While the peace process seems to be stuck on the diplomatic front, and violence is on the upswing, Jews and Arabs are reaching out to each other at grass-roots level, breaking down barriers and creating new models for coexistence. The leaders of many of these initiatives share the common belief that the Oslo process was essentially a secular Western peacemaking model that failed to take into consideration the deep historical, cultural and religious ties to the land shared by both Jews and Palestinians. Peace, in their view, cannot be dictated in a top-down manner, but must arise more organically from a sense of mutual respect, reconciliation, and shared destiny among the people. Humans Refusing to be Enemies, an organization founded by Jewish-American Sholom Neistein and Palestinian-American Mohamed Ghumrawi, brings Jews and Arabs together to listen to each other's narratives, break down stereotypes, and battle mutual demonization. The HOME, a joint Israeli-Palestinian movement led by Inon Dan Kehati and John Elias Dabis, aims to resolve the conflict through the creation of a binational federation. It promotes an eight-step plan that includes joint activities to foster respect for the land and reconciliation of its people; the ending of violence, disarming of terrorist groups and removal of checkpoints, the separation barrier, and other aspects of the conflict; freedom and equality for all; resolution of even the most difficult issues, such as the Temple Mount, settlements and refugees; and protection of the identities of both nations in separate states under unified sovereignty. Neistein and Dan Kehati discuss these grass-roots peacemaking initiatives with Opinion Editor Steve Ganot. Anchor: Steve Ganot. Camera: Doron Persaud. Makeup: Maya Lavon. Archive: Humans Refusing to be Enemies, The HOME.
