Bahraini Ministry of Education employee Fatema Al Harbi got an unexpected proposal shortly after her country and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel in September 2020.

“Everyone was celebrating peace, and a friend called me and said, ‘Do you want to go visit the country [Israel]?’ It was still during Covid and I didn’t think we could travel — but I wanted to,” says Al Harbi, 31.

“I always want to see things with my own eyes and not through the eyes of the media or someone else, because that’s the only way to see the reality,” she tells ISRAEL21c. 

Two months later, Al Harbi and her friend joined a delegation of Emiratis visiting Israeli Jews and Arab Muslims, Christians and Druze under the auspices of a new organization, Sharaka (“partnership” in Arabic). 

Sharaka was founded by young leaders from Israel and the Gulf to actualize the vision of people-to-people peace. And it starts with busting myths.

“We always hear that Jewish people hate Muslims, that they don’t want Arabs there. But they were so welcoming,” Al Harbi says. 

“It was a different reality than I expected. Complete strangers invited me for a Shabbat meal. The hospitality of Israeli Jews was incredible.”

Inspired by that experience, Al Harbi left her job and became Gulf Affairs Director for Sharaka. Now she also directs its newly opened branch in Manama. 

Image - Courtesy of Sharaka