As the Israeli-Palestinian peace process atrophies, so have contacts between Palestinians and Israeli Jews. Palestinians used to visit Tel Aviv beaches and restaurants, while Israelis shopped in Nablus. Intellectuals from both sides lectured at each other’s universities. Those links vanished after a second Palestinian intifada and the decline of the peace process. Gaza is closed, a fence cuts the West Bank off from Israel, and most Palestinians meet Israelis only at military checkpoints. This separation widens the gulf of distrust between the … FULL STORY

Families of Palestinian-Israelis killed at the start of the second intifada are still fighting for justice a decade on. It has been 10 years since the October 2000 events that saw 13 unarmed Palestinians killed by Israeli police. Last Friday, more than 6,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel gathered in the Galilee village of Kfar Kana. Waving Palestinian flags and gripping pictures of their dead sons they marched through the town to commemorate the bloodshed. The protestors also called for justice. … FULL STORY

LAHORE | Schoolchildren under the banner of “Seeds of Peace” will raise funds across the globe for the flood-hit people of Pakistan. The Seeds of Peace (SoP) is a New York-based non-government and non-political organisation which brings together children from various conflict-torn regions around the world for about four-week activities designed to promote peacemaking and hone conflict resolution skills. “Moved by the flood devastation in Pakistan, the schoolchildren (seeds) have decided to raise funds in their countries for the affected … FULL STORY

Athletes such as Mia Hamm participated at a camp that brings teenagers from regions of conflict together to stress values of teamwork and cooperation This past Thursday, a collection of athletes from across the sports spectrum came together for the 9th annual Play for Peace program at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Otisfield, Maine. Legendary soccer player Mia Hamm and her husband, former baseball All-Star Nomar Garciaparra, joined NBA players such as Xavier Henry, Brian Zoubek and Brian … FULL STORY

OTISFIELD | Brian Scalabrine might be able to coexist with one O’Neal and continue his career with the Boston Celtics. Whether or not that run as a mainstay on the NBA Eastern Conference champions’ bench and active contract talks with the team would endure the arrival of a second O’Neal—this one a lock for the hall of fame—remains to be seen. Scalabrine, 32, played out the final minutes of his five-year, $15 million contract during the Celtics run to the … FULL STORY

Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra are among this year’s guest stars at Seeds of Peace Camp. OTISFIELD | Cool sunglasses masking his eyes, microphone in hand, Wil Smith worked his audience, priming them with introductions of the visitors. By the time Smith reached Mia Hamm, his campers at Seeds of Peace were beyond delight. Teenage boys and girls, mostly from the Middle East, were heading to a new level of excitement. Waiting for his wife after his own noisy welcome, … FULL STORY

OTISFIELD | They hail from nine countries, mostly geographic neighbors but divided by invisible walls that might as well extend a million miles into the heavens. Thursday morning they wore the same colors—the green Seeds of Peace camp t-shirt—and spoke the universal languages of sports and music. One hundred fifty teenagers sang and rapped to Journey, Run-DMC and Sugarhill Gang as their songs, written and performed long before the kids were born, thundered from the sound system. They whooped, hollered … FULL STORY

OTISFIELD, MAINE | Former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, his soccer-dribbling wife Mia Hamm and a cadre of NBA players put on a clinic for Seeds of Peace campers in Maine. More than 4,000 campers have attended Seeds of Peace in the western Maine woods since 1993. Its original goal was to bring together Israeli and Palestinian teens in hopes of moving them beyond deep-rooted hatreds. Now there are teenagers from many other countries, including Afghanistan. On Thursday, campers got … FULL STORY

OTISFIELD | Young people from Maine and the Middle East say they have something in common: the need to respect others’ opinions. Sitting under a shade tree at the entrance to the Seeds of Peace camp in Otisfield early Wednesday morning, six young people from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Maine agreed that unless they listen to each other and respect their differences, peace efforts will not be successful, whether in the Middle East or Maine. The group of peer … FULL STORY

BY STEPHEN KAUFMAN | While governments can do important work to promote it, peace, tolerance and understanding come mostly from people. That’s why the South Asian Seeds of Peace participants will be important messengers in countries back home—Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. This week, teenagers complete a three-week camp program in Maine designed to promote conflict resolution and mutual understanding. They were joined at the camp by Palestinian, Israeli, Egyptian and American teens. “During your weeks at camp you established new … FULL STORY