BY BARNEY BEAL | OTISFIELD The rain held off long enough for the Seeds of Peace tree to be planted.
On a warm, sunny Saturday in Otisfield, before a rainstorm could move in, foreign dignitaries, local politicians, members of the public and 175 teenagers from the Middle East gathered for the dedication of the Seeds of Peace new campsite.
The fifth anniversary of the Seeds of Peace summer program was highlighted by a ceremony dedicating the campground in Otisfield that is to be the home to Seeds of Peace for at least the next 10 years. Ambassadors to the United States from Israel, the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, and top officials from the State department, Tunisia, the Palestine National Authority, and Egypt, and congressman John Baldacci all gathered to hear testimony and songs from teenagers who have spent the past four weeks getting to know one another and discussing remedies to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
“When I got here I thought that I couldn’t sleep in the same bunk with Israelis. Now I have the courage to say that peace can be achieved easier between people than it can between governments,” said Amer Kamal, a youth from Palestine.
Dignitaries from Israel, Jordan, Tunisia and the Palestine National Authority arrived early at camp. “This is the one place in the world where ambassadors from Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Tunisia will be together. They even slept in the same house last night,” said John Wallach, founder of the camp, and former foreign editor for Hearst newspapers.
As they arrived the ambassadors were met by campers who took them on a tour of Seeds of Peace’s new home. Yaniv Ronen, a 14-year-old from Israel, led them to the art cabin where the campers had been creating peace art.
“We try to get them to work with their hands as much as possible,” said Alli Spector, a counselor at the camp. “It’s really amazing what they’ve done.”
The dedication ceremony began with the raising of the flags of all the countries represented at camp: Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Qatar. As each flag was raised and lowered, campers from each country sang their national anthem, culminating with the Seeds of Peace flag which remained atop the flagpole throughout the ceremony.
Representative John Baldacci welcomed the gathering to Maine. “I’m extremely pleased that you are selecting Maine as your permanent home,” said Baldacci.
Coexistence groups A and B, groups at the camp that meet every morning for conflict resolution and to discuss issues, sang songs of peace that they wrote for the occasion. This was followed by testimony from campers who told of what the past four weeks had meant for them and for the future.
“Real peace is not about politics. It’s about sharing,” said Gil Naveh, an Israeli.
“We are the same in many ways. We have parents, we play the same sports, we even eat the same food. Differences are an invisible wall between us and the Israelis,” said Hazem Jamjoum of Jordan. “Now I know what those differences are and we can take it apart.”
The teenagers’ one-minute speeches were greeted by a standing ovation.
Government officials then gave some brief remarks to the assembly. “I’m very proud to be here with you today,” said Marwan Muasher, Amabassador of Jordan to the United States. “In a world where good news is so often lacking, this is a refreshing event.”
Said Hamad, senior deputy chief of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestine National Authority called Seeds of Peace “the camp of the brave. Through your efforts these seeds will take root and the next time we come together we can reap the fruits of this peace.”
Thomas Pickering, undersecretary of state, had a difficult time making it to the event. Waking up at 5 a.m. to catch a flight to Portland, he was delayed at the airport. After several hours in the Washington airport and a police escort from Portland, he arrived in time to give the keynote address.
“You have the future here in your hands, and I can not emphasize enough how important that is,” he said.
As the ceremony concluded, a tree was planted next to the stage and the entire assembly sang. The state officials and dignitaries, following the example of the children, joined hands and swayed to the music.
On a day when, a continent away, Israeli jets were bombing suspected guerrilla camps in Lebanon, a group of 175 teenagers brought together leaders from across the Middle East for song, speech, the planting of a tree and a post-ceremony barbecue that, despite recent developments in their homelands, gave hope for the future.