Seeds of Peace

Dear Leaders, To all of us, peace represents the hopes and dreams that have always been absent from our lives. The void left by the lack of these realized dreams has forced people to turn to violence as an answer to their problems. For the first time, the Permanent Status negotiations have been started, not by our governments, but by those the peace truly affects. We here at Seeds of Peace have decided that we will make our peace over the negotiations table not over the battle field. Our leaders have shown us the way, the way of Menachem Begin and Anwar El Sadat and all of those who have sat at the negotiating table since. It is time to forge ahead and not allow the wheel to turn back because our peace is hanging on a very thin rope. Our goal at this conference was to build a base for the peace we have always wished for.The treaty that is enclosed within might seem like an illusion to those who do not know and understand what we have experienced at Seeds Of Peace. Let us assure you that what you are about to read is in fact representative of our beliefs. It was reached behind closed doors and it reflects our desired reality. We hope that this treaty will act as a model for you, the leaders of our countries, to base your own agreements on or take suggestions from, but at the very least, we are convinced that it will show you that peace between our two nations is possible. We stressed the idea of our common future together because it is the truth, and we hope that this achievement of peace will act as a key into peoples` minds, opening their thinking to include the benefits of peace. Seeds of Peace and Novartis have helped make this Middle Eastern Youth Conference possible, and we thank them for having helped us learn so many important lessons. We have realized the difficulty and challenge involved in the negotiation of complex and emotional issues such as the ones we discussed. But we have also realized that when you let people say what they want and what they need, you understand them better, and from understanding you can build respect. Most important of all, we have realized that no matter how complicated an issue may be, we can not turn away in submission. Instead, we must welcome the challenge of shaping our own common future. We felt the responsibility of having to come here, and we did our job. Now it is your turn. Sincerely, Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian and USA Delegates Declaration of Principles Values of Sovereignty Jerusalem Committee Security Committee Land Committee Economic Committee Refugee Committee To return to the Main Conference page, click here.