1. VOICE

2. NARRATOR: THIS IS QALANDIA, AN ISRAELI CHECKPOINT, LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF JERUSALEM. THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS, WHO ARE JERUSALEM RESIDENTS, MUST PASS THROUGH QALANDIA EVERY DAY -TO GO TO WORK, TO REACH SCHOOL, AND TO RECEIVE MEDICAL CARE. TO PALESTINIAN JERUSALEMITES, LIKE THE ABU RUMEILEH FAMILY, GETTING PAST THE ISRAELI SOLDIERS AT QALANDIA CAN LITERALLY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

3. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHSOMETIMES THE SOLDIERS BEHAVE IN A VERY RUDE AND INHUMANE WAY – SO I TOOK THE RISK AND CALLED ISRAELI HEADQUARTERS AT BEIT-EL. I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE CHECKPOINT BECAUSE I HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND I NEEDED TO GET MY SON TO THE HOSPITAL.

4. NEVEEN ABU RUMPLEAS FOR MUHAMMAD’S HEALTH CONDITION, IT IS NOT GOOD AT ALL, BECAUSE HIS KIDNEY IS MISPLACED DOWNWARDS. THAT NIGHT HE WAS SUFFERING FROM A SEVERE CASE OF VOMITING AND DIARRHEA. FIRST, I TRIED TO TREAT HIM WITH HOME REMEDIES LIKE HERBS AND PAIN MEDICATION. HOWEVER, WHEN THE SITUATION WORSENED TO THE POINT WHERE HE COULD NOT HOLD ANYTHING IN FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE, I TRIED TO LET HIM REST. THEN, IT BECAME AN EMERGENCY.

5. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHWHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CHECKPOINT, I SAW MANY PEOPLE WAITING, SOME OF THEM SLEEPING. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE PEOPLE AROUND. I WENT TO THE SOLDIER AND EXPLAINED MY SITUATION. HE TRIED TO DETAIN ME, BY MAKING SMART COMMENTS. THEN THEY SEARCHED MY CAR VERY THOROUGHLY. SO THEY DELAYED ME BUT I HAD TO GET THROUGH.

6. NARRATORTHIS TIME MOHAMMED REACHED THE HOSPITAL. HOWEVER, HIS KIDNEY CONDITION IS CHRONIC. THE DELAY THEY SUFFERED THAT NIGHT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN AS LONG AS THE CHECKPOINTS EXIST AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF ISRAELI CHECKPOINTS AND ROADBLOCKS INSIDE JERUSALEM AND AROUND THE WEST BANK AND GAZA.

7. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHA YOUNG SOLDIER DECIDES THE FATE OF PEOPLE DAY BY DAY, WHETHER TO LET THEM PASS IN OR OUT OR TO GO TO WORK THE CHECKPOINT IN THE EYE OF THE PALESTINIAN IS NOT A CHECKPOINT. IT’S THE GATE OF THE PRISON WE ARE IN. OF THE PRISON WE ARE IN.

8. NARRATORMOST ISRAELIS TAKE A VERY DIFFERENT VIEW OF CHECKPOINTS. THEY SEE THEM AS NECESSARY TO PREVENT TERRORISM.

9. URI AMEDIFROM WHAT I KNOW, THE CHECKPOINTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CITY ARE MAINLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING SECURITY CHECKS.

10. NARRATORURI AMEDI IS AN ISRAELI. HE LIVES IN WEST JERUSALEM WITH HIS WIFE RIKI AND THEIR CHILDREN. URI'S FAMILY ORIGINALLY CAME FROM IRAQI KURDISTAN.

11. URI AMEDIMY PARENTS IMMIGRATED TO THIS COUNTRY OUT OF THEIR YEARNING FOR ZION. THEY ALWAYS PRAYED FOR ZION AND JERUSALEM. THEY DID NOT, ESCAPE FROM IRAQ; THEY FULFILLED EVERY JEW’S DREAM TO ASCEND TO ZION BECAUSE THAT WAS THEIR ASPIRATION.

12. NARRATORURI WORKS IN THE CENTER OF JERUSALEM WHERE MANY BOMBINGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE.

13. URI AMEDISINCE THE INCREASE OF ATTACKS IN THE CITY, THERE ARE CHECKPOINTS ALMOST EVERYWHERE. I SEE THEM IN THE MARKET AND IN THE CITY CENTER, AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY ON THE ROADS AROUND JERUSALEM. YES, THIS CITY THAT IS LIKE A MILITARY OPERATION. IT HAS TO BE PROTECTED FROM EVERY DIRECTION.

14. NARRATORURI BELIEVES THAT ISRAELIS OWE A DEBT TO THE SOLDIERS AND POLICE WHO PROVIDE SECURITY.

15. URI AMEDIIT IS TRUE THAT WHEN YOU STAND AT A CHECKPOINT FOR MANY YEARS AND YOU CARRY A WEAPON, HEARING EVERY DAY ABOUT ANOTHER EXPLOSION, SOME OF YOUR SENSES GET DULL. IT IS CERTAINLY NOT TYPICAL OF EVERYBODY.

16. NARRATORWHILE PALESTINIANS COMPLAIN BITTERLY ABOUT THE OPPRESSION THEY EXPERIENCE FROM OCCUPATION AND CHECKPOINTS, ISRAELIS FOCUS ON THE HORRIBLE PAIN THEY FEEL AS A RESULT OF SUICIDE BOMBINGS.

17. RIKI AMEDITHE MOMENT WE HEAR THE AMBULANCES IN THE STREET, WE IMMEDIATELY GET VERY TENSE. WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE IT HAPPENED. WE IMMEDIATELY INVENTORY ALL OUR FRIENDS, THE WHOLE FAMILY, EVERYBODY WE KNOW. WE RECEIVE MANY PHONE CALLS. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHERE URI IS, THEY KNOW THAT HE IS ALWAYS IN THE CITY CENTER OR NEAR THE MARKET. IS EVERYBODY OK? EVERYBODY CALLS EVERYBODY. IT HAS TURNED INTO A KIND OF A HABIT.

18. NARRATORYET, RIKI AND URI, LIKE MOST ISRAELIS, ARE COPING.

19. RIKI AMEDIWHEN I RIDE THE BUS, I DON’T THINK THAT THE BUS IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE, NO, BUT I LOOK AROUND ME TO SEE THAT THERE IS NOTHING SUSPICIOUS. BUSES DO EXPLODE BUT THAT DOES NOT PREVENT US FROM TAKING THE BUS. LIFE’S ROUTINE CONTINUES THE SAME. WHETHER THERE IS AN ATTACK OR NOT, WE LIVE HERE. WE DON’T LOCK OURSELVES IN THE HOUSE MY CHILDREN WILL LIVE HERE, THEY WILL NOT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE TO LIVE, AND THIS IS OUR HOME.

20. URI AMEDIEVERY ATTACK IS VERY HARD, AND SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT IF THE MUNICIPALITY COMES WITH ITS WATER HOSES IT WILL SUCCEED IN WASHING OFF EVERYTHING, AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. BUT YOU CAN‘T WASH AWAY THE PAIN.

