SUCH PARTNERSHIP IN SUCH DIVISIVE TIMES, AND IT'S ALSO A MESSAGE SHARED BY OUR NEXT GUEST.

HE'S AN ARAB CITIZEN OF ISRAEL AND IN A RECENT ARTICLE SAID THAT HE FEELS AS THOUGH HIS STATE IS FIGHTING HIS OWN PEOPLE.

MOHAMED'S COUSIN WAS KILLED IN THE HAMAS ATTACKS ON OCTOBER 7th WHILST WORKING AS A PARAMEDIC AT THE NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL.

HE SHARED THIS WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN WHEN HE VISITED RECENTLY AND NOW HE'S SHARING IT WITH MICHEL MARTIN AND ALL OF US.

>> THANK YOU, CHRISTIANE.

THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING WITH US.

>> VERY PLEASANT TO BE WITH YOU, MICHEL.

>> I'M SO SORRY WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER.

I WANTED TO OFFER MY CONDOLENCES ON THE LOSS OF YOUR COUSIN.

TELL US ABOUT HIM.

>> HE WAS YOUR AVERAGE 23-YEAR-OLD HANDSOME YOUNG MAN FULL OF LIFE, FULL OF ENERGY.

AT AGE 16 HE DECIDED HE WANTS TO BE PARAMEDIC ALREADY AND HE STARTED HIS LIFE IN THE MEDICAL FIELD VERY, VERY EARLY.

HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO VOLUNTEER TO ANY ACTIVITY IN THE COMMUNITY, ALWAYS SMILING, LOTS OF FRIENDS AND HE WANT TO STUDY MEDICINE.

HE WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY OF GEORGIA AND THEN COVID HIT AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE HIS TIME.

HE WENT STRAIGHT TO IMPROVE HIS SKILLS AS A PARAMEDIC AND BECAME ALSO AN AMBULANCE DRIVER AND ENJOYED IT.

AND THEN HE STARTED THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE HIS OWN COMPANY OF AMBULANCE SERVICES.

SO WAS VERY ASPIRATIONAL KID.

>> HE WAS AT THE MUSIC FESTIVAL THAT WE HAVE NOW LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT BECAUSE THIS WAS ONE OF THE BIG SITES OF THE KILLINGS WHEN HAMAS ATTACKED ON OCTOBER 7th.

>> INDEED.

HE WAS STATIONED THERE ALREADY FROM THURSDAY AND DOING BASIC MEDICAL SERVICES, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE THAT SCRATCHES THEIR LEG, SOMEONE THAT DRINKS TOO MUCH IT WAS THINGS HE WAS EXPECTING AND ACTUALLY WAS TREATING.

HE DIDN'T EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN.

HE DIDN'T EXPECT THE ATTACK.

AND IT CAUGHT EVERYONE BY SURPRISE, DEFINITELY HIM.

AND HE STARTED TREATING THE FIRST CASUALTIES, THE FIRST PEOPLE THAT GOT WOUNDED.

THE HEAD OF THE TEAM ASKED TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.

HE REFUSED.

HE SAID, NO, I THINK I CAN MANAGE BECAUSE I SPEAK ARABIC.

AND THEY STARTED RUNNING AWAY BEGGING HIM TO LEAVE, AND HE INSISTED TO RUN TO YET ANOTHER INJURED PERSON AND TRYING TO CLOSE THEIR BLEEDING WOUNDS.

THAT SCENE LASTED VERY SHORT, FOR MAYBE 30, 40 SECONDS, NO LONGER THAN THAT BECAUSE WHEN THEY LOOKED BACK AT HIM AND THEY WERE STILL SCREAMING AT HIM TO LEAVE, AND THEY SAW HIM GETTING SHOT.

HIS TEAMMATES CAME LATER AND SHARED THE STORY OF HIS BRAVERY AND HOW HE WAS SELFLESS PERSON THAT JUST WANTED TO BE THERE TO FULFILL HIS HUMAN AND MEDICAL DUTY TO THE END.

I KNOW THAT HE WOULD HAVE TREATED ANY PERSON ON THE SCENE.

I MEAN THAT WAS THE KIND OF HUMAN HE WAS.

THAT WAS THE KIND OF PROFESSIONAL HE WAS.

