English/Nat Scores of Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian kids are taking part in a unique experience, living together for ten days in a joint summer camp. The official purpose of the camp, called "A common Language", is to teach the teenagers to speak English. But privately officials are hoping that, in developing a common language between the teens born in a troubled region and surrounded by age-old hatreds and suspicion, they will learn to drop other barriers, particularly those of discrimination and prejudice. Dancing the summer away, but this is no ordinary summer camp, this is a unique experience for these teenagers. More used to the squabbles, hatreds and intolerance of their parents, these Jewish, Palestinian and Arab Israelis are here to learn not just English but how to live together peacefully. They will spend the next ten days at the Kfar Saba summer camp in Israel, learning dance and martial arts, but most importantly they will learn that people across the political, racial and religious divide are essentially all the same. Already these 16-year olds have learned that there are more similarities between themselves and their near but, until now, very distant neighbours. SOUNDBITE: (English) "This is a special thing here in this seminar, because we are here all, Jewish people, Arab people, Jordan people and Palestinian people also, so we are all here and we speak only English. So I think that we all feel that we are the same, there are no differences between us." SUPER CAPTION: Nura, Israeli-Arab from Kfar Kara SOUNDBITE: (English) "In my mind they (Israeli's) are a lot and they hate us a lot and they never liked us, but now I have another feeling that they like us, they love us and there is going to be peace between us." SUPER CAPTION: Rawlin, a Palestinian from Jerusalem SOUNDBITE: (English) "It's hard to change their (Israeli's) opinions but as people I really do respect them, they're just great!" SUPER CAPTION: Liran of Katzrin in the Golan Heights Under the guise of a common language - these kids are already competent in English - it would seem that there's a lot more to learn at the camp about themselves. In their short time at Kfar Saba, they will learn to cooperate, to talk to each other and to share their opinions, no matter how different they are. One of the organisers believes that peace must be formulated not just in the political sphere but within society beginning with the children, if lasting peace is to achieved in the region. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I think that it is time to translate peace and coexistence not in political agreement and beautiful phrases, but into simple reality between people and especially between the young generation." SUPER CAPTION: Ofer Bronstein, Head of the Israeli Peace Institute. As peacemakers and politicians try to find a political solution to the hatreds that have dominated the middle east in the latter half of the twentieth century, these children are already preparing the way for a peaceful coexistence and hoping that their parents generation will give peace a chance. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a801723a86aa5490e42a1028a885293f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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