[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11527-H11529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
HONORING SEEDS OF PEACE FOR ITS PROMOTION OF UNDERSTANDING AMONG YOUTH 
                        FROM REGIONS OF CONFLICT

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 288) honoring Seeds of Peace for 
its promotion of understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, 
coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other 
regions of conflict.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 288

       Whereas Seeds of Peace, founded by John Wallach in 1993, is 
     a program that brings together young people from regions of 
     conflict to study and learn about coexistence and conflict 
     resolution;
       Whereas although the original focus of Seeds of Peace was 
     to bring Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Egyptian youth 
     together, the program has expanded over the past decade to 
     involve youths from other regions of conflict, including from 
     Greece, Turkey and divided Cyprus, the Balkans, India, 
     Pakistan, and Afghanistan;
       Whereas these young people study and learn primarily at a 
     summer camp operated by Seeds of Peace in Otisfield, Maine, 
     and also through its regional programs such as the Jerusalem 
     Center for Coexistence;
       Whereas Seeds of Peace works to dispel fear, mistrust, and 
     prejudice, which are root causes of violence and conflict, 
     and to build a new generation of leaders who are committed to 
     achieving peace;
       Whereas Seeds of Peace reveals the human face of those whom 
     youth have been taught to hate, by engaging campers in both 
     guided coexistence sessions and ordinary summer camp 
     activities such as living together in cabins, sharing meals, 
     canoeing, swimming, playing sports, and creative exploration 
     through the arts and computers;
       Whereas the Arab-Israeli conflict is currently at a 
     critical juncture, and sustained progress towards peace 
     depends on the emergence of a new generation of leaders who 
     will choose dialogue, friendship, and openness over violence 
     and hatred;
       Whereas Seeds of Peace provides year-round opportunities 
     for former participants to build on the relationships they 
     have forged at camp, so that the learning processes begun at 
     camp can continue back in the participants' home countries, 
     where they are most needed;
       Whereas Seeds of Peace is strongly supported by 
     participating governments and many world leaders;
       Whereas previous Federal funding for Seeds of Peace 
     demonstrates its recognized importance in promoting United 
     States foreign policy goals; and
       Whereas it is especially important to reaffirm that youth 
     must be involved in long-term, visionary solutions to 
     conflicts perpetuated by cycles of violence: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) honors the accomplishments of Seeds of Peace for 
     promoting understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, 
     coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and 
     other regions of conflict around the world; and
       (2) offers Seeds of Peace as a model of hope that living 
     together in peace and security is possible.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lantos) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 288, honoring Seeds of 
Peace for its promotion of understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, 
coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other 
regions of conflict.
  I commend the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) and the other 
cosponsors of this resolution. Seeds of Peace is a courageous 
organization that prepares youth from conflict-ridden areas and trains 
them to be leaders of tomorrow. Seeds of Peace was founded in late 1993 
by the late John Wallach, an award-winning author and journalist in 
order to bring together Arab and Israeli youth as a way for them to 
learn conflict resolution skills necessary for making peace. While the 
primary focus is on the Middle East, participants also come from the 
Balkans, South Asia, and Cyprus.
  Since 1993, over 2,000 teens from 22 nations have graduated from 
Seeds of Peace. Every year hundreds of Arab and Israeli teenagers are 
brought together and learn to recognize the humanity within each other. 
Seeds of Peace makes it possible for people who are blinded by hatred 
and prejudice to see the value in coexistence and mutual understanding. 
Seeds of Peace programs expose young people to critical thinking, 
respect for the rule of law, human rights, participatory 
decisionmaking, nonviolent dispute resolution, and a free press.
  The invaluable lessons learned and lasting friendships made through 
Seeds of Peace programs provide hope that respect and tolerance can 
prevail in communities where hate and ignorance have tragically 
hallmarked social interactions.
  For participants, Seeds of Peace takes the war out of the streets and 
puts some of the most difficult issues on the table in an environment 
free from violence. In a period of self-reflection, teens are 
challenged to deal with complicated and emotional issues. They are 
given a candle of hope to take back to their home societies, and are 
prayerfully provided the determination and will to participate in civil 
society discussions and initiatives that can lead to a more civil 
region and world.
  Negotiations and treaties are the responsibilities of governments. 
Peace, on the other hand, is made by people. In this context, Seeds of 
Peace are seeds of hope. I strongly urge the passage of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page H11528]]