21. YACOV PERRYWHOEVER WAS BORN IN ISRAEL, WHOEVER SERVED IN THE ARMY OR ITS SECURITY FORCES, KNOWS THAT THIS STATE SINCE 1948, AND BEFORE, HAS SUFFERED FROM ONGOING WAR, BLOODSHED, AND TERRORIST ATTACKS.

22. NARRATORYACOV PERRY WAS DIRECTOR OF ISRAEL’S INTERNAL SECURITY AGENCY, THE SHIN BET. ZUHAIR MANASRA HEADED THE PALESTINIAN PREVENTIVE SECURITY AGENCY ON THE WEST BANK.

23. ZUHAIR MENASRATHE BASIC PROBLEM IN THIS STRUGGLE IS, FROM THE BEGINNING, THE TWO SIDES TRIED TO DESTROY THE OTHER. THERE'S NO TRUST. THERE IS THE CONTINUING, BLOODY STRUGGLE THAT PREVENTS LOGICAL DEBATE.

24. YACOV PERRYNOBODY WANTS IT, BUT WE ISRAELIS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS HOW WE HAVE TO LIVE. IN ORDER FOR US TO ACHIEVE TRUE PERSONAL SECURITY, THE FIRST CONDITION IS THAT THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TODAY OR THE PALESTINIAN STATE TOMORROW WILL HAVE TO FIGHT TERROR.

25. ZUHAIR MENASRAPERSONALLY, I WOULD NOT ARREST A PALESTINIAN TO PROTECT THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION. HOWEVER, I WOULD ARREST A PALESTINIAN CARRYING A WEAPON IN VIOLATION OF PALESTINIAN LAW. IF ISRAEL ENDS ITS OCCUPATION OF PALESTINIAN LAND AND IF THIS IS GUARANTEED, I BELIEVE THAT THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY WILL BE VERY ABLE TO DEAL WITH PALESTINIAN EXTREMISM.

26. YACOV PERRYI THINK THAT FOR THE PALESTINIANS TO SAY THAT, UNTIL THE OCCUPATION ENDS THEY WILL NOT FIGHT TERROR, IS A STATEMENT WHICH SHOULD BE CONDEMNED

27. ZUHAIR MANASRAI CAN SAY THAT PALESTINIANS HAVE LITTLE FAITH IN THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE WILL BE A FAIR SOLUTION WITH THE ISRAELI STATE.

28. YACOV PERRYON OUR SIDE, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE COULD ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESS BY EVACUATING GAZA, BY REMOVING ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS, AND BY OUR ARMY LEAVING PLACES THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO LEAVE.

29. ZUHAIR MANASRAPALESTINIAN EXTREMISM FEEDS ON ISRAELI GOVERNMENT ATTACKS AND ISRAELI EXTREMISM FEEDS ON VIOLENT PALESTINIAN ACTIONS.

30. YACOV PERRYTHERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THERE IS A “CHICKEN AND EGG SYNDROME.” THERE IS ALSO A VICIOUS CYCLE. WHEN THEY DO A TERROR ATTACK, WE DO A RETALIATION ACTION. AND IN RESPONSE TO THE RETALIATION ACTION, THEY AGAIN DO A TERROR ATTACK.

31. ZUHAIR MANASRATHERE SHOULD BE A CLEAR POLITICAL STATEMENT FROM THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT EXPRESSING ITS INTENTION OF ENDING THE OCCUPATION OF PALESTINIAN LANDS AND ASSISTING THE PALESTINIANS IN ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT STATE, SO THAT THERE WILL BE SECURITY FOR ISRAELI SOCIETY. THE ISRAELI NEED FOR PEACE SHOULD BE COMBINED WITH A DECLARED ARAB AND PALESTINIAN RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL AND ITS RIGHT TO EXIST IN DEFINED AND SAFE BORDERS.

32. YACOV PERRYTHERE HAS TO BE A BEGINNING OF SOME PEACE PROCESS, SOME KIND OF SERIOUS NEGOTIATION WHERE BOTH SIDES SEE A CHANCE FOR AN END TO THE CONFLICT.

33. ZUHAIR MANASRATHE REAL SOLUTION LIES IN REACHING AN AWARENESS IN WHICH THE TWO SIDES BECOME PARTNERS IN MUTUAL SECURITY THEN THE TWO PARTIES WILL BECOME PARTNERS IN REACHING SECURITY FOR EACH OTHER. ISRAEL TRIED ALL THE OTHER WAYS, IT TRIED FULL CONTROL, BANISHING, AND OPPRESSION. IT TRIED TO FIND PALESTINIAN AGENTS WHO WOULD SUPPORT IT FROM INSIDE PALESTINIAN SOCIETY. ALL THIS DID NOT WORK, IT DIDN'T BRING PEACE TO ISRAEL. I BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR ISRAEL TO UNDERSTAND THAT ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE IS THE ONLY WAY TO END THE SECURITY DANGER.

34. YACOV PERRYEVEN THE MOST EXTREME ISRAELI LEADERS UNDERSTAND THAT ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN STATE IS THE ONLY SOLUTION. THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION. PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES ARE TIRED OF LIVING THE WAY THEY ARE LIVING, WITHOUT PERSONAL SECURITY, UNDER TERROR ATTACKS.

35. NEVEEN ABU RUMEILLEHSECURITY IS THE OPPOSITE OF FEAR. THEREFORE, IF FEAR WERE TO GO AWAY THEN, I WOULD BE LIVING IN SECURITY.

36. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHIT IS SECURITY, WHEN YOU PUT YOUR HEAD ON THE PILLOW KNOWING THAT THERE IS NOBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN SCARE YOU. THERE ARE NO SOLDIERS WHO MIGHT COME AND ARREST YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

37. YACOV PERRYFOR ISRAELIS, WHAT IS BOTHERSOME REGARDING PERSONAL SECURITY IS THE FACT THAT A CHILD, A MATURE PERSON, A WOMEN, OR A SOLDIER LEAVES HIS HOME IN THE MORNING AND DOESN’T RETURN BECAUSE HE TRAVELED BY BUS, BECAUSE HE WENT TO A DISCOTHEQUE, BECAUSE HE WAS HURT IN A TERROR ATTACK WHICH DOESN’T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SOLDIER AND CIVILIAN. THAT OF COURSE CREATES A VERY ACUTE SENSE OF FEAR - FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.

38. RIKI AMEDII AM VERY WORRIED. I AM WORRIED FOR US. I AM WORRIED FOR MY CHILDREN. MY SON WHEN HE GOES TO SCHOOL, I HOPE HE WILL COME BACK HOME. I HOPE THAT I WILL COME HOME FROM WORK. NOTHING IS CERTAIN.

39. ZUHAIR MANASRANORMAL LIFE FOR A PALESTINIAN SHOULD BE LIKE NORMAL LIFE FOR ANY PERSON, LIKE A FRENCHMAN, A NORWEGIAN, A GERMAN, OR AN ISRAELI. A PALESTINIAN WANTS TO WAKE UP, DRINK HIS COFFEE, LOOK AT HIS CALENDAR AND SEE WHETHER THE WEATHER WILL BE NICE OR NOT. HE GOES TO WORK, LISTENS TO MUSIC, GOES FOR A WALK, DOES SPORTS, OR MAYBE READS A BOOK OR POETRY.

