Noor Awad: Can Israeli and Palestinian Narratives Co-exist?

In this episode of How My View Grew, Palestinian Noor Awad describes an encounter with a Zionist Israeli settler that caused him to broaden his view of the conflict. This is a story of growing up within a particular narrative and learning to take seriously a very different narrative without given up one's own. What would be possible if more Palestinians—and Israelis—developed this capacity?

**Key takeaways**

• 3:30 Noor becomes aware of the conflict during the Second Intifada
• 9:30 The Palestinian identity Noor was born with
• 13:30 Noor's early-life view of Israelis and Zionism
• 18:00 Noor discovers Israel's New Historians, who questioned the conventional Israeli narrative of 1948
• 20:45 Noor meets Hanan Schlesinger, a passionate Zionist settler, and has a life-changing experience
• 31:00 "I'm right, they're wrong" is not the only way to see things
• 34:30 Noor's capacity to hold two narratives is rare
• 38:00 The devastating impact of October 7 and the war on Roots' efforts to build mutual understanding
• 42:30 Amiel's reflections

**Resources**

• Roots, the organization Noor works with
• Amiel's essay, "Seven lessons seven months after October 7"
• Amiel's page of essays on Medium

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