{"id":1485,"date":"2025-04-09T09:31:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T09:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2025-04-09T09:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T09:31:13","slug":"from-abu-dhabi-to-tel-aviv-a-quiet-path-to-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/from-abu-dhabi-to-tel-aviv-a-quiet-path-to-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"From Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv: A Quiet Path to Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yasser Bassam<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trade deals don\u2019t build trust. People do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One peacebuilder shares how tradition, empathy, and Gen Z are transforming the meaning of peace in the Middle East.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born in Al Ain<\/a>, a city cradled by sand dunes and date palms, where tradition is not a word\u2014it\u2019s a way of life. In the stillness of its afternoons, among the rhythms of prayer calls and the quiet pride of a tight-knit community, I learned values that have stayed with me ever since: respect, humility, and the importance of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, at 25, I carry those values not only as a son of Al Ain, but as a doctor and entrepreneur. In both healing and building, I\u2019ve learned that peace isn\u2019t just an ideal\u2014it\u2019s a daily necessity. Whether I\u2019m treating patients or launching new ventures, I\u2019ve come to see that real progress means little if it doesn\u2019t leave room for compassion, connection, and mutual understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same belief led me to join The Abraham Bridge Initiative (TABI)<\/strong>\u2014a project rooted in the very values I grew up with. In partnership with Reichman University, The Raphael Recanati International School, and the Shimon Peres Fellowship, TABI brings together young leaders from across the Abraham Accords nations to build bridges where there were once walls. Through student-led research, cultural exchange, and honest dialogue, we\u2019re working to make peace tangible\u2014something you can experience, not just read about. For me, TABI isn\u2019t just a program. It\u2019s a continuation of everything Al Ain taught me: that true change starts with human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work is new. The calling isn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From as early as I can remember, peace wasn\u2019t just something I hoped for\u2014it was something I felt responsible for. Not because I was told to, but because it felt like a calling. In a world splintered by conflict, I\u2019ve always believed peace is the only worthy path. It\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s not quick. But it\u2019s worth everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Abraham Accords<\/a> were signed in 2020, something shifted\u2014not just in geopolitics, but inside me. Suddenly, ideas that once felt impossible started taking shape. Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, two cities that once lived in separate mental worlds, were suddenly a short flight apart. Borders that had been drawn in suspicion now cracked open to possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for someone like me, who has spent a lifetime committed to building peace quietly, person by person, the real impact wasn\u2019t in trade deals or handshakes on a stage. It was in the smaller moments: a message from a Jewish friend in Tel Aviv saying \u201cwe have more in common than we thought,\u201d or a video of an Emirati and an Israeli sitting in a caf\u00e9 in Jaffa, laughing over coffee and hummus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what real peace looks like\u2014not the ceremonial kind, but the human kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve spent years fostering these small bridges\u2014connecting youth across cultures, encouraging dialogue between people who were taught to see each other only as \u201cother.\u201d I\u2019ve seen how a conversation can soften a heart. I\u2019ve seen how a shared project can unravel decades of distrust. I\u2019ve seen how people can transform when they realize their identity doesn\u2019t have to be defined by division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, more than ever, young people are taking that torch and running with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Abraham Accords opened a window, but it\u2019s the younger generation\u2014born into a world of hyper-connectivity and digital platforms\u2014who are stepping through. They\u2019re turning TikTok into a space for cross-cultural storytelling. They\u2019re debating tough topics in livestreams. They\u2019re posting selfies with people their parents never imagined meeting. Some of it is idealistic. Some of it is messy. All of it is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not everyone is ready. The shadow of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict still looms large. Public skepticism in many Arab countries remains deep. And peace, if rushed or oversimplified, risks becoming fragile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s why we need to go deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need peace that can withstand criticism, that leaves space for grief, and that refuses to ignore the hard conversations. We need peace that doesn\u2019t ask us to forget, but invites us to imagine. We need peace that is built\u2014not announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for that, we need more than diplomats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need listeners. Connectors. Dreamers. Bridge-builders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need people like the students forming new friendships at seminars in Abu Dhabi. Like the Moroccan youth rediscovering their country\u2019s Jewish roots. Like the young Israelis who dare to ask, \u201cWhat does justice look like for everyone in this region?\u201d We need the quiet efforts, the invisible labor, the long conversations that never make headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I come from one of the most traditional cities in the Gulf. And I carry that tradition with pride. But I also carry a belief that tradition and peace are not opposites. In fact, real peace honors tradition by making space for every voice at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I keep building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not with blueprints or treaties\u2014but with trust, and time, and the belief that even in a region long divided, peace is not a myth. It\u2019s a practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I intend to keep practicing it\u2014for as long as I live.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Yasser Bassam Trade deals don\u2019t build trust. People do. One peacebuilder shares how tradition, empathy, and Gen Z are transforming the meaning of peace in the Middle East. I was born in Al Ain, a city cradled by sand dunes and date palms, where tradition is not a word\u2014it\u2019s a way of life. In …<\/p>\n

From Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv: A Quiet Path to Peace<\/span> \u05dc\u05e7\u05e8\u05d9\u05d0\u05d4 \u00bb<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[48,72,55,73,59,70,74,27,50,41,42,71,69],"class_list":["post-1485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tabi","tag-abrahamaccords","tag-abu-dhabi","tag-arab","tag-blog","tag-diplomacy","tag-gulf","tag-hummus","tag-israel","tag-jewish","tag-middle-east","tag-peace","tag-tel-aviv","tag-uae"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3.png",1536,1024,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3.png",1536,1024,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3.png",1536,1024,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-18x12.png",18,12,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-300x300.png",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-600x400.png",600,400,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/theisrael.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/20250409_1201_Imaginary-Cityscape-Harmony_simple_compose_01jrcwhq6bfjvtb3gnkbxczrt3-100x100.png",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Noam","author_link":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/author\/cfccl\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Yasser Bassam Trade deals don\u2019t build trust. People do. One peacebuilder shares how tradition, empathy, and Gen Z are transforming the meaning of peace in the Middle East. I was born in Al Ain, a city cradled by sand dunes and date palms, where tradition is not a word\u2014it\u2019s a way of life. In…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1487,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions\/1487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theisrael.org\/he\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}