40. RIKI AMEDIA NORMAL LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY, HERE IN JERUSALEM, IS THE KIND OF LIFE WHERE YOU REALLY DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID.

41. NEVEEN ABU RUMEILEHA NORMAL LIFE IN MY OPINION IS WHEN EVERY WOMAN, HER HUSBAND AND CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO LIVE IN A HOME WHERE THEY DO NOT NEED TO LOCK THE DOORS. WHERE YOU DO NOT FEAR THERE ARE MILITARY RAIDS OUTSIDE.

42. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHA LIFE WHERE ALL MY THOUGHTS ARE OF HOW I CAN SERVE MYSELF AND THE HELP THE COMMUNITY AROUND ME. A NORMAL LIFE IS A LIFE THAT HAS JOY, WHERE A CHILD HAS HIS RIGHTS, WHERE A MAN HAS HIS RIGHTS.

43. URI AMEDIA NORMAL LIFE FOR ME IS THE KIND OF LIFE WHERE I DO NOT HAVE TO LOOK FOR A RADIO EVERY HOUR TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENED. A NORMAL LIFE FOR ME IS ONE WHERE I HAVE SOME INNER QUIET, KNOWING WHEN I LEAVE IN THE MORNING THAT I WILL COME HOME SAFELY.

44. NARRATORFROM 1948 TO 1967, JERUSALEM WAS A DIVIDED CITY, WITH A SEPARATION WALL RUNNING THROUGH THE MIDDLE. EAST JERUSALEM, WHERE SAMEEH LIVES, BELONGED TO JORDAN. IN 1967, ISRAEL SWEPT TO VICTORY IN THE 6-DAY WAR AND ANNEXED THE EASTERN PART OF THE CITY, WHILE ALSO SEIZING THE WEST BANK AND GAZA. ISRAEL DECLARED JERUSALEM TO BE ITS UNDIVIDED CAPITAL. TODAY, IN FACT, THE CITY IS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED BY INSECURITY, BY FEAR, AND BY PHYSICAL BARRIERS. BUT, WITHIN THOSE BARRIERS, THERE ARE JERUSALEMITES, LIKE URI AND SAMEEH, WHO ARE COMMITTED TO CREATING A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR PEOPLE. URI IS DIRECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY CENTER THAT WORKS TO IMPROVE JERUSALEM’S CENTRAL MARKET.

45. URI AMEDIIT IS NOT JUST THE PLACE I WORK. I SEE IT AS A MISSION. IN JERUSALEM’S CITY CENTER, I BELIEVE THAT I AM A PARTNER IN BUILDING THE INNER STRENGTH OF ISRAELI SOCIETY.

46. NARRATORSAMEEH MAKES HIS LIVING DELIVERING MEAT. EVERY DAY BUT FRIDAY, HE DRIVES HIS TRUCK TO THE RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS NEAR THE OLD CITY. HOWEVER, HIS PASSION IS MOBILIZING HIS NEIGHBORS.

47. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHIF YOU PROVIDE FOR THOSE AROUND YOU AND THEY JOIN YOU BY PROVIDING FOR THOSE AROUND THEM, YOU HAVE ENLARGED THE CIRCLE AND SERVED YOUR COUNTRY.

48. NARRATORSAMEEH IS A LEGAL RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, AND HE PAYS ABOUT $1,000 A YEAR IN CITY TAXES TO THE ISRAELI ADMINISTRATION -- THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT AS URI PAYS. YET, SAMEEH AND HIS PALESTINIAN NEIGHBORS RECEIVE ALMOST NO CITY SERVICES.

49. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHTHESE ARE ALL LETTERS FROM THE MUNICIPALITY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE, AND ALL THEIR REPLIES.

50. URI AMEDITHE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED IN WEST JERUSALEM ARE NOT THE SAME AS THE ONES IN EAST JERUSALEM.

51. NARRATORURI’S NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A MODERN SEWAGE SYSTEM. SAMEEH’S DOES NOT.

52. SAMEEH ABU RAMILLEHWE ARE STANDING AT A MAJOR JUNCTION IN KUFAR AKAB. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE ROAD HAS BEEN DUG UP TO PUT A SEWER PIPE IN IT. THE LOCAL PEOPLE DECIDED TO BUILD IT THEMSELVES AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS OF DEMANDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL PUT IN A SEWER PIPELINE. WHAT MADE US PAY FOR THIS PROJECT OURSELVES, DESPITE THE POOR ECONOMIC SITUATION WAS THE HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT RESULTED FROM THE REFUSAL OF MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES TO RESPOND TO OUR REQUESTS.

53. URI AMEDIJERUSALEM FOR ME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CITY AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE WORLD. ON THE ONE HAND, IT’S A CITY THAT CREATES A LOT OF TENSION AND A LOT OF CONFLICTS, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IT’S THE PLACE WHERE THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY, IN MY OPINION, OF BRINGING PEACE TO THE WORLD.

54. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHJERUSALEM IS THE AL AQSA MOSQUE, THE FIRST OF THE TWO KIBLAHS [TOWARD WHICH MOSLEMS PRAY], AND THE THIRD HOLIEST MOSQUE.

55. ELINOAR BARZACCHIIT’S THE CITY THAT I LIVE IN, WORK IN, RESPECT, AND APPRECIATE, AND IT’S A HARD CITY.

56. NARRATORELINOAR BARZACCHI IS AN ISRAELI WHO WAS JERUSALEM’S CITY ENGINEER. SHE WAS BORN IN HAIFA AND CAME TO JERUSALEM IN THE LATE 1970S TO WORK AS A PLANNER FOR THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING. SHE LIVES IN THE JEWISH QUARTER OF THE OLD CITY.

57. ELINOAR BARZACCHII MUST ADMIT THAT AT THE BEGINNING, JERUSALEM GOT UNDER MY SKIN. IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT ONLY A FEW PEOPLE COULD GET: TO BUILD NEW NEIGHBORHOODS THE SIZE OF A MEDIUM CITY WITH THE BEST ARCHITECTS AND IT SEEMED LIKE THE MOST WONDERFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME.

58. NAZMI AL-JUBEHJERUSALEM IS MY CITY. THE TRUTH IS THAT JERUSALEM IS PART OF EVERY PALESTINIAN’S SOUL. JERUSALEM HAS BEEN THE SPIRITUAL, MATERIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND CULTURAL CENTER FOR PALESTINIANS DURING ALL THE YEARS OF OUR EXISTENCE.

59. NARRATORDR. NAZMI AL-JUBEH IS AN ADVISOR TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY ON JERUSALEM. HE CO-DIRECTS AN INSTITUTE THAT PRESERVES THE PALESTINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE. HIS FAMILY ORIGINALLY CAME FROM HEBRON.

60. NAZMI AL-JUBEHAFTER ARRIVING IN JERUSALEM, MY GRANDFATHER WORKED AS A STONE CUTTER ON MANY PROJECTS WHICH INCLUDED THE COLUMNS INSIDE THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. HE SPENT AN ENTIRE YEAR WORKING ON THE FORMATION OF A SINGLE STONE THAT BECAME THE CROWN OF ONE OF THE COLUMNS.

