened to blow the camp up. It's now two years since October 7th, when 1200 people were killed by Hamas, the majority of them civilians, and 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed at least 66,000 people in Gaza. The actual toll is higher because this figure doesn't include victims like those buried under the rubble or killed by starvation. The first phase of a peace deal has been reached, but with a full plan yet to be agreed, the situation remains fragile. Reconciliation between the communities still feels far away. Could these children offer a glimmer of hope for the future? From the Guardian, I'm Natalie Dena. Today in focus, the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers trying to make peace. It's day one. I'm standing outside the main camp building under the trees and watching as the camp starts to get underway. All around me are groups of teenagers. They're playing games, chatting to each other, and so far, at least, they seem to be having a lot of fun. I'm with one of the groups and I'm chatting to Ibrahim. He's tall, a big, friendly presence, and at just 20 years old, he's working here as one of the camp helpers.

[Camp Staff/Helper]

So what.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

What are you doing? What is happening right now? These look like outside exercises.

[Ibrahim (Camp Helper/Former Participant)]

Yeah, these are called oddity activities. The logistics team brings together all the kids and some equipment for them to have fun. It's like ice breaking, because even if the kids talk to each other and say, my name is and my name is whatever, they're not gonna bond. Kids love playing, so when they play together, it makes a special bond and breaks the ice.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Ibrahim is one of around 40 members of staff, but he used to come to the camp himself.

[Ibrahim (Camp Helper/Former Participant)]

When I came here, I had no experience with any Israeli other than the soldiers. You could tell it's not the best thing in the world. They obviously occupy our land and destroy our stuff. So when I came here, like, for the first time, it opened my eyes to something that the Israeli kids are unknowing about. What happens? Like when we told them about the wall, about how my cousin was killed when he didn't do anything and he was a teenager. And we told them about all that stuff and they don't know.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

I want to hear more about Ibrahim's cousin who he says was killed. So later on, in a quieter moment at the camp, I ask him to tell me more about him.

[Ibrahim (Camp Helper/Former Participant)]

My cousin Jihad was a teenager. He was a teenager that loved to dance, that loved dibke, that loved studying, was a very good student. He dreamed of studying abroad. A bullet ended all of that he was standing at the top of his parents house's roof and the IDF soldiers were coming to the neighborhood, which they do very usually and sometimes just to break stuff and make us feel miserable. And he was standing on the roof and they shot him. And that's the end of Jihad's life, Jihad's dreams. It really affected me, really affected a lot of decisions that I've taken in my life. For example, coming to the forum, I come to the forum activities for him.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

When Ibrahim mentions the forum, he was talking about the Parent Circle Families Forum that runs the camp. This organization was started back in 1995 by an Israeli man called Yitzhak Frankenthal. His son Eric was killed by Hamas. He brought together grieving families from both sides to try and find a path to peace and reconciliation. The camp brings together children from Israel and the West Bank. There's no one here from Gaza, although the shadow of the horror that has been happening there hangs over the week. First podcast.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

First podcast.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Well, it's evening now and I'm meeting a boy called Daw. He's full of beans and he loves to chat. Door's got this thick black hair that falls over his eyes. And we grab a chair in one of the empty activity rooms. It's already dark outside when he starts to tell me how his family have been affected by the conflict.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

So I'm Dorinon, I'm 17, from Israel. My grandparents lived really, really close to Gaza, like 400 meters from the border. Their names were Jacobi and Bilayinon. My grandpa was an economist. He was a really, really good and appreciated agronomist. So he used to take us to the fields to see the sewing.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

And what about your grandma, what was she like?

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

She was really, really artistic when it came to the house, we used to do a lot of artistic things with her. So October 7th for me was like, I woke up in the morning and I very quickly realized that people are crossing like the Gaza border, like, and not just regular people, terrorists with guns, with the intention of hurting civilians. They lived in. The closest town to Nativasara is 400 meters from the border. So if people cross the border, they'll come to Nativasara. There was a feeling that there's like something in the air. And then they said that there was a terrible thing fallen upon us. And my grandparents are dead. Everybody was in total shock. And not only they're dead, their house has been burned down. All of the house like only exists in our memories now. And I. And it's like. Seeing like my grandparents house on TV and seeing it burned down and knowing that their bodies, that the burn bodies are in there somewhere was really really, really hard.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Dawes dad is an Israeli peace activist. Mazinon Most of the children in the camp come from open minded families like Dawes. They're unusual in their desire to hear the views of those from the other side of the conflict. As the camp goes on there are more activities encouraged to get the two sides working together. On day two, for example, they make dishes from each other's cuisines together. One thing that keeps surprising me is learning how little contact the teenagers from either side have ever had with each other before the camp. Mohammed tells me that for many Palestinian teenagers, soldiers at the checkpoints that divide the west bank are the only young Israelis they have ever met.