HE DIDN'T ASK THE PEOPLE TREATING WHAT'S THEIR CULTURAL IDENTITY, ETHNIC IDENTITY, RELIGIOUS IDENTITY.

WHAT ARE THEIR POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE.

HE JUST KEPT TRYING FROM ONE WOUNDED PERSON TO ANOTHER UNTIL HE MET HIS DESTINY.

>> HOW -- HOW IS YOUR FAMILY DOING?

>> NOT EASY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S -- IT WAS STILL DEEP TRAGEDY FOR US.

BUT BECAUSE THE WAR AND THE VIOLENCE IS CONTINUING, IT'S HARD TO OVERCOME IT.

IT'S HARD TO MOVE ON BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO SEE SCENES OF KILLING, AND IT'S PART OF THE SAME STORY.

SO THE STORY OF HIS DEATH KEEPS REPEATING ITSELF FOR US.

AND WE'RE NOT HAVING REALLY THE SPACE AND TIME TO SAY, OKAY, WE MOVE ONTO THE NEXT EVENT IN OUR LIFE.

THE EVENT IS STILL GOING.

>> ONE OF THE REASONS WE FOUND YOU IS THAT YOU PUBLISHED AN OPINION PIECE WHERE YOU TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT'S BEEN LIKE FOR ARAB-ISRAELI CITIZENS OR CITIZENS OF ISRAELI DESCENT IN THE WEEKS SINCE THE ATTACK.

THERE ARE WHAT 2.1 MILLION ISRAELI CITIZENS OF ARAB DESCENT, AND THEY ARE OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.

SOME PEOPLE ARE MUSLIM, SOME PEOPLE ARE CHRISTIAN, SOME PEOPLE ARE JEWS.

PEOPLE SPEAK ARABIC, SPEAK HEBREW, SPEAK ENGLISH.

HERE'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAID.

IOYOU SAID ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL LIKE MYSELF FIND OURSELVES IN EXTREMELY AWKWARD POSITIONS IN TIMES OF WAR, BUT THIS WAR IN PARTICULAR HAS PUT US UNDER UNPRECEDENTED STRESS.

COULD YOU SAY A BIT MORE ABOUT THAT?

>> WELL, I ADD ONE MORE INTERESTING SENTENCE THAT THEN I SAY THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO BE WHEN YOUR COUNTRY IS AT WAR WITH YOUR PEOPLE.

AND FROM ONE END YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE TO YOUR COUNTRYMEN AND YOUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.

AND ISRAELI CASUALTIES -- AS I MENTION THE ISRAELI CASUALTIES SOME OF THEM ARE CHILDREN AND NEPHEWS OF MY FRIENDS, PEOPLE THAT I ASSOCIATE WITH AND I HAVE THEM FOR DINNER IN MY HOUSE.

AND NOW I FEEL THEIR PAIN.

AND ON THE PALESTINIAN SIDE WE ARE NOT JUST FROM ISRAELI DESCENT WE'RE PALESTINIANS.

WE'RE PALESTINIANS IN OUR ETHNIC IDENTITY.

WE DID NOT IMMIGRATE TO ISRAEL.

I ALWAYS SAY ISRAEL IMMIGRATED TO US.

WE'RE AN INDIGENOUS PALESTINIAN POPULATION, BUT WE ACCEPTED THE FATE FROM 1948 AS WE LIVE AS A NATIONAL MINORITY IN THE STATE OF ISRAEL, AS A SEPARATE DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUP IN THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

SO WE KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH ISRAELI JEWS.

WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN WAR WITH THEM.

BECAUSE IN WARTIME THEY RELATE TO US AS AN EXTENSION OF THE ENEMY.

THEY TREAT US AS AN EXTENSION OF THE ENEMY.

WE FEEL A GREAT DEAL OF WITCH HUNTING DURING THIS PERIOD WHERE WE'RE SILENCED IN A WAY THAT PREVENT US FROM -- THAT TRY NOT TO DISALLOW US FROM EXPRESSING OUR COMPASSIONATE FEELINGS TOWARDS OUR PALESTINIAN BROTHERS.