61. NARRATORNAZMI’S FATHER SOLD SPICES IN THE OLD CITY. HIS BROTHER BASSEM STILL RUNS THE FAMILY STORE. BASSEM USED TO MAKE A GOOD LIVING, BEFORE VIOLENCE LED TO A HUGE DROP IN CUSTOMERS.

62. BASSEM AL-JUBEH THIS IS A FAMILY BUSINESS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS OF EXPERIENCES. I AM THE THIRD GENERATION HERE. THIS REPRESENTS THE PALESTINIAN CULTURE AND FOLKLORE IN ADDITION TO THE PRESENCE OF ARAB JERUSALEM. WHEN A SPICE SHOP LIKE THIS IS OPEN IN THE CITY IT MAKES ME PROUD TO BE HERE, LIKE MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER. I HOPE THAT THIS SHOP WILL REMAIN HERE AND PEACE WILL COME SO IT WILL HELP KEEP MY FAMILY TRADIDTION.

63. NARRATORIN THE FUTURE, THE BUSSINESS WILL GROW AND FLOURISH, BUT TODAY, SALES ARE DEEPLY AFFECTED BY THE VOILANCE AND TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS.

64. BASSEM AL-JUBEH BUSINESS HAS DROPPED A LOT TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN SAY THAT IT IS NON-EXISTENT. 90 OR 95% OF MY BUSINESS HAS BEEN DESTROYED. THE BEST DAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE SATURDAY AND WE HAVEN’T SOLD 10 SHEKELS WORTH SINCE THIS MORNING.

65. NAZMI AL-JUBEH THERE IS NO CITY IN THE WORLD THAT ENCOMPASSES ALL THESE CHARACTERISTICS AND CONTRADICTIONS AND ALL THESE CHALLENGES LIKE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM. IN THE BEGINNING I DID NOT FEEL THAT JERUSALEM IS UNIQUE. MY WORLD WAS CLOSED WITHIN THE WALLS OF THIS CITY. OUTSIDE THE WALLS WAS A DIFFERENT WORLD. IT WAS LIMITED TO A TRIP OR A PICNIC IN ORDER TO GO OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS. I LIVED MY WHOLE LIFE INSIDE THE OLD CITY –IT WAS MY PLAYGROUND, MY SCHOOL, MY FATHERS SHOP, MY HOME, MY FRIENDS. ALL MY LIFE WAS INSIDE THE WALLS. THEREFORE ITS IMPORTANCE WAS NOT ITS CULTURAL OR ARCHITECTURAL OR HISTORICAL ASPECTS. AL THESE ASPECTS CAME MUCH LATER IN MY LIFE.

66. NAZMI AL-JUBEH IN THIS SCHOOL, I SPENT THE FIRST SIX YEARS OF MY EDUCATION. FROM THIS CLASSROOM, I USED TO GAZE DAILY AT THE HARAM AL SHARIF. I USED TO SIT IN THE CLASSROOM AND MY EYES WOULD NOT FACE THE TEACHER. MOST OF THE TIME, I LOOKED AT THE DOME OF THE ROCK AND THE BUILDINGS SURROUNDING IT. WE USED TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE AREA THROUGH OUR PLAY AND OUR STUDYING. THEREFORE JERUSALEM’S HISTORY BECAME PART OF US, AND WE BECAME PART OF JERUSALEM’S HISTORY.

67. ELINOAR BARZACCHITHE CHALLENGE IN PLANNING IN JERUSALEM IS TO MAKE THE CITY A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN RESIDE, WHILE BLENDING THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT. WE TRY TO GIVE PEOPLE THE FEELING THAT THERE IS A FUTURE FOR THIS CITY, WITHOUT DISTURBING ITS PAST.

68. NAZMI AL-JUBEHJERUSALEM HAS TURNED INTO A DIVIDED CITY, EVEN WITHOUT HAVING WALLS.

69. ELINOAR BARZACCHIVERY FEW PEOPLE CROSS THE INVISIBLE BORDERS. THE INVISIBLE BORDERS ARE THE STRONGEST. WE KNOW WHEN WE ARE NOT WANTED. WE KNOW WHEN WE ARE IN A PLACE THAT THREATENS US

70. RIKI AMEDII WON’T GO TO A PLACE THAT IS DANGEROUS, LIKE IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE CITY I GO WHERE IT IS SECURE.

71. ZE’EV SCHIFFJERUSALEM FOR ME IS THE NEIGHBORHOODS CLOSE BY WITHIN THE CITY, CLOSE TO THE ANCIENT PART AND NOT DISTANT NEIGHBORHOODS. I DON’T NEED ARAB NEIGHBORHOODS, WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF PALESTINIANS, WHO WILL BE ABSORBED INTO ISRAEL, ONLY BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN EAST JERUSALEM.

72. NARRATORZE’EV SCHIFF IS ONE OF ISRAEL’S MOST RESPECTED JOURNALISTS.

73. ZE’EV SCHIFFIT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR JERUSALEM. THERE ARE THINGS ABOUT WHICH WE HAVE NO CHOICE OTHER THAN TO FIND A JOINT SOLUTION AND TO BE CREATIVE IN THIS TOPIC.

74. NARRATORA SOLUTION ON JERUSALEM WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY NEED TO BE PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT THAT INCLUDES THE OTHER MAJOR ISSUES THAT DIVIDE PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS.

75. ZE’EV SCHIFFIT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE THE PACKAGE APART. MAYBE FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLANATION, WE COULD TAKE THE PROBLEM OF THE REFUGEES SEPARATELY, OR THE PROBLEM OF JERUSALEM SEPARATELY. WE COULD RELATE SEPARATELY TO THE ISSUE OF BOUNDARIES, SETTLEMENTS, OCCUPATION, SECURITY MEASURES, BUT IT ALL HAS TO BE SEEN AS ONE INTEGRAL PACKAGE IN THE END. WE CAN DEAL WITH IT ONE SLICE AT A TIME, BUT IN THE END WE NEED TO HAVE THE WHOLE CAKE.

76. NARRATORFOR BOTH PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS, JERUSALEM IS AT THE CORE OF THE CONFLICT. BOTH PEOPLES CONSIDER THE CITY ESSENTIAL TO THEIR NATIONAL EXISTENCE AND INSIST IT MUST BE THEIR CAPITAL.

77. NABIL KHATIBJERUSALEM IS THE PLACE THAT, IN A WAY, DEFINES YOUR CULTURAL IDENTITY IN BELONGING TO THIS COUNTRY.

78. NARRATORNABIL KHATIB IS A DISTINGUISHED PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST AND COMMENTATOR.

79. NABIL KHATIBWHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOLVING THE JERUSALEM ISSUE, YOU FIND THAT IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, TO DIVIDE IT, UNLESS THE THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND JEWS NOW SETTLED IN EAST JERUSALEM WERE TO LEAVE.

80. ZE’EV SCHIFFI ACCEPT THE IDEA OF ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE AREAS IN WHICH JEWS LIVE IN EAST JERUSALEM AND PALESTINIAN SOVEREIGNTY IN THE AREAS IN WHICH MOSLEMS LIVE.

