Ron Jacobsohn reports from Ramallah: As President Abbas meets Israeli Students

Ron Jacobsohn, Jewish News One, Ramallah A few thousand Israeli students applied on the Facebook page of pro-peace organization, One Voice, for a once in a lifetime experience to meet the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, for a Q&A session at the Muqata in Ramallah. Almost five months later, six buses filled with chosen students have made their way for the historic event. In an attempt to defuse some of the more controversial questions, Abbas in an almost 45-minute speech ahead of the Q&A, addressed issues like his defiance to recognize Israel as a Jewish state something he sees no need for doing being he recognized Israel as a state, the fact that he won't allow any Israeli setlers to stay in the future Palestinian State, that he believes that once an agreement with Israel will be reached the Hamas in Gaza will accept it as well, he sees the future of Jerusalem as a united city governed by both an Israeli and a Palestinian major, stating that claims he is an anti-Semite are totally false and finally critizing the Netanyahu government of not honoring the agreements reached with the previous Israel government making the PA start the negotiations from scratch. Following the event we wanted to get the reaction of some of the students, who came to listen to the Palestinian President. Liraz Negev, Israeli Student: "It was amazing, I really didn't know it until today that we actually have a partner, I heard about that and I learned about that but I didn't hear that from him because the media in Israel doesn't always say that." Eilay Oren, Israeli Student: "So for me I think I am still really excited, that was, I couldn't believe it was really happening even while I was here at this event its hard to believe it still happened." Liraz Negev, Israeli Student: "You can understand that he has a lot of pressure on him and even though he didn't have sharp answers, the meeting itself was very important." Eilay Oren, Israeli Student: "I think I didn't hear anything I didn't know or didn't expect him to say, most of the things that he said I also agreed but that was what I thought that he would say." The former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and one the chief negotiator with Israel, Nabil Shaath, was very pleased with the outcome of the Q&A as he and most of the Palestinian leadership made it a point to attend the event. Nabil Shaath, Fmr. Palestinian PM and Palestinian Chief Negotiator: "I think it is very important, I have done this for a very long time in my life, I have been in meetings with Israeli's and with American Jews and European Jews for the last 50 years of my life, I believe in it and I believe that dialogue is very important, dialogue that is free, that is not only diplomatic that is not only between government officials but where the civil society can really contribute and especially the young men and women. I think it is very important, as you can see, most of the Palestinian leadership is here." The Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, MK Hilik Bar, from the Labor Party, who was the highest ranking Israeli official at the event tried to bond with the Palestinian President on stage admitting to him that both of them were born in the city of Tzfat. MK Hilik Bar, Labor, Deputy Chairman of the Knesset: "It's the first time absolutely that an event like this has happened, its historic, its very important and as we will have as many events like these the two nations, the two people will get to know each other and respect each other, we'll know the other one's narrative, wills, fears. This is an unprecedented event, it never happened in this capacity and I really appreciative the Palestinian side and our side that they found the courage come and look at the other sides eyes and ask him hard questions and get fair and honest and hard answers." Ron Jacobsohn, Jewish News One, Ramallah Although the Israeli students did not receive the answers they expected to receive from the Palestinian President, the beginning of this process of talking directly to each other is a historic event by itself. For JN1, I am Ron Jacobsohn at the Muqata in Ramallah