In Israel and the West Bank, deep social divides continue to undermine generations of peace-making efforts. Sixty percent of the Middle East’s population are youth and yet ethnic tensions are passed on from generation to generation. Youth specifically have limited capacity to cope with the impact and manifestations of conflict, and often experience emotional distress that can have a severe impact.

As Israeli Jewish and Israeli Arab children generally do not meet, and have virtually no occasion to interact with Palestinians, there is little opportunity for them to have these negative conceptions challenged or transformed. In order to counter the negative tendencies to which they are exposed, it is crucial to engage young people in peace education programming.

The Peres Center for Peace utilizes sport, new media and the arts as peace education tools that bring together thousands of youth every year. Despite ongoing violence and political setbacks, the Peres Center for Peace has continued to grow its impact in the Middle East, uniting Arab and Jewish youth.