81. NABIL KHATIBYOU WILL NOT FIND A PRACTICAL WAY OUT UNLESS ALL OF JERUSALEM BECOMES A CAPITAL FOR THE TWO STATES. THEN YOU WILL NOT TALK ABOUT DIVIDING IT, BUT RATHER HOW TO ADMINISTER IT.

82. ZE’EV SCHIFFI PREFER TO SEE JERUSALEM UNIFIED. THAT MEANS ONE CITY IN TERMS OF RUNNING THE PLACE AND TAKING CARE OF THE POPULATION – WHILE WE ARE ALSO TALKING ABOUT TWO CAPITALS.

83. NAZMI AL-JUBEHI AM CONVINCED THAT JERUSALEM COULD BE THE CAPITAL OF TWO STATES AND AN OPEN AND JOINT CITY. THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN EAST JERUSALEM AND WOULD ALSO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE.

84. ELINOAR BARZACCHIMY FEELING TODAY IS THAT IF WE WANT JERUSALEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK AS ONE SYSTEM, WE SHOULD TAKE A TIME-OUT AND LET EACH SIDE REHABILITATE ITSELF.

85. NAZMI AL-JUBEHWE NEED TO PASS THROUGH AN INTERIM PERIOD, A PERIOD IN WHICH THE TWO PEOPLES CAN LIVE INDEPENDENTLY FROM EACH OTHER IN ORDER TO RE-IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AND TO RE-DEFINE THEIR ROLES AND RELATIONS.

86. ELINOAR BARZACCHII THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE TWO MUNICIPALITIES. THERE SHOULD BE AN AL QUDS MUNICIPALITY [FOR PALESTINIANS] AND A YERUSHALAYIM MUNICIPALITY [FOR ISRAELIS].

87. NAZMI AL-JUBEHWE HAVE TO RELY ON THE PRINCIPLE OF HAVING TWO MUNICIPALITIES IN ADDITION TO A COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS THAT CAN DEAL WITH JOINT ISSUES. EACH PARTY SHOULD TAKE THE INTEREST OF THE OTHER PARTY INTO CONSIDERATION. WHEN BORDERS ARE DEFINED, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PALESTINIAN SIDE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH, IN A BORDER AREA, AN INDUSTRIAL ZONE THAT WOULD LEAD TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ON THE ISRAELI SIDE, AND VICE VERSA.

88. ELINOAR BARZACCHIONE OF THE PROBLEMS IN JERUSALEM IS THAT EVERYTHING CAN TURN INTO A SYMBOL. A TRAFFIC LIGHT CAN BECOME A SYMBOL, A STREET BECOMES A SYMBOL

89. NAZMI AL-JUBEHWE CAN DIVIDE EVERYTHING, ELECTRICITY, WATER, SEWAGE, STREETS, COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSPORTATION.

90. ELINOAR BARZACCHIIN A CITY THAT IS TOTALLY DIVIDED, EACH SIDE WOULD HAVE IT’S OWN SYSTEM OF ROADS. BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY WOULD WANT TO LEAVE ITSELF THE OPTION OF BEING OPEN OR CLOSED AT CERTAIN TIMES.

91. NAZMI AL-JUBEHTHE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK THAT HAS BEEN BUILT BY THE ISRAELIS, IS DEFINITELY AIMED AT CONNECTING TOGETHER ALL THE SETTLEMENTS THAT SURROUND JERUSALEM AND EAST JERUSALEM, SO ISRAELIS DON’T HAVE TO PASS THROUGH ARAB AREAS. LATELY, THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT TO OPEN UNDERGROUND TUNNELS THAT PASS UNDER ARAB AREAS, AND BRIDGES THAT PASS ABOVE THEM.

92. ELINOAR BARZACCHIACTUALLY WHAT WE SEE TODAY IS AN INTERSECTION OF TW0 CULTURES AND AN INTERSECTION OF TWO NATIONS. THE ISRAELI TRAFFIC IS TRAVELING ON THE BRIDGE AND MOVING DIRECTLY FROM THE EAST TO THE SOUTH. WHILE THE PALESTINIAN TRAFFIC STAYS ON THE ROAD AND COMES FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH. SO WHAT WE SEE IS A SPACIAL SOLUTION FOR BOTH LARGE MASSES OF TRAFFIC COMING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND FROM EAST TO WEST OR WEST TO EAST.

93. ELINOAR BARZACCHIIT’S POSSIBLE THAT PART OF THE CITY’S FUNCTIONS COULD BE DIVIDED AND OTHER FUNCTIONS COULD BE LEFT UNITED. I ALWAYS GIVE THE EXAMPLE OF SEWAGE, SINCE SEWAGE HAS NO NATIONAL COLORS. NO ONE WOULD WANT TO PUT A FLAG ON SEWAGE. SEWAGE IS SEWAGE AND EVERYONE IS HAPPY TO GET RID OF IT. THE SEWAGE IN JEUSALEM, LIKE ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD, TRAVELS ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF GRAVITY.

94. NAZMI AL-JUBEHWE SHOULD ESTABLISH A COMMON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMMITTEE, A COMMITTEE TO RUN THE SEWAGE AND TO PLAN IT. THIS COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT JUST DECIDE THE COURSE OF SEWAGE BUT ALSO SHOULD PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.

95. ELINOAR BARZACCHITHOSE MUNICIPAL SERVICES THAT ARE NOT SYMBOLIC AND CAN BE PRIVATIZED WOULD BE THE FIRST STEPS IN BREAKING THE ICE AND ESTABLISHING COOPERATION WITHOUT FRICTION AND WITHOUT STEPPING ON THE NATIONAL EXISTENCE OF THE OTHER SIDE.

96. NARRATORWHILE THERE ARE PRACTICAL WAYS TO DEAL WITH SEWAGE, JERUSALEM’S OLD CITY IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED. TO BOTH ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS, THE OLD CITY IS A NATIONAL TREASURE. UNTIL 1967, IT WAS PART OF ARAB JERUSALEM, AND ISRAELIS COULD NOT ENTER. SEIZING THE OLD CITY AND ITS HOLY SITES WAS ONE OF THE MOST JOYOUS MOMENTS IN ISRAELI HISTORY – AND A DARK DAY FOR PALESTINIANS. TODAY, DESPITE THE SECURITY SITUATION, THE OLD CITY IS MOSTLY PEACEFUL. JEWS, MOSLEMS, AND CHRISTIANS, ALL LIVE IN THEIR OWN QUARTERS. THEY SHARE AN INTEREST IN PRESERVING IT AS A PLACE THAT PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD WANT TO VISIT. IF JERUSALEM WERE TO BECOME THE CAPITAL OF TWO STATES, LITTLE WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE IN THE OLD CITY - EXCEPT IT COULD ONCE AGAIN BE FULL OF TOURISTS AND PILGRIMS.

