Abrahamic Youth Council wants to ‘change ideology’ of next Middle East generation

The Abrahamic Youth Council, a newly founded initiative inspired by the Abraham Accords, is reaching for the ultimate goal; changing the ideology of the next generation in the Middle East. 

In a rapidly changing region where war has been the dominant factor for decades, efforts to bring about peace and prosperity are slowly beginning to be felt, particularly between Israel and the Arab Gulf states Bahrain and UAE.

For 31-year-old Emirati, Saoud Saqer, a trip to Israel following the normalisation deal with UAE, inspired him to establish the Abrahamic Youth Council.

“My life took a big turn when I visited Israel last year. Coming back from that visit has changed me a lot. It made me believe in a better and more peaceful Middle East,” Saqer told Jewish News.

The initiative is meant to target youth in the Middle East in the age group 18-35, and to change their perspective on the region through “meaningful encounters.”

“The purpose of the project is to change the ideology of one generation and to expand connections between people in the Middle East,” Saqer said.

Saqer mentioned the harassment of Israelis at the World Cup in Qatar as a good example of how the initiative can help change Arab perception of Israelis.

“If they just meet then, ask them their name and about their hometown in Israel, they will understand that Israelis have the same goals as them and they have hopes for the Middle East as well,” Saqer said.

The initiative, which is currently being run by its UAE branch, is working on establishing branches in the U.S. and Israel as well and prepares to have the first delegations from Israel and the UAE visiting each other soon.

So far, a number of Jewish federations from the U.S. have met with Saqer and his colleagues in UAE, showing great enthusiasm for their project.

“Our government was visionary and brave. They did their part, now it’s up to us to get to know the Israelis. The average Emirati is supporting the Abraham Accords.

Saqer said he hopes that the Youth Council will ultimately open branches all across the Middle East.

“I got a lot of questions when I posted pictures from my trip to Israel, both positive and negative. I speak to people in Saudi Arabia who say they want to visit Israel,” he said.