July 10, 2013
The largest peace sign in the Middle East. Photo by Adi Peretz
The largest peace sign in the Middle East. Photo by Adi Peretz

Summer vacation is in full swing, and while most youth around the country are poolside or at the movies, the youngsters at Kibbutz El-Rom in the Golan Heights opted to send a public message to their counterparts in Syria. They fashioned a 50-meter-diameter peace symbol from basalt stones set in the grass.

The friendly gesture was built to signal to Syrians that peace is possible even in their war-torn country, the youngsters told Channel 10 news.

Kibbutz El-Rom residents have witnessed the civil strife in neighboring Syria for the past two years. They say they constantly see smoke rising from the villages over the border and hear blasts. Mortar shells have exploded near the kibbutz in incidents deemed as errant fire.

The United Nations says at least 93,000 people have been confirmed killed in Syria’s civil war, though the real number is likely much higher. In its latest report, the UN human rights office estimates an average of more than 5,000 people have been killed monthly since last July.

Just over the border from this tragic situation, the universal peace symbol was constructed at the foot of Israel’s Tel Hermonit.

“It’s the biggest peace sign in the Middle East,” the young builders told Israeli media. “This is a sign for our neighbors who have been fighting for two years in the villages nearby. It is a sign for them.”

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