  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. First, I 
want to pay tribute to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from 
Maine (Mr. Allen), for introducing this resolution. This resolution 
brings about the realization of an important dream. It honors the 
organization Seeds of Peace for promoting understanding and coexistence 
among young people from the Middle East and other areas of conflict all 
around the globe. It praises Seeds of Peace for demonstrating that 
Israelis and Palestinians, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, Serbs 
and Bosnians and others can live together in peace and prosperity.
  Seeds of Peace reflects the vision of my late friend, John Wallach, 
who founded this organization 10 years ago. John believed that real 
peace is made by people as much as by treaties, and he believed that 
peacemaking starts with the attitudes developed in youth.
  More than 2,000 young people from nearly two dozen nations in areas 
of conflict have participated in Seeds of Peace programs mainly at the 
Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. Here they encounter, 
work with, play with, and argue with each other, and far more often 
than not befriend their counterparts from the other side of their 
national conflict.
  Seeds of Peace works to dispel the mistrust and prejudice that are 
among the root causes of violence and to build a generation of leaders 
committed to achieving peace.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, Seeds of Peace does not guarantee peace, and 
it is certainly not an alternative to patiently negotiated peace 
treaties among governments. It does, however, ensure that there will be 
a growing core of high-quality people on both sides of the Israeli-Arab 
divide, and other conflicts as well, who will view one another as flesh 
and blood human beings and not as dehumanized enemies. The mutual 
understanding fostered by Seeds of Peace reinforces negotiations in 
good times and helps buffer conflicts in bad times.
  For that reason, Seeds of Peace deserves our respect, our 
appreciation, and our commendation as a successful venture in people-
to-people peacemaking. It serves as a model for what a world which is 
violence-free could be in the future.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 288.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), distinguished chair of the Subcommittee on 
the Middle East and Central Asia.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding me 
this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say to all Members, this is a very important 
initiative, a very important bill; and I urge its passage.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen).
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 288, and I want to thank the 
gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), the ranking member, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and the gentleman from Iowa 
(Mr. Leach) for helping bring this resolution to the floor.
  Treaties are negotiated by governments; peace is made by people. 
Seeds of Peace is grounded in this truth. Seeds of Peace, founded by 
the award-winning author and journalist John Wallach in 1993 is a 
program which brings together young people from regions of conflict to 
study and learn about coexistence and conflict resolution.
  The program initially focused on Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and 
Egyptian youth, but has expanded over the past decades to involve youth 
from Greece, Turkey and divided Cyprus, the Balkans, India, Pakistan, 
Afghanistan, and other countries.
  H. Con. Res. 288 honors the accomplishments of Seeds of Peace, and 
offers the program as a model of hope that living together in peace and 
security is possible. I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), and 46 other Members who have 
cosponsored the resolution.
  At the summer camp in Otisfield, Maine, and at the Jerusalem Center 
for Coexistence, the young people of Seeds of Peace come face to face 
with those whom they have been taught to hate and mistrust. An Egyptian 
wrote to his peers following this past summer at camp, ``This camp 
changed things in my character, in my thoughts, and in my whole life. I 
really loved the people there without looking to where they are from or 
what is their religion. This is really the beginning of the road.''
  Recently, two new grassroots initiatives for peace in the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict have emerged. These efforts present much hope. 
Sustained progress, however, ultimately depends on a new generation of 
leaders. Youth must be involved in long-term visionary solutions to 
conflicts perpetuated by cycles of violence.
  Participating governments and world leaders strongly support Seeds of 
Peace. Previous Federal funding for the program demonstrates its 
importance in promoting United States foreign policy goals.
  Seeds of Peace is even working with youngsters in Maine where a large 
influx of refugees and immigrants has contributed to an increase in 
racial and ethnic tension. As we honor Seeds of Peace today, we should 
remember that it offers priceless lessons to our communities at home, 
as well as nations abroad. I have visited the Seeds of Peace camp up in 
Otisfield; it is a moving and inspirational experience, and 
congressional support over the years has been vital to the continuation 
of this particular undertaking.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the resolution.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would conclude by thanking the gentleman from Maine 
(Mr. Allen) who has so thoughtfully brought this resolution before us. 
Congress is in the gentleman's debt.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Capps).
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important resolution 
honoring Seeds of Peace. I thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) 
for authoring this resolution.
  In describing the Day of Redemption, the Prophet Isaiah tells us ``a 
little child shall lead them.'' During the past 3 years of violence and 
bloodshed, it is clear that the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority have failed their people. The beauty and wisdom of the Seeds 
of Peace program is to instill within Israeli and Arab children a sense 
of understanding, reconciliation, and acceptance so that some day these 
future leaders can bring peace to their embattled peoples.
  Mr. Speaker, my office is well acquainted with Seeds of Peace through 
its relationship with one of its most illustrious graduates, a young 
man named Fadi El Salameen. The oldest of nine children from a 
Palestinian family in Hebron, Fadi has overcome incredible hardships in 
his life and is currently studying at Earlham College in Indiana. He 
tells us that he owes his success, self-confidence, and his optimism 
for peace in the Middle East to his experiences in the woods of Maine 
with Seeds of Peace.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to think after months of such 
terrible news, perhaps the seeds of peace are finally growing roots in 
the region. After so many acts of Palestinian terrorism and Israeli 
reprisals, after the deaths of dozens of innocent people on both sides, 
we are seeing some hopeful signs. In particular, I think the upcoming 
signing of the Geneva Accord and the continued strength of a grass 
roots peace petition called the People's Voice hold out hope that a 
comprehensive political settlement of the conflict is not an impossible 
dream.
  And if Israeli and Arab children are willing to live together in 
Maine each summer to participate in Seeds of Peace, we owe it to them 
to continue working as hard as we can to bring peace and security to 
their homelands. I support this resolution.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to be 
able to make a statement on this group because the program of Seeds of

