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Everest Peace Project CC. There have been many Everest documentaries – but never one that has been filmed on location in Nepal, Tibet, USA, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and the U.A.E. – and never one whose main story line that will follow climbers who are supposed to hate each other - with the focus on the relationship between Palestinian born Ali Bushnaq and Israelis Dudu Yifrah, a former elite Special Forces soldier, and Micha Yaniv.
 Israeli Micha Yaniv, Palestnian Ali Bushnaq, and Isaeli Dudu taking a rest after
climbing in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Our documentary film –
Everest: A Climb for Peace – will not be just a "typical Everest film",
it will be a socially relevant film about peace, war and the human
spirit - an inspirational and educational documentary, which also
happens to have some of the most incredible Everest footage ever shot –
including a dramatic rescue from near the summit of Everest. This will
truly be a unique and emotionally moving film.
I recently
returned from the Middle East. I was filming, climbing, and just
hanging out with our Palestinian and Israeli climbers. I spent time
with each of them: with Dudu and Micha and their families in Israel,
with Ali and his family in the U.A.E., and with all of them climbing in
Jordan. I drove across Israel and got some wonderful location shots
throughout the country: at the border of Lebanon where the war was just
happening, at the lake where Jesus was supposed to have walked on
water, in old Jerusalem at the various holy sites - including the
Wailing Wall, and at the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan. It was a
breathtaking and eye opening experience. I can only say that I am now
more confused than ever with what is really happening over there and
all the chaos that continues to happen between the Arab and Israeli
governments and people.
Dudu, Micha, and I all drove from
Israel to Jordan, while Ali flew from Dubai to Jordan as it would be
very difficult for Ali to get into Israel and impossible for Dudu and
Micha to get into Dubai. And so the logical place to meet was in Wadi
Rum, Jordan - a paradise for rock climbers and climbing enthusiasts. We
met early morning and all picked up where we left off from Everest as
friends and everyone was very happy to see each other. We then
immediately went out to find a nice place to go climbing!
It was
hot – about 100 degrees and where we were climbing was not completely
in the shade; nevertheless we pressed on, found a perfect location and
then proceeded to have an argument! Since the war in Lebanon, there
have been some difficult and at times angry feelings that exist in both
Israelis and Arabs. And with Dudu, Micha, and Ali – there was no
exception. Just before we were about to climb, a long and heated
exchange flowed back and forth (all captured on video). At times, I was
concerned that it would not end so well…but 5 minutes after the
two-hour long discussions ended, they stopped, set aside their
differences and roped up, again putting their lives in each other’s
hands as they climbed a rock face together!
It was just a
perfect example of what people can do and achieve when they have a
common goal – whether it be constructing a building or climbing a rock
wall, or of course, climbing Everest; people of different backgrounds,
cultures, and faiths can overcome their differences and together
accomplish amazing things – The Everest Peace Project has proven that.
There is no easy solution, and while we were on Everest or on our most
recent climb in Wadi Rum, Jordan we did not come up with one…or perhaps
maybe we did…maybe the solution is just having the courage and strength
to come together in the first place and to listen to and experience
“the other side” - and to have a dialogue that expresses one’s feeling
and beliefs; when we have a dialogue we have the wonderful opportunity
to start seeing each other and to start seeing the humanity in “the
other” – we all share a common core – and that is our humanity: we all
want to love and be loved, we all want to be happy and to live in
peace...maybe, we are not so different after all.
In peace, Lance Trumbull
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