By Elias Jafer – France/Algeria

Before arriving in the Holy Land, I didn’t know what to expect, and I had no idea what was going to happen. I was a little bit worried, but one thing is certain, I never thought that ‘Light a Candle’ would be the most wonderful human experience of my life. Despite all the good feedback that I already had about the Palestinian people, I never imagined that I would meet the most honorable, courageous, brave and generous of all the people I have known until now.

During these two weeks, we saw the hard reality of Palestinian daily life, the Israeli military occupation, the settlements, the checkpoints, the presence of armed settlers, and the pervasive humiliation that the Palestinian people have to face. Every day was a new life lesson, and a new experience. It was sobering, and has completely changed our vision of the conflict. Every single day, without exception, was rich in emotion – feelings that have completely changed the way we see things, and which have greatly strengthened and opened our minds. The moments that particularly effected me were the trips to Qalqilya and Hebron. Qalqilya, where our Palestinian friends had to take a different line to ours, reminded us that apartheid still exists today. In Hebron, a Palestinian city known for being at the centre of the occupation, we saw misery and children who suffer. We saw the settlements within the city walls, and the increasingly violent and arrogant settlers.

Without the Zajel Youth Exchange, I would never have met these fantastic Palestinian people. The camp was supported by a wonderful team of locals, They all did an outstanding job during our stay, and proved to us once again how honourable the Palestinian people are.

The workshops were also a great feature of this trip. Giving lectures to Palestinian students, supervised by a responsible class helper (for translation, and the smooth running of course), enabled us to exchange our knowledge in a particular field whilst also gaining an immense amount of life lessons from the Palestinian students. In this way, we really got to know their culture, and became totally immersed in Palestinian life.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the oldest conflicts in the world, subject to much controversy and many debates. The reality is very far from what we are shown on news channels. For anyone interested in visiting Palestine and taking part in Zajel, there is no doubt that you will have all your questions answered. You will see the reality of the conflict. And most importantly, you will completely fall in love with one of the greatest and most valiant peoples in the whole world.