Keith Harvey has traveled the world in search of understanding, but he calls Wareham home.

Wareham High School football games, watching the Gatemen play, and reading the newspaper on Onset Beach are a few of Harvey's favorite pastimes. Professionally, the long-time advocate for civil and human rights has spent much of his adult life traveling the globe to understand and support just solutions to world conflict.

Harvery is New England Regional Director of the American Friends Service Committee, heading the Cambridge office and overseeing staff across New England. His travels have brought him to Northern Ireland, South Africa, and most recently to the Middle East.

Harvey joined a group of 15 African American delegates who landed in Tel Aviv on July 18 for a two-week journey through the conflict zone as a part of an African Heritage Delegation to Israel and Palestine.

"I have gone on delegations before, but this one was special," Harvey said. "It was very grassroots. It was on the ground stuff. We were sleeping on the floor. We were in refugee camps."

Sponsored by Interfaith Peace-Builders, the delegation heard directly from Palestinians and Israelis regarding the role of the United States government in promoting a resolution to the conflict. The group met with members of Palestinian and Israeli civil society, human rights organizations, grassroots activists and others. Meetings featured representatives of African-Palestinian and African-Israeli communities, Jews of color (Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews), Palestinian refugees, and others.

During their two weeks in Israel and Palestine, Harvey said the group found that the situation reflects realities similar to South Africa under Apartheid and the American South under Jim Crow segregation.

“As African-Americans we must stand with those who are marginalized and those who continue to work for a just peace,” explained Harvey. “We have an important responsibility to bring our unique experience and history in support of just solutions to this conflict. What a wonderful gift these two strong peoples could give the world if they were able to find a just and peaceful solution to the conflict. . . A gift that would move us as a world peoples toward that great ideal of world peace. Let us call on all our talents, both secular and spiritual, to give this special present to the world.”

Havery said he was pleased to see Palestinians progress towards non-violent solutions to the conflict and noted similarities to the American Civil RIghts era.

"There is an understanding there," he said. "Palestinians are moving towards non-violent strategies.  They are inspired by South Africa and the Civil Rights movement."

But, he added, after experiencing the multi-faceted conflict, he isn't sure if there will ever to be peace in the Middle East.

"There were times when I'd question if South Africa would be resolved, and it happened... Perseverance and organization," he advised.