97. NABIL KHATIBTHE OLD CITY WITH ALL THE PEOPLE INSIDE OF IT YOU GET A FEELING THAT YOU HAVE JUST REMOVED ALL YOUR PROBLEMS BECAUSE YOU ARE MIXING WITH THE HISTORY AND CULTURE. STILL UP TO TODAY THIS CULTURE THAT FOUNDED ALL THIS URBAN PLANNING INSIDE OF THE OLD CITY AND THE DIFFERENT POWERS THAT CONTROLLED IT TELLS YOU SOMETHING THAT ALL THESE RELIGIONS CAN LIVE HERE, MAYBE WITH THE SMALLER DREAMS, BUT THERE’S A PLACE FOR THE WAILING WALL, FOR THE HOLY SEPLACURE FOR THE DOME OF THE ROCK. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE NATURE OF THE OLD CITY

98. ELINOAR BARZACCHITHE OLD CITY IS THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE CONDUCTING THE ULTIMATE EXPERIMENT. WE ARE TRYING TO LIVE TOGETHER, BASED ON A LONG HISTORY AND EVERYONE LIVING SEPARRATELY IN THEIR OWN QUARTER.

99. NAZMI AL-JUBEHIT COULD BE ENOUGH TO DIVIDE THE OLD CITY ALONG AREAS OF SOVEREIGNTY AND ALSO TO HAVE A SHARED ADMINISTRATION. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS MODEL VERY EASILY THROUGH THE PLACEMENT OF INSPECTION POINTS AT THE OUTSIDE GATES OF THE OLD CITY. THIS WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO MOVE EASILY WITHOUT CONSTRAINTS AND WITH COMPLETE FREEDOM INSIDE THE OLD CITY.

100. ELINOAR BARZACCHITHESE GATES WOULD MARK THE BOUNDARIES. THEY WOULD SAY, “UP TO HERE IS MINE - AND FROM THERE, IS YOURS.” BUT WE COULD STILL CROSS FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER.

101. NAZMI AL-JUBEHIN CASES OF CRISIS OR TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLES OR WHENEVER EITHER THE PALESTINIAN OR THE ISRAELI SIDE FEELS DANGER BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF EXTREMISTS OR THREATS, IT WOULD BE VERY EASY TO CLOSE THIS GATE AND REOPEN IT AT A LATER TIME WHEN CALMNESS RETURNS.

102. ELINOAR BARZACCHITHE FUNCTION OF THESE GATES WOULD BE ORNAMENTAL, ON GOOD DAYS. ON BAD DAYS PEOPLE WOULD STAND BEHIND BARS. I DON’T KNOW WHICH SIDE WOULD FEEL MORE IMPRISONED, THOSE WHO ARE ON THIS SIDE OF THE BARS OR THOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

103. NARRATORIN A CORNER OF THE OLD CITY ON ONLY 15 ACRES OF LAND ARE THE HOLY SITES OF THE THREE RELIGIONS THAT HONOR THE PROPHET ABRAHAM. THERE IS THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER WHERE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED; THE WAILING WALL, WHICH JEWS BELIEVE WAS PART OF THEIR ANCIENT TEMPLE; AND THE DOME OF THE ROCK, WHICH MOSLEMS BELIEVE WAS THE PLACE FROM WHICH MOHAMMED ASCENDED TO HEAVEN.

104. ZE’EV SCHIFFWE SHOULD TRY NOT TO BOTHER EACH OTHER AND PUSH THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY, AS THOUGH WE ARE STICKING A FINGER INTO EACH OTHER’S EYES.

105. NABIL KHATIBLESS IMPORTANCE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO SOVEREIGNTY OVER JERUSALEM, AND PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO PRACTICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONSIDERATIONS. PERHAPS THIS WOULD HELP FIND A REASONABLE SOLUTION THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE VARIOUS PARTIES.

106. ZE’EV SCHIFFI THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SPECIAL REGIME FOR THE HOLY BASIN AND THAT EACH SIDE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT IT PROTECTS THE MUTUAL RIGHTS OF THE OTHER SIDE. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SENSITIVITY OF THE ISSUE, AND THIS IS WHERE WE ALSO WOULD NEED HELP FROM THE ARAB COUNTRIES.

107. RABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI DORONWE JEWS SEE THE TEMPLE MOUNT AS THE CORE QUESTION AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT MUSLIMS ALSO FIND THE PLACE OF HIGHEST SANCTITY.

108. NARRATORRABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI-DORON WAS CHIEF SEPHARDIC RABBI OF ISRAEL.

109. RABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI DORONBUT FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE, WE SHOULD REACH SOME KIND OF AN AGREEMENT, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT A SACRED PLACE SHOULD REACH THIS LEVEL OF SANCTITY, WITH THE SANCTITY OF GOD WHO IS SO MERCIFUL, THAT BECAUSE OF THIS PLACE THERE SHOULD BE BLOODSHED FROM GENERATION, TO GENERATION.

110. SHEIKH TALAL SIDREXTREMISM, I BELIEVE, EXISTS AMONG ALL. IT IS LIKE LIGHTING A FIRE UNDER OUR FEET. THE FIRE BURNS UNDER OUR FEET AND WE HAVE TO PUT IT OUT TOGETHER.

111. NARRATORSHEIKH TALAL SIDR WAS RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS ADVISOR TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

112. RABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI DORONTHERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DO EVERYTHING TO TURN THIS POLITICAL CONFLICT INTO A RELIGIOUS CONFLICT AND THIS IS THE MOST SEVERE THING BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING HARSHER AND MORE DIFFICULT AND MORE DANGEROUS THAN A RELIGIOUS WAR.

113. SHEIKH TALAL SIDRI TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT I SAY. THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR THE CITY OF JERUSALEM A SOLUTION THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO OVER 80% OF ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS.

114. RABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI DORONLET US SAY THAT I WOULD JUST ERASE THE WORD SOVEREIGNTY AND NOT TALK ABOUT IT. IF WE CAN SAY THAT THIS PLACE DOES NOT BELONG EITHER TO ME OR TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE OR TO THE MUSLIMS OR THE CHRISTIANS. WHO DOES IT BELONG TO? IT BELONGS TO GOD; LET’S NEUTRALIZE THIS PROBLEM OF SOVEREIGNTY AND, AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, INSURE THAT EVERY PERSON CAN FOLLOW HIS RELIGION IN THIS PLACE.

115. ELINOAR BARZACCHII DON’T THINK THE PROBLEMS OF JERUSALEM WILL BE SOLVED IN ONE DAY, SO IN THE MORNING I WAKE UP IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. BUT I DO THINK IF PEOPLE WANT TO, PEOPLE CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. I DON’T THINK THE PROBLEM IS TECHNOLOGICAL. I THINK JERUSALEM’S PROBLEMS ARE A STATE OF MIND.

116. NAZMI AL-JUBEHWHEN PEACE COMES TO THIS LAND, GOD WILLING, IT WILL BE FILLED WITH ALL THE COLORS AND RACES OF THE GLOBE. I LOOK AT MY CITY IN THE ROLE OF BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER, AFTER HAVING DIVIDED IT.