IT DOESN'T PEEN THAT WE SUPPORT HAMAS AND WE SUPPORT TERRORISTS AND WE SUPPORT THE ATTACKS ON ISRAELIS.

BUT WE FEEL COMPASSION TO THE PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS THAT ARE PAYING SUCH A HEAVY PRICE.

AND THAT SEEM TUESDAY BE A LEGITIMATE FEELING IN THE ISRAELI PUBLIC SCENE TODAY.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS YOU ALSO SAID IS THAT WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY AND NOT LIVE IN FEAR IN OUR OWN WORKPLACES AND ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES.

HOW IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MANIFESTING ITSELF, THIS FEAR THAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING?

>> IT'S REALLY BEYOND FEAR.

IT IS MANIFESTING ITSELF IN PRACTICAL MATTERS.

ARAB KRTZS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR FOR PLACING SOME KIND OF A POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THAT THE POLICE IS TRYING TO CREATE A CULTURE OF INTIMIDATION TOWARDS THE ARAB CITIZENS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE FEEL INTIMIDATED BY THIS.

WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ALLOW OURSELF TO EXPRESS EVEN IN PRAYER.

IT'S POSSIBLE TO EVEN EXPRESS IT -- TO PUT A PRAYER TO SAY WE PRAY FOR THE SOULS OF OUR PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS, WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

THAT WOULD BE SEEN AS AN ILLEGITIMATE ACT THAT COULD GET YOU FOR ONE OR TWO NIGHTS IN JAIL.

THERE WERE CHANTS AGAINST ARAB STUDENTS IN A CITY TO TAKE ARAB STUDENTS FROM THE COLLEGE THERE, AND THE CHANTS WERE DEATH TO THE ARABS AND THE KIDS HAVE TO BE EVACUATED, AND THEY CAN'T GO BACK TO THEIR UNIVERSITY TODAY.

THERE ARE SOME UNIVERSITIES THAT EXPELLED ARAB STUDENTS WITHOUT EVEN ASKING THEM FOR THEIR OPINION, JUST THE FACT THEY POSTED SOMETHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

THE WORST PART IS THAT THE MINISTER OF INTERNAL SECURITY WHO'S A VERY WELL-KNOWN RACIST, HE'S THE MINISTER OF INTERNAL SECURITY.

HE STARTED ARMING ISRAELI JEWS, AND WE ASKED OURSELVES WHO'S THAT WEAPON GOING TO BE FACING, A PERSONAL WEAPON IN THE HANDS OF ISRAELI JEWS.

I SEE MYSELF AND POTENTIALLY GOD FORBID MY CHILDREN THAT WOULD BE ON THE OTHER END OF THAT WEAPON.

IT IS SCARY TO BE AROUND ISRAELI JEWS.

AND THAT'S WHY MY BROTHERS AND I DON'T GO TO WORK BECAUSE THEY WORK IN JEWISH AREAS AND THEY SIT AT HOME BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID MEN AND WOMEN THAT WORK IN ISRAELI HOUSEHOLDS WHETHER IT'S CLEANING OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THEY'RE AFRAID TO GO TO WORK.

SEVERAL ARAB DOCTORS HAVE BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE HOSPITALS.

OR DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY SHOW UP TO THEIR SHIFTS TREATING ISRAELI JEWS AS WELL AS OUR CITIZENS AND WITHOUT ANY DISTINCTION, EXACTLY AS WHAT MY COUSIN DID.

THEY GO AND FULFILL THEIR CIVIC PROFESSIONAL DUTY, AND STILL THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SILENT, NOT HAVING ANY COMPASSION TO THEIR OTHER COMPONENT OF THEIR IDENTITY, OUR CIVIC IDENTITY IS ISRAELI, BUT OUR ETHNIC IDENTITY IS PALESTINIAN.

AND WE WANT TO AT LEAST FEEL THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO BE AFRAID OF EXPRESSING IT.

>> MAYBE ABOUT -- MAYBE I'M NOT PRONOUNCING IT CORRECTLY.

AND TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY'S CONNECTION AND HOW IT PLAYS INTO THIS STORY.

AND THEN I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK, PART OF YOUR WORK, THE WORK OF YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN TO FORGE PARTNERSHIP AMONG ARABS AND ISRAELIS AND JEWISH PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF OTHER RELIGIONS AND SO FORTH.

