The Guardian
A team of Israeli and Palestinian peace campaigners have achieved their goal of scaling a previously unclimbed Antarctic mountain. Simon Jeffery reports
The frozen wastes of the Antarctic are far removed from the conflict of the Middle East but a joint team of Israeli and Palestinian amateur explorers hopes that its pioneering mission there will have a peaceful influence back home.
The six man and two woman unit, which included an Israeli special forces veteran and two former Fatah activists, set itself the goal of overcoming its divisions to work together in one of the world's most hostile natural environments and climb a previously unclimbed mountain.
At the summit, scaled with the accidental symbolism of the eight amateurs roped together in mixed groups, they unfurled the two national flags and read a declaration in support of a non-violent solution to the Middle East conflict.
"We have proven that Palestinians and Israelis can cooperate with one another with mutual respect and trust," it said. "We hereby declare that our peoples can and deserve to live together in peace and friendship."