Great Idea: Yala Young Leaders

http://tinyurl.com/7dbpd9e            

           Israel and Palestine have been in conflict for over sixty years since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Both Israelis and Palestinians want to occupy the land that Israel currently occupies, which is a controversial issue because this land is holy to both the majority Muslim Palestinian population and the Jewish Israeli population. Both Israeli and Palestinian governments have not been able to reach a resolution, and at times have literally refused to communicate with each other at all. For decades now the two governments have been unable to broker any sort of peace deal.

          
             However, there is hope. Uri Savir, a former peace negotiator for Israel, has created a Facebook page called Yala Young Leaders (“yala” means “let’s go” in Arabic) where young Israelis, Palestinians, and other Arabs are conversing and interacting with each other about issues like peace between Israel and Palestine and even more jovial things like soccer and music. This is a huge deal because due to security barriers that have been erected to protect Israel from terrorist attacks, as well as general, mutual dislike between Israelis and Palestinians, many of this generation’s Israelis and Palestinians have never even had any contact with each other. This simple Facebook group is, for some young Israelis and Palestinians, the first time they have ever interacted with each other. Unlike the entire governments of these two states, these young men and women are having deep, intellectual, and productive conversations with each other on Facebook (I know; crazy right?).

            

          Uri Savir’s Facebook group is such a great idea that he has already gotten recognition from the Presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook. It’s amazing to see that even though there is so much tension because Israel and Palestine, a group of kids on Facebook is having no trouble at all talking to each other about mutual interests and desires for peace. It’s a good example of how technological advances like the internet and social media are helping mankind take a step forward because decades ago this interaction would not have even been possible. Yala Young Leaders is definitely a great idea, and one that government leaders and people in general could definitely take a few notes from.