Editor’s Note: As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians rages on, Peace News has been working to highlight stories of people building peace in the territory and wider region. One way of building peace is finding common ground between people of different faiths and nationalities. The Abraham Path Initiative works to do this by bringing people together to follow the steps of the biblical figure Abraham/Ibrahim. Below is an account by Dr. Joshua N. Weiss, who helped to turn the idea of the Path into a reality.
In 2003, a group of conflict resolution practitioners and scholars met to think about ways to shrink the gap of understanding between peoples in the West and the Middle East. After some creative thinking, this group landed on trying to use the revered figure of Abraham/Ibrahim and his family as a bridge between these worlds. But how? The idea of dusting off his mythical footprints as a cultural route and walking “the Path” arose. That was it!
Over the course of the next 20 years, I worked with a team of people around the globe, including partners stretching along the Path from Northern Iraq all the way to Egypt. The result? Over 1,200 miles of Path, 150 homestay families where people sleep and share meals between guests and hosts, and over 80,0000 walkers from many different places around the world, including South America, Europe, and the United States. The path strives to change people through their hearts and minds.
Let me give you a few examples from my own experience. The first occurred a number of years back when I was in the village of Awarta in Palestine/West Bank and speaking to a father who was one of the homestay hosts. I asked him why he got involved in the Path. He said initially that a lot of it had to do with the economic resources involved, but then he shared that he had seen other wonderful benefits. I asked him what the benefits were. He mentioned that a group of Italian travelers had just left his home after staying overnight. As they walked off into the distance, his son, who was eight years old, turned to him and said “Dad, those people. They were not so different from us. I hope more people like them come to visit.” The man smiled and we parted ways.
This little story represents what the Path is all about and what happens when you walk, very vulnerably, into a small remote village in the region. There is a wonderful mix of curiosity, learning, and hospitality. These interactions – one at a time – change people, both guest and host, for the better. It is difficult, as people hear about events or listen to the news, to vilify the other when they know them…even just a bit. That is the goal of the Path. To walk, to listen, to share stories and meals, and to respect the other.
The second example highlights an additional dimension of the Path and its impact. When I first met our eventual partner and homestay hosts Halil and Pero, they were living in their small village of Yuvacali – on the outskirts of the city of Sanliurfa, Turkey. When I explained what that Path was about and that it stretched all the way from where they lived to Hebron/Al Halil, they were touched and excited to be part of something much bigger — from Abraham/Ibrahim’s birthplace (their religious narrative) ending at his tomb. It meant so much to them, as Muslims, to be part of a project that honored Abraham/Ibrahim and to connect him with people from around the world.
Working on the Path for ten years and serving on the board for another ten years has taught me many lessons. First, there is great power and connection in walking. As a field, we need to get more people walking and talking together because magical things happen. Bonds are built, commonalities are found, and differences are discussed in a healthy manner. Second, respect lies at the heart of any interaction. As we know, when respect is missing, we get destructive conflict (see Israel/Palestine and Russia/Ukraine), but when it is fostered, it builds bridges and heals wounds. And the great thing about respect is that it really costs you nothing except deference to the other and a desire to honor them and their way of life. Third, a Path like this teaches you adaptability and flexibility – skills we all need to not only deal with our adventures, but also with the many unexpected things we encounter along the way and in the conflicts we face. Finally, mistakes are part of any endeavor. We made many of them along the way, but the Path persisted in its development, nonetheless. That taught us the power of a good idea and a persistence to make it happen.
The Abraham Path is a creative and innovative project, but it won’t change things on a grand scale on its own. However, as one Turkish government official stated to me, “I like this project. It is an important drop in the bucket of mutual understanding. We need more and more of these if we are to succeed and to see a different future.” As the poet Rumi encouraged us all, “Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah…it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.”
Joshua N. Weiss
Dr. Joshua N. Weiss is a renowned negotiation and conflict resolution and leadership expert. As a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project and co-founder of the Global Negotiation Initiative at Harvard University, Dr. Weiss brings unparalleled expertise to his field. He also directs the MS in Leadership and Negotiation program at Bay Path University and runs a private consulting firm, offering tailored negotiation and conflict resolution, and leadership solutions for businesses, organizations, international entities, governments, and individuals.