>> WE LIVE JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY OF NAZARETH.

MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THIS TOWN FOR ALMOST 800 YEARS.

AND I'M HERE WITH MY WIFE AND FOUR CHILDREN.

IT'S A COMMUNITY OF ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE, ALL MUSLIM.

WE FEEL WE ARE IN OUR HOMELAND.

AND THE QUESTION IS ARE WE IN OUR STATE?

IS THIS COUNTRY OUR COUNTRY?

AND WE DON'T FEEL WE LACK A SENSE OF BELONGING TO THE HOMELAND.

WE FEEL THAT THE STATE IS LACKING A SENSE OF BELONGING TO THE CITIZENS.

ISRAEL DEFENDS ITSELF AS THE STATE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, NOT THE STATE OF ITS CITIZENS.

THEY EVEN PASSED A LAW CALLED THE NATION STATE LAW THAT DEFINES ISRAEL AS A STATE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, NOT THE STATE OF THE ISRAELIS.

SO IN A WAY I AM IN MY HOMELAND, I AM IN MY TOWN.

I STILL SEE THE SAME SUNRISE AND SUNSET THAT MY ANCESTORS SAW 5, 600, 800 YEARS AGO, BUT THE CHANGE IS A POLITICAL SCENE THAT IS NOT SEEING US AS LEGITIMATE CITIZEN, AS LEGITIMATE MEMBERS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

REGARDING MY WORK, I'VE DEDICATED MY LIFE, MICHEL, TO WORKING WITH AN ORGANIZATION FOR THE LAST 23 YEARS.

AND IT'S THE FIRST AND BY NOW STILL THE BIGGEST PEACE EDUCATION CENTER IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

AND ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO WE WON THE UNESCO PRIZE FOR PEACE EDUCATION BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR PEACE.

AND JUST SIMPLY WE BRING JEWISH AND ARAB YOUTH TOGETHER.

GIVE US TWO OR THREE DAYS AND WE KNOW HOW TO BRING DOWN THE RATE OF RACISM FROM A RATE OF 68, 65% TO 10 TO 12%.

WHAT WE DO IS GET THEM ON A PATH OF HUMANIZATION WITH EACH OTHER.

WE ALLOW THEM TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE AND ANSWER OUR DIFFERENCES SO IT'S AN HONEST DIALOGUE.

WE FOCUS ON INTERDEPENDENCY, THE FACT WE SHARE THE SAME BUSES, THE FACT WE SHARE THE SAME UNIVERSITIES, WE GO TO THE SAME HOSPITALS, WE HAVE THE SAME ECONOMY, THE SAME ENVIRONMENT, TO TRY TO CONNECT PEOPLE TOGETHER.

WE WORK ACROSS SECTOR TEACHER PROGRAM.

WE SEND OUR TEACHERS TO TEACH IN JEWISH SCHOOLS, JEWISH TEACHERS TO TEACH IN ARAB SCHOOLS.

IN ISRAEL IF WE TALK BUSING TODAY THEY'LL SEND ME TO MENTAL HOSPITAL.

WHAT WE DO IS WE BUS TEACHERS BECAUSE WE CAN'T BUS CHILDREN.

IT'S VERY HARD TO BUS CHILDREN, SO WE BUS TEACHERS.

AND WE ALMOST COVER 20% OF THE ARAB EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND 20% OF THE JEWISH EDUCATION SYSTEM.

93% OF THE CASES THIS IS THE FIRST ENCOUNTER EVER WITH THE OTHER.

>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SAYING THERE IS AN APPETITE FOR THIS KIND OF TEACHING AND LEARNING.

IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S AN APPETITE AMONG JUST THE WORK.

ARE YOU ABLE TO DO THAT NOW?

>> YOU KNOW, DURING TENSE TIMES THERE'S A RISE IN HATRED.

THERE'S A RISE IN POLARIZATION.

THERE'S A RISE IN SHYING AWAY FROM SUCH ACTIVITIES, BUT ALSO AS AN INSTITUTION WE LEARN THAT DURING TIME OF WAR YOU DON'T STAY SILENT.

YOU GO AND STILL ENGAGE.

WE ARE ENGAGED.