[Mohammed (Palestinian Staff/Organizer)]

We don't know anything about each other and it's the main problem. We live in the same land. The children live, I think some of them less than one hour far between them. And all of the Palestinian kids didn't meet any one Israeli before. The Palestinians think the Israeli is a soldier killer and the Israeli think about the Palestinians are terrorists. The Israeli didn't know anything about how the Palestinians live, didn't know about the checkpoints, didn't know that the Palestinian if he want to go to his school, he needs two hours to go to school because there's a gate close because the soldiers in this day didn't want to open the gate. Those Israeli kids in one day maybe will be in the army. So if these Israeli kids listen the story, I think he will be fair soldiers with the Palestinians.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Mohammed tells me the divisions in the way the teenagers live can even be seen in their journeys to the camp. So for the Israeli teenagers the camp in Cyprus is a short flight away. For the Palestinian children living under occupation it's taken days to get there.

[Mohammed (Palestinian Staff/Organizer)]

From Palestinian port to Israeli port in pass three minutes. In this three minutes we wait four hours. From the Israeli port to Jordanian port five minutes or less we wait three hours. This life, this is the Palestinian Houndev.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

The Palestinian teenagers lives are shaped by the occupation in other ways. From the threat of settler violence to the aspirations they can have for their futures.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

Hello everyone. My name is az. I am 17 years old. I am from Palestine, I live in Nablus. My dream to become a pilot but that's impossible because I am in Palestine and there isn't any airport in my country.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

What did you think about Israeli people before you came to the camp?

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

I was thought all the Israelis in The world like the soldier on checkpoints on my town and who support the occupation in West Bank.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

And how do the soldiers treat Palestinians?

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

They mate with us like we have animal.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

How does that make you feel?

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

I feel very bad and I think always to leave this country because I don't have any freedom. And I feel angry because anyone from the other side feel freedom and can go to anywhere in this world.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

I sat outside with Nir Oren. He's an Israeli social worker who works at the camp. And his mother was killed in a suicide bombing of a bus in 1995. He sent his children to the camp too. And he explained to me how controversial it could be for both sides to be there.

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

It's not easy to come here. My children were attacked, you know, verbally, only in the classrooms. When they talked about what they did in the summer, when they participate in the summer camp, people think they are crazy. People think they are putting themselves in danger. And the Palestinians as well, you know, for them coming to meet the enemy and meet the perpetrators and meet the conqueror. It's problematic.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Humanizing both sides is a major aim of the camp. But it's only becoming harder with greater consequences.

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

Knowing the other side. No manage to listen to the story, which is not easy for you, because when I'm talking about my suicide bombing, obviously you felt empathetic. You said you're sorry for my loss. The Palestinian knows that one of his member of his nation, of his people, did this to my mother. He probably has, you know, something bothers him or not vice versa. It's the same in Israel, what we are doing there, of course. And he can say, well, your mother deserves it, she. Whatever. It's easier for him to deal with it. When I'm sharing stories with my friends and my colleagues about Palestinian bereavement. They said they probably were terrorists. Or in Gaza, many Israeli said all babies are potentially terrorists. But saying the potential terrorist, it's inflict on their inner emotional states that it's hard for them to see that we are killing babies. So they're finding a kind of cognitive resolution and reframing their emotional guilt. For example, to let. It's okay, they deserve it, they should do it. And this is what we want, to find people to acknowledge their own feelings and to understand and to acknowledge our aggressiveness.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

So what are you guys doing today?

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

We're gonna make a movie. A short movie.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

A short movie. And you're doing it together?

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Yeah, yeah, together. We're a team.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

So tell me, who. Who are you? What are your Names. It's day three of the camp and I'm joining a photography and a video workshop. Around half the kids at the camp are here in this big bar. There are snacks, there are soft drinks laid out and there's a big projector at the front to show them their photos and films. There's workshop leaders and helpers milling around. And all the kids have these headphones in their ears which broadcast live translations so they can understand each other.