117. URI AMEDIWE MUST DO EVERYTHING TO CONTINUE TO BUILD JERUSALEM. AND DOING EVERYTHING MEANS ALSO KNOWING HOW TO TREAT THE VERY COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JEWS AND ARABS, BETWEEN THE RELIGIOUS POPULATION AND THE SECULAR POPULATION. IT IS VERY COMPLICATED, BUT THERE IS ALSO GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

118. SHEIKH TALAL SIDRTHERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT JERUSALEM WILL BE IN FACT A CITY WHERE EVERYBODY RECOGNIZES HIS PLACE AND HIS BOUNDARIES AND WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT JERUSALEM IS HOLY FOR EVERYBODY.

119. SAMEEH ABU RUMEILEHIF WE DEAL WITH JERUSALEM THROUGH ITS HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION, I ASSURE YOU THERE WON’T BE A CITY IN THE WORLD THAT WILL BE A CITY OF PEACE LIKE JERUSALEM.

120. NARRATORTHE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE FOR JERUSALEM MIGHT BE TO BECOME THE CAPITAL OF TWO STATES – DIVIDED, BUT UNITED IN THE EYES OF GOD AND IN PRACTICAL WAYS – TO THE BENEFIT OF BOTH ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS. IN SUCH A CITY, LIFE COULD BE SAFE – EVEN NORMAL. BUT FOR BOTH PEOPLES, SHARING THE CITY WOULD MEAN COMPROMISING THEIR NATIONAL DREAM.

121. SHEIKH TALAL SIDRTHE ISRAELIS WANT THE ENTIRE LAND AND WE THE PALESTINIANS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE ENTIRE LAND TO OURSELVES. BUT WE ARE FULLY CONVINCED THAT THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, THAT THIS LAND IN ITS ENTIRETY WILL NOT BE OURS AND SO SHOULD THE ISRAELIS BE CONVINCED THAT THIS LAND IN ITS ENTIRETY WILL NOT BE THEIRS.

122. YACOV PERRYIT IS GOOD TO DREAM, IT IS NICE TO DREAM. BUT IT ISN’T REALITY. EACH OF US HAS TO GIVE UP PART OF OUR DREAM. FOR ISRAELIS, IT’S THE DREAM OF HOLDING ON TO THE TERRITORIES WHERE PALESTINIANS LIVE, AND FOR THE PALESTINIANS, IT’S THE DREAM OF HAVING TERRITORIES IN WHICH WE CURRENTLY LIVE IN OUR STATE.

123. SHEIKH TALAL SIDRI DON’T DENY THE RIGHT OF THE JEWS TO LIVE ON THIS HOLY LAND. I REJECT THE RIGHT OF THE JEWS TO BE OCCUPIERS. I DON’T WANT OCCUPATION. I DON’T DENY THEIR RIGHTS. WE DO NOT HATE JEWS AS HUMAN BEINGS. WE HATE THE JEWISH OCCUPATION.

124. RABBI ELIYAHU BAKSHI DORONAFTER 50 YEARS OF WAR THAT CAME TO NOTHING, THAT HURT EVERYONE, NO LESS THE MUSLIMS THAN THE JEWISH PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO CO-EXIST. WE HAVE TO HAVE TWO COUNTRIES LIVING SIDE BY SIDE AFTER REACHING A PEACE AGREEMENT. IN ORDER FOR US TO DO THAT WE HAVE TO SEPARATE.

125. ZUHAIR MANASRAI RECOGNIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND I DON'T WISH TO DESTROY THE ISRAELI STATE, I HAVE NO INTEREST IN DESTROYING THE ISRAELI STATE. I BELIEVE THAT MY INTEREST LIES IN RECOGNIZING THE ISRAELI STATE, BUT IN BORDERS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE TO ME.

PART 2

1. JAMAL KHALIL THIS PLACE WAS FULL OF FIG TREES, GRAPES VINES, OLIVE TREES. UNDER THIS TREE, WE USED TO TIE OUR CAMELS, HERE AND HERE. AND IN THAT PLACE, WE USED TO KEEP THE OUR SHEEP, OUR COWS, OUR HORSES. TODAY THERE’S NOTHING LEFT, JUST EMPTY FIELDS AND STONES. YOU CAN’T IMAGINE MY LIFE. LIFE TODAY IS MISERABLE. EVEN IF THE SKY RAINED GOLD, I WOULD NOT BE HAPPY. ONLY RETURNING TO MY HOME WOULD MAKE ME HAPPY.

2. NARRATOR 83 YEARS OLD, JAMAL KHALIL IS A PALESTINIAN REFUGEE. WHEN HE WAS BORN, PALESTINE WAS UNDER BRITISH CONTROL. IN 1948, JEWS AND ARABS FOUGHT A BITTER WAR OVER THIS LAND. THE JEWS WON AND ESTABLISHED THE STATE OF ISRAEL. EVERY YEAR, THEY CELEBRATE THEIR VICTORY IN WHAT THEY CALL THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. THE ARABS LOST. THEY GRIEVE OVER THE SAME EVENTS, WHICH THEY CALL THE NAKBA – THE CATASTROPHE. AFTER 1948, THE VILLAGE WHERE JAMAL WAS BORN, LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHER PALESTINIAN VILLAGES, WAS DESTROYED.

3. YITZHAK TZULMAN I KNOW WHY HE WANTS TO RETURN, HE WAS BORN HERE.

4. NARRATOR TODAY, WHERE JAMAL’S VILLAGE ONCE STOOD, THERE IS AN ISRAELI CENTER FOR TREATING DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION. YITZHAK TZULMAN IS THE MANAGER OF THAT CENTER.

5. YITZHAK TZULMAN I RETURNED TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA FOR THE FIRST TIME TO SEE THE PLACE WHERE I WAS BORN. ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T GROW UP THERE, I WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD WHEN I MOVED TO ISRAEL. WHEN I VISITED MY BIRTHPLACE, I FELT THAT I BELONGED. I FELT THAT I’D BEEN THERE BEFORE AND THAT, THIS PLACE WAS IN SOME WAY PART OF ME. SO I SAY, THIS ISSUE OF THE PALESTINIAN RIGHT OF RETURN IS NOT SO SIMPLE.

6. YITZHAK TZULMAN I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IF MILLIONS OF PALESTINIANS WERE TO RETURN TO ISRAEL, WE WOULD NO LONGER BE A JEWISH STATE. SIMPLY SPEAKING, IT WOULDN’T WORK. THERE ISN’T ENOUGH ROOM.

7. NARRATOR TODAY, THERE ARE SEVERAL MILLION PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN CAMPS IN THE WEST BANK, GAZA, JORDAN, LEBANON, AND SYRIA – OLD PEOPLE LIKE JAMAL WHO FLED IN 1948 AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

8. NABIL KHATIB THEY DROVE OUT OUR GRANDPARENTS FROM THE LAND NOW CALLED ISRAEL. IT MEANT THE PARTITION OF THE COUNTRY, PARTITION OF SOCIETY, SEPARATION OF FAMILIES, KILLING OF DREAMS, CUTTING OFF PALESTINIANS FROM THEIR HOMES AND THEIR AHISTORY.

9. ZE’EV SCHIFF THE PROBLEM OF THE REFUGEES IS A VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM, SINCE IT IS A WOUND WHICH IF WE DON’T RELATE TO, IT IS DOUBTFUL WE WILL EVER REACH TRUE RECONCILIATION.