AS WE TALK RIGHT NOW, OUR TEAMS ARE TRYING TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE, TRYING TO TALK TO MAYORS TO TUNE DOWN THE DAMAGE TO TRY TO PREVENT FRICTION BETWEEN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

TALK TO THE TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE.

AND OUT OF THE 2,500 TEACHERS THAT I TALKED ABOUT, ALMOST 2,300 OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY STILL TEACHING AS WE SPEAK RIGHT NOW.

I THINK WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THE WAR IS PROVING TO US THAT OUR WAY IS THE WAY.

THE FACT WE'RE ALMOST ABLE TO HOLD 90% IN THE WAR EVEN AT THIS TIME TELLS YOU THERE IS STILL GOOD WILL DESPITE THE ANGER, DESPITE THE FRUSTRATION, DESPITE THE EASINESS OF GOING BACK TO THE STEREO TYPICAL THINKING OF THEY'RE THE ENEMY AND I DON'T WANT TO ENGAGE WITH THEM.

AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ASK THE QUESTION.

THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE BOTTOM UP, I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THE TOP DOWN.

THE PROBLEM IS THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.

WE HAVE A FAILING LEADERSHIP ON BOTH SIDES.

I THINK THE PUBLIC AT THE END OF THE DAY WOULD BE WILLING TO ENGAGE IN PEACE.

>> YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO BE IN THIS MOMENT, YOU KNOW, WHERE TO PLANT THEIR FEET.

YOU ARE AN EDUCATOR.

WHAT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTIVE IN THIS MOMENT?

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT US TO DO?

>> YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THE YOUTH THAT COME TO THE CENTER TODAY IS BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM.

WE -- YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IS NOW ASKED TO TAKE A SIDE.

AND I WOULD SAY DON'T TAKE SIDES.

TAKE THE SIDE OF THE SOLUTION.

AND I THINK THAT THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT IS AN OVERNEGOTIATED CONFLICT.

WE DON'T NEED TO GO BACK TO NEGOTIATIONS.

WE NEED TO GO BACK TO IMPLEMENTING THE SOLUTION, WHICH BASICALLY MEANS THAT IN MY VIEW THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI LEADERSHIP CANNOT DELIVER A SOLUTION.

WE NEED GLOBAL INTERVENTION.

WE NEED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, THE U.N., GOD KNOWS WHO ELSE TO COME IN AND IMPOSE A POLITICAL SOLUTION.

THAT'S THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION THAT'S MORE OR LESS IN SIX OR SEVEN BORDERS.

WE CANNOT DELIVER THAT RESULT BY OUR OWN CAPACITIES.

SOMEONE WITH GREATER MIGHT AND POWER NEEDS TO COME AND DO THAT.

SO IF ANYONE CAN HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THAT INTERVENTION, THAT'S WHERE WE NEED IT.

I SEE PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING ON THE SIDE OF THE ISRAELIS AND PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING ON THE SIDE OF THE PALESTINIANS, AND I DO CONNECT WITH THEM ON BOTH SIDES BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE IT SHOULD END.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE DAY AFTER THE WAR.

HOPEFULLY THE AFTER THE WAR IS TOMORROW, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THAT CLOSE.

BUT THE DAY AFTER THE WAR SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLUTION AND NOT JUST DRAGGING US FORWARD THROUGH YET ANOTHER TEN YEARS OF FAILURE, THAT PROMISES THE NEXT OCTOBER 7th CLASH.

IF WE CONTINUE ON THE PATH OF CLASH, WE'RE PROMISING MORE AND MORE CASUALTIES ON -- FOR BOTH SIDES.

AND I DON'T THINK IT'S IN THE INTEREST OF PALESTINIANS AND THE ISRAELIS JUST TO HAVE PEOPLE STANDING BEHIND THEM.

WE TEED STOOSTAND BEHIND A SOLUTION AND NOT STAND BEHIND ONE PARTY OR THE OTHER TODAY BECAUSE TAKING SIDES IS NOT THE SOLUTION.

BUT TAKING THE SIDE OF THE SOLUTION IS THE SOLUTION.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, MICHEL.

AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SPEAK IN BETTER DAYS.

>> I HOPE SO.