We have all these means of travel today, yet my grandfather had more opportunities
Huda Abu Arqoub is the Co-Executive Director of Abraham's Vision, a conflict transformation organization. Founded in 2003, Abraham's Vision works to build "the understanding and capacity for coexistence and ultimately peace and justice between Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, and Israelis."
One of Ms. Abu Arqoub's unique qualifications for the position is her background as a Palestinian born in Jerusalem and growing up in Hebron. "I feel like I have a long life, because I absorbed my grandfather's story."
Her grandfather told her stories of his life in the Middle East in the 1960's. He enjoyed traveling with a Jewish friend and a Christian friend to Haifa for the weekend. There they attended a Lebanese concert, had lunch in Beirut, dinner in Damascus, and then back to Hebron by Sunday evening. Ms. Abu Arquob longs for the lost freedom to travel freely with whomever she chooses.
By comparison, after the second Intifadah in 2000, for 5 years Ms. Abu Arquob crossed the physical check-points to get to her teaching job each day. She endured long waits where she had no sense of autonomy. She saw mothers insulted by the Israeli soldiers and watched as young men were urinated on, feeling stripped of their dignity and honor.
Ms. Abu Arquob came to Abraham's Vision with a vision of a time "when people would be able to live in a land and use it and be connected to the spirit of the land."
(See Part 2)
Teresa Rose ia a certified life coach, mediator, and has a life coaching business based in San Mateo. She is passionate about helping transform internal and interpersonal conflicts into growth and peace of mind.
Email Teresa: Teresa@PeaceOfMindCoaching.com and view www.PeaceOfMindCoaching.com.
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