Sharaka

[1][2][3] The stated mission of the organization is to develop bonds between young Israeli and Gulf leaders, in order to strengthen peace, trust, and cooperation between the respective societies.

Sharaka has brought delegations of leaders, influencers, and activists representing academia, art, politics, education, and the hospitality industry from various countries to Israel.

The group arrived on December 11 and traveled throughout the country, from Jerusalem to the Golan Heights, meeting Jewish, Druze, and Bedouin Israelis along the way, including President Reuven Rivlin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi.

[10][11][12] The delegates faced backlash online from anti-Israel and anti-normalization voices in their home countries as they took to social media to share their experiences and to reaffirm messages of peace and coexistence.

[26][27][28][29] In April 2022, a number of social-media influencers and journalists from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and the Gulf countries took part in the International March of the Living, visiting concentration camps and annual Holocaust memorial events in a trip organized by Sharaka.

[33] The delegation included Syrian-born American journalist Hayvi Bouzo, Moroccan artist and activist Chama Mechtaly, and Sharaka leaders from Israel and the Gulf countries.

The visit included panel discussions and presentations at synagogues and Jewish cultural centers, San Jose State University, and the Commonwealth Club of California, where Sharaka leaders urged the American audience to "put aside the political polarization" when approaching the Middle East.

Sharaka delegation members related their experiences of visiting other nations and establishing real connections on the person-to-person level, as well as their reasons for joining the organization.

[38] In April 2021, Sharaka organized a special ceremony in Dubai where Emiratis and Israeli Jews gathered for joint Ramadan and Lag BaOmer festivities.