Yousef Sadaka HaCohen, a Samaritan priest, looks to the past and future

During the recent Sukkot holiday, Yousef Sadaka HaCohen, a Samaritan priest in Mount Gerizim, West Bank, greeted guests eager to soak up Samari­tan traditions.

Among those guests were several Israeli and Palestinian officials who, on the rare occasions they get together these days, usually meet to coordinate security or air grievances.

“We are not Jew­ish and we are not Muslim, but in many ways we are the bridge between the two,” HaCohen said. “Dur­ing our holidays, officials from the Pales­tinian Authority and Israeli commanders accept our invitation. They eat together, even laugh together.”