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

We asked just before they left to take their photos, who wants to work with Palestinians? Who wants to work with the Jewish Israeli? And it was quiet in the room and after five seconds we started seeing hands go up. We started seeing them go across the room to someone they just met two days ago from the other side. Beautiful.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

I caught up with Dawe to find out how he had found the workshop. It's the third day now. I'm wondering generally how it's been going.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

First of all, it's been going like really good. I was together with EZ and we filmed photos. The idea was our biggest fears and losing our loved ones. That was the film that we did. They told us we need to explain the photos we took from each other point of view. So as talked about my grandparents and my loss from my perspective and it was wow, like it was really significant. That has a significant impact for me. Like when as is saying that I loved my grandparents and I used to hang out with them a lot and now I miss them. And that's what the images symbolizes. Hearing the people like which you are taught to demonize and are taught their bad and don't like you. Hearing them empathize with you in clear, well spoken way is moving and amazing.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

The camp was intense for the teenagers, but they were still a bunch of young people thrown together. So sometimes unexpected things would happen. Like this dance off which suddenly broke. On day four of the camp. Things got harder. Netanyahu had announced Israel would be occupying Gaza City. Inside the camp too, it was a tough day. The teenagers were being challenged to look at the conflict from the other side's point of view. They were doing an exercise based on a popular Israeli TV show which is called Sorry for Asking. In this show, people can ask the things they've always wanted to know. Okay, so today is the day where they're talking about more conflict. One thing I'm noticing is a lot of the children are like leaving the meetings. I've noticed two Palestinian children in separate groups leaving the room with a facilitator, their arm around them to kind of talk to the camp leader on their side. Hi, Door. You okay? Actually, I've just seen Door also leave. As I was sitting nearby, I caught sight of Door who was leaving the exercise and seemed to be a bit upset. So later on I caught up with him to find out what had actually happened. And he explained that it began with a conversation about the hostages.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

Very quickly we came to a question that talked about, I think, what the Palestinians know about the hostages, Israeli hostages. For the Israeli side, it was a very heated and emotional conversation, what I've seen in the news. And they said that the hostages look healthy and they hugged their captors. And these other sides responded very, very harshly.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

The conversation showed the gulf between how the media in Israel and Palestine portray the conflict.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

It was really hurtful because there was another Palestinian spoke after that and he said, he, like, told me, I'm sorry for your loss, but the reason that the 7th of October happened is because that the IDF killed civilians in Jenin. There's a feeling like I represent all of Israel. I'm really, really mad and spoke really passionately. I'm not idf. People died from both sides. I know it's not right. Death is death and it's never, never right. Specifically when you're talking about uninvolved people and civilians. So how can it be that you're attacking me and saying it's okay for my grandparents to be killed?

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

At the camp, the teenagers are told that if they want to come together, they can't compare suffering. Everyone's pain is valid. And Daw said he found the exercise useful as well as difficult.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

You don't have to be a peace activist and believe that being able to acknowledge the pain, all of the pain of the other side, which in some parts like, at least for me, it makes me believe that peace is easier than I thought before. Peace is possible. And also seems now like after all the things happen today, it seems more reachable.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

On day five, I caught up with Ibrahim. He was the camp helper I'd spoken to earlier on in the week. I wanted to understand how the camp had affected him over the years.

[Ibrahim (Camp Helper/Former Participant)]

I've been to the camp multiple times as a participant, but this is my first time as a staff. I've been here for a long time and I love it.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

He told me about his own major realizations from being at the camp.

[Ibrahim (Camp Helper/Former Participant)]

It contradicts with my idea about Israelis before I came here because the only time I've been acquainted with Israelis was on the border or checkpoint. And the soldiers there love to humiliate us for some reason, they hit people, they shout at people for absolutely no reason. And if you try to do as much as breathe in the wrong way, you're a goner, basically. Basically. So it contradicts with them that there are some Israelis that are willing to listen and are willing to recognize that there's an occupation going on. And that's what made me come back. Because if they want to listen, who am I not to deliver the message? I realized that if people are willing to listen, there is a chance for change. And every time I come here, I hope our community and communities like it get bigger and attract more people, which happens, but at a very slow pace so that we can hear one another and my story can get heard and other people's stories can get heard, which is the first step of a change.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

I could see the camp was affecting people in lots of different ways. A young woman called Noah came to speak to me. She was 18, and she's at that age where a lot of her friends are doing military service. In fact, one of her friends had sent her a photo of their newly shaved head. Almost all Israelis are expected to do military service. But Noah says that her mind had been changed.