[[Page H11529]]

Peace since 1993 has really made a difference in communication, most 
especially with young people. They have brought together people like 
Indians and Pakistanis and Israelis and Arabs, as well as teenagers 
from Cyprus, Afghanistan and the U.S. to understand that peace really 
is possible. They have helped young people from all conflict areas see 
each other as human beings, not as the enemy. They have helped them to 
break down the barriers of hatred and distrust.

                              {time}  1130

  In March of 2003, two Seeds of Peace students joined me in a peace 
dialogue that I had here at the Capitol. The Israeli student said when 
she joined Seeds of Peace, she felt she was doing something 
significant. The change was not aimed to change the world right away. 
It started out small, giving her an opportunity to change her own 
personal world. It gave her the opportunity to talk about the other 
side in terms of friends instead of saying ``those Palestinians.''
  The Palestinian student said she first participated in a Seeds of 
Peace camp in 1999. She said 4 years have passed since then and she 
cannot recognize the person she was before. She also said that at Seeds 
of Peace, you get to open up, actually listen to each other, listen to 
different views and points of view and not toward just rebutting their 
argument, but to understand and eventually find respect for the 
argument.
  We must voice our support for grassroots institutions that are 
mobilizing for peace. It might start small, but when young people in 
this number begin to speak about peace and trying to understand each 
other around the world, we will see the impact in the future. 
Institutions like Seeds of Peace can be instrumental in changing this 
world. They have helped the world to remember one thing, that peace 
begins with each of us.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, as a proud original cosponsor of this 
resolution, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 
288, honoring Seeds of Peace for its promotion of understanding, 
reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace among youth from the 
Middle East and other regions of conflict.
  Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has brought children from war torn areas 
to the Seeds of Peace International Camp in my district in Maine.
  It is a source of great pride to have such a noble mission based in 
my state.
  That mission is to sow the seeds of peace in children who have grown 
up in the horrors of war.
  Seeds of Peace helps teenagers from the war torn regions of the 
Middle East, the Balkans, Cyprus, and South Asia, learn to respect and 
understand those they would call their enemy.
  In so many of these conflicts building trust between the youth of the 
opposing sides is the only hope for ending the cycle of violence.
  The work performed by Seeds of Peace goes to the heart of our war on 
terrorism, and it goes to the heart of our goal to bring peace and 
prosperity to the world because it goes to the hearts of children to 
show them that violence is not the answer.
  I thank my good friend and fellow representative from Maine for 
introducing this legislation and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 
288 which honors the Seeds of Peace Program for its efforts to promote 
understanding and peace among young people from areas of conflict.
  John Wallach, a constituent of mine and a true visionary, founded the 
program in 1993 to bring youths together from around the world to break 
down barriers and learn more about each other.
  The organization plays a vital role in promoting many of our foreign 
policy goals and has been recognized by American leaders for its 
outstanding work.
  By instilling understanding and open-mindedness in the world's 
children, we can help to put an end to long-standing conflicts and 
bring hope to these regions.
  Seeds of Peace is a wonderful program that I hope will continue to 
produce more thoughtful, understanding leaders of the future.
  At a time when there is so much hate in the world, the Seeds of Peace 
participants are an inspiration, and I admire their courage and 
determination.
  I join my colleagues in paying tribute to this great organization and 
its founder John Wallach.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 288.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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