The Second Session held on March 10th 2000 in Haifa

On Friday March 10th 2000, a group of about 20 Palestinians from Beit Sahour and Bethlehem went to the second session of the program in Haifa. The group arrived in Haifa around 12:00 p.m. where were welcomed by the rest of the group at the "Academic Guidance society for Arab Students" in Haifa.

We explained the program of the day to all the participants who were around 35 all together. Then we started a walk in Haifa, in particular in the Arabic neighborhoods in the town, namely Wadi Nisnas and Wadi Salib. In the tour, the group was listening about the history of this area and the demographic change and how the Israeli Authorities is trying to change the area and diminish the Arab fingerprints by changing the area into an open gallery where paints are made on the old houses instead of allowing the original owners of the houses to come back to them and renovate them. Then we went for lunch in a popular restaurant in the city. We took the bus to continue the tour where we visited the Baha’ii Temple Garden and listen to some information about the site and the Bahai’is in general. We went again to the Society and had three discussion groups.

The topic for the discussions was “the Belonging and the Identity.” The discussions were focused on how do you identify yourself? What is prior in your identity? Why? So, the discussions went for about one hour and the participants came up with different results. But all were revolving round the axel of being a Palestinian in the first place. Others gave the “Arabic” nature the priority but the majority gave it to the nationality as a Palestinian.

The discussion did not stop on this, but it went a bit far, people started to relate the identity with what is important to do now, especially the Palestinians in Israel. Some people in one of the groups said, that it is important to stress on the Palestinian Identity in the Israeli community and give it a priority on the everyday life demands.