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Like, next year I'm going to work in an organic farm. Usually most Israelis my age don't really go this way. If they're not religious, they usually go to the army. Since my first camp, I did become more politically involved in opposing the occupation and not wanting to serve in the army. And that's a whole other topic that's really deep in Israeli society.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Can I ask you then about your decision? So is it because of it here that you've decided not to serve in the army?

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Before the camp, I had my thoughts on it and I felt like overall, I'm not an army girl. I'm not really into violence. But I think it got deeper than that when I heard about the occupation. Like, overall, I felt like the dots kind of connected. And I realized that, okay, I am non violent, but I also don't want to do these things that the Palestinians have described in the dialogues and don't want to come here with, like, pain. Like I'm a part of such a big suffering. And so in Israeli society, it's very not an accepted thing to not enlist, even if you're religious. Now in these last two years, you can see how much people are enraged by people who don't enlist. They're called like, they're like quitters. They're like, they're like using the society that is enlisting for the protection. It's always called for their protection. And so I felt like I really wanted to challenge that. I couldn't look at it anymore and feel like it only protects me because I feel like it has a cost.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

So has your decision not to enlist been a bit controversial in people around you?

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Yeah, I know around my family. Like, when I first told them that I don't necessarily want to go in that direction, they were very mad. They felt like I was giving up on myself, like I wasn't determined to achieve myself. So I feel it is not such an easy decision because most people my age, you are expected by your family and you're given, like, more privilege in the Israeli society, of course, because that's how you also entice people to get into the whole thing.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

What kind of privileges?

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

Your social status, too, and the money you are given, like, monthly by the state and also like in jobs and such. Legally, they can discriminate, but, you know, it gets into it in the camp specifically, they can't entice us to, like, not enlist because it's illegal. But I feel like most people here gain a lesson that, like, you have to challenge your thinking, think critically and think empathetically and just look at people like people instead of, like political objects. And so I think that's a step in the way, especially when we are so deep in the mud of war.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

That night, it was finally time for me to leave the camp, and I was thinking about how these teenagers would be returning to such difficult challenges. While I was walking out, I started to hear some music. It was coming from the bar we'd been in for the video workshop. So I wandered over, and inside I could see 30 kids who were dancing, jumping up and down, arms and legs flying around, and the song that was bringing them together, Gangnam Style. Coming up, what lessons can the teenagers teach us?

[Quo Advertisement Voice]

Running a business means juggling a lot of moving parts. And when your communication tools can't keep up, things start to slip. Missed calls, slow replies, scattered conversations. They're not just frustrating, they're lost. Opportunities and revenue left on the table. That's where Quo comes in. Spelled Q, U, O. Quo is the 1 rated business phone system on G2, trusted by over 90,000 businesses. One shared business number for calls and texts. So every conversation stays visible, organized and accountable. It works from an app or computer. You can keep your existing number, add teammates, and sync your CRM, letting you scale without adding complexity. And with built in AI quo logs, calls, summarizes conversations and flags. Next steps Even after hours Stop missing customers. Stop leaving revenue on the table. Try quo free and get 20% off your first six [e-mail] tech. That's quo.com tech. No missed calls, no missed customers.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

Are you noticing your car insurance rate creep up even without tickets or claims? You're not alone. That's why there's Jerry, your proactive insurance assistant. Jerry handles the legwork by comparing quotes side by side from over 50 top insurers so you can confidently hit buy. No spam calls, no hidden fees. Jerry even tracks rates and alerts you when it's best to shop. Drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year. Don't settle for higher rates. Download the Jerry app or visit Jerry AI Acast Today.

[Nadine Kumsiya (Parent Circle Leader)]

My name is Nadine Kumsiya. I'm from Bethlehem. I've been leading the parent circle for two years and a half at the organization for 12 years.

