Dr. Emil Halloun, Head of Office for International Relations, Mar Elias Educational Institutions

Physically, I am well, but mentally, I am tortured. Unfortunately, the familiar feelings, ader all the deadly events we have experienced in the past decades and years, have always been overwhelming and complex, but that morning on October 7 led me with two main feelings: shock and disbelief. My human mind, which for long has proven to be resilient, thanks to those like-minded people who surround me and believe in values that revolve around shared society

in this land, failed to comprehend this 4me the sense of surrealism that began at 6:30 a.m. on October 7 and has con4nued un4l this very moment. While I am fully aware that these feelings are nothing but a natural reac4on to the extremely tragic circumstances that many people went through, I must admit that I’m struggling to persuade myself that brighter days will follow for both Israelis and Pales4nians. I hope to transform the magnitude of these nega4ve feelings into positive, productive, and practical notions free from one-sided judgments for a better future with a sense of normality alongside full dignity to allvhuman beings breathing the same air of this region.