[Camp Staff/Helper]

Hello, my name is Ayelet Harel. I'm the Israeli co CEO of the organization. I've been a member in the organization for 15 years after losing my eldest brother in 1982 in the First Lebanon War.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

After the camp, CEOs Nadine and Ayelet explain how hard it was to keep the camp going this year.

[Nadine Kumsiya (Parent Circle Leader)]

I must say that it was really, really difficult to take the kids out of the reality that they're living in abroad and then bring them back to the reality that they're in. We have kids from Jenin, we have kids from Nablus, we have kids from Hebron that are going through daily challenges with the occupation, but we're going to keep doing what we're doing. We know everyone that hears the stories of our members even for 30 minutes. It can change their lives forever.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

They say they know they are small, but they think their impact lies in creating a path to reconciliation.

[Camp Staff/Helper]

I think we are the pioneers. We are a model for the path to go to. Of course 40 kids and another 40 kids. There's a lot more kids there. But we are also a model and when things will change we have the know how of how to talk to the other side. I think we use technique of storytelling and of personal experience which is always powerful. People like you know to argue and to go into all discussions as like they know everything. But when it comes to personal experience and feelings and emotions, then people can more listen to each other. We did a lot of preparation of the kids before to understand the other side to take down fears and I think also we do some role playing.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

They explained that keeping the camp going was worth it. Not just for the kids at the camp, but for the lessons it offers to the rest of us.

[Nadine Kumsiya (Parent Circle Leader)]

We need to learn from the kids and how brave they were to sit down and have a conversation with people they never knew but know as the other side that is hurting their people. I'm talking about it from the Palestinians point of view. We need to learn how these kids didn't hold grudges knowing that some of those kids that they're sitting with have family that are in the army or that have family serving in Gaza. We need to learn from those kids that they can talk about their hardest feelings and explain what their people are going through without having hate involved. We need to learn from the kids that we can actually sit down and have conversations with the enemy and work for a better future.

[Camp Staff/Helper]

I think the world and maybe many people also here, but especially the world try to see the conflict as a very narrow perspective. And I'm either for Palestinian or for Israelis. And sometimes I feel that people think that we are a fortnite game. But we are people who are living here and most of us are really good people. So I think it's really important for the world to support people who work for peace to know the asymmetrical situation but also to find a solution that will be good for both sides so we can make for these kids a better future. This is our responsibility as adults.

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

I get a lot of hope from this camp. I think it just, it deepens my belief that this war should be stopped. It's much more simple than what the Israeli media makes it sound.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Az)]

I was taught that all the Israelians in the world like the soldier on checkpoints, but that's not correct. Israeli here in this summer camp wanted to live in peace, don't want to occupation in West Bank.

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

I think people can learn and also we can learn that we should listen to the other side because you have to understand also the other side to change your idea about them.

[Palestinian Teenager (e.g., Daw/Dorinon)]

If they all see us, the Palestinian and Israeli in the summer camp, the war will end because now we are friends and no war with them.

[Israeli Teenager (e.g., Noah)]

I think the basis of it us being young people and still being a bit more open minded and more malleable to like opening our hearts is one of the like the basic things of the camp that I think is really making it special.

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

I had thought this is where the episode would end but last week I got a message from the Parent Circle Families Forum. Nadine and ayelet, the CO CEOs told me that One of the kids from the summer camp had been arrested. I remember them well. They were part of the spontaneous dance off at the photography workshop. I remember seeing them around the camp full of life and laughter. Nadine explained that the IDF arrived at 3am with dogs, beat them and took them away. In September, another of their youth ambassadors was also arrested and they still don't know why. The dean told me that you can feel the collective trauma returning, the fear, the heartbreak, the sense that hope is slipping away. These are children who dared to believe in dialogue and humanity. And yet, she said, the reality around them keeps punishing that hope. She said, this is the emotional landscape they're living in right now, one where peace building and pain coexist every single day. And that's all for today. My huge thanks to the Parent Circle Families Forum for letting me attend the camp and for all the staff and teenagers who shared their stories. This episode was produced and presented by me, Natalie Tena. It was sound designed by Joel Cox and the executive producers were Huma Khalili, Sammy Kent and Courtney Youssef. We'll be back again tomorrow.

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

This is the guardian

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

foreign. TikTok shop

[Narrator/Guardian Announcer]

rapido simbusque das interminables solo

[Natalie Tena (Presenter/Producer)]

buenas compras descarga TikTok aura.