10. NARRATORZE’EV SCHIFF IS ONE OF ISRAEL’S MOST RESPECTED JOURNALISTS.

11. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH HELLO.

12. HAFIZA KHALAYLEH GOOD EVENING, MY BROTHER. HOW ARE YOU, BROTHER? THANK GOD. I HOPE YOU ARE WELL.

13. HAFIZA KHALAYLEH HOW ARE YOU? I HOPE YOU ARE WELL. MAY GOD PROTECT YOU. HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?

14. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH THEY ARE ALL AROUND ME.
JAMILEH AND SALEH AND THE FAMILY. THEY ARE ALL AROUND ME HERE AND, PRAISE GOD, THEY ALL ASK ABOUT YOU.

15. NARRATOR MOHAMMED KHALAILY IS A PALESTINIAN REFUGEE. HE HAS LIVED FOR 50 YEARS IN THE SHATILA REFUGEE CAMP NEAR BERUIT, LEBANON. HIS SISTER HAFIZA NEVER LEFT THE VILLAGE WHERE THEY WERE BORN, WHICH IS LOCATED NEAR HAIFA IN THE NORTH OF ISRAEL.

16. HAFIZA KHALAYLEH HOW IS IT GOING THERE? REASSURE ME ABOUT YOUR NEWS, ABOUT YOUR LIFE.

17. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH IT’S A LIFE OF HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS LIVING FAR FROM HIS VILLAGE AND HIS NATION. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OTHER THAN A TRYING LIFE?

18. ISRAELA ORON THE FIRST TIME I SAW A REFUGEE CAMP, I REMEMBER THAT I WAS IN SHOCK.

19. NARRATOR ISRAELA ORON WAS A BRIGADIER GENERAL IN THE ISRAELI ARMY AND IS THE FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ISRAEL’S NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL. SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF REFUGEE ISSUES.

20. ISRAELA ORON I WAS SHAKEN BY THE DENSITY AND THE POVERTY. I REMEMBER THE SEWAGE FLOWING IN THE STREET. I REMEMBER LITTLE CHILDREN WITHOUT SHOES. I CAME INTO A ROOM THAT BELONGED TO A FAMILY. I REMEMBER THE ROOM WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR SOME MATTRESSES.

21. NABIL KHATIB IF YOU TALK TO A REFUGEE IN ANY OF THE CAMPS, YOU WILL FIND HIM LIVING IN TERRIBLE CONDITIONS AND FACING DIFFICULT QUESTIONS FROM HIS SON, SUCH AS: “WHY AM I HERE, FATHER?” “WHY AM I LIVING IN THESE CONDITIONS?” THE FATHER TRIES TO CONSOLE HIMSELF AND HIS SON, AND SAYS: “WE USED TO HAVE A HISTORY, MY SON. WE USED TO HAVE AN ORCHARD AND FIELDS.”

22. ISRAELA ORON WE WERE RAISED TO BELIEVE THAT THE REFUGEES ARE NOT OUR PROBLEM.

23. ZE’EV SCHIFF THE PROBLEM OF THE REFUGEES WAS CREATED AS A RESULT OF THE WAR. IT IS THE RESULT OF A TRAGIC EVENT OF TWO NATIONS, TWO PEOPLES, WHO FOUGHT EACH OTHER, WITH THE HELP OF THE OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES.

24. ISRAELA ORON OUR NARRATIVE IS: WE WANTED TO LIVE IN PEACE. WE ACCEPTED THE UN’S PLAN TO DIVIDE THE LAND. THE ARABS DID NOT ACCEPT IT. THE ARABS DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD INVADE AND DRIVE OUT THE JEWS. THEREFORE, IN SOME WAY, MOST ISRAELIS DON’T FEEL THEY HAVE COMMITTED A SIN IN THIS MATTER.

25. JAMAL KHALIL WHEN THE ISRAELI ARMY CAME HERE, THEY CAME FROM THAT HILL AND THEY STARTED SHOOTING MACHINE GUNS. PEOPLE RAN AWAY. WE WENT TO THOSE HILLS AND STAYED THERE.

26. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH THE YOUNG MEN LEFT OUT OF FEAR AND HORROR. IF IT HADN’T BEEN FOR THE FEAR AND HORROR, NO ONE WOULD HAVE LEFT. THEY WOULD HAVE ALL STAYED.

27. ISRAELA ORON WE CAN’T CLAIM ZERO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS MATTER. CERTAINLY WE’RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PERPETUATING THE REFUGEES’ SITUATION BUT THERE CLEARLY WAS A RESPONSIBILITY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN’T REALLY APPRECIATE AS ISRAELIS IS JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR THE PALESTINIANS THAT WE DECLARE THAT WE BEAR A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR SUFFERING. ISRAEL MUST ABSOLUTELY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUFFERING THAT WAS ENDURED BY THE REFUGEES BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 1948.

28. VILLAGE REUNION I BROUGHT THIS KEY FROM THE OLD VILLAGE WITH ME. NOW I WANT TO GIVE IT TO MY SON. I WANT HIM TO KEEP IT, TO KEEP HIS HOMELAND, OUR HOMES, OUR LAND. KEEP THIS KEY. DON’T DISCARD IT. DON’T FORSAKE ANYTHING. WE WILL RETURN TO OUR HOMES, TO OUR VILLAGE.

29. SON MAHER, THIS IS THE KEY TO YOUR GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE IN AL-TIREH.

30. OLD WOMAN TIREH DANDAN.

31. SON KEEP IT JUST LIKE I’M GOING TO KEEP IT.

32. TZIPI LIVNI I CANNOT CHANGE OR ALTER THE FEELINGS OF SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN, IN MY OPINION, DELIBERATELY MISLED FOR 50 YEARS BY THE ARAB COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN STRENGTHNING THE DREAM THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO PLACES WHERE WE ISRAELIS NOW LIVE.

33. NARRATOR TZIPI LIVNI IS ISRAEL’S MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION. SHE BELONGS TO THE LIKUD PARTY OF PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON.

34. TZIPI LIVNI THE BARGAIN THAT I PROPOSE TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD: NAMELY, THAT WE ISRAELIS WOULD AGREE TO ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE IN RETURN FOR THE PALESTINIANS GIVING UP THE RIGHT OF RETURN.

35. OLD MAN WE WILL REMAIN STEADFAST, YEAR AFTER YEAR, UNTIL OUR CHILDREN OR EVEN OUR GRANDCHILDREN RETURN TO THEIR HOMELAND.

36. NABIL KHATIB THE REFUGEES SEEK TO GO BACK TO THAT BRIGHT PAST, THROUGH THE RIGHT OF RETURN. AT LEAST, THIS IS THEIR FEELING. IT MAY BE THEIR FANTASY, BUT THIS IS HOW THEY HONESTLY THINK.

37. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ WE MUST BE CLEAR AND NOT TALK ABOUT FANTASY. THEREFORE THE RETURN OF THOUSANDS OR MILLIONS OF REFUGEES TO ISRAEL WILL NOT BE A SOLUTION.

38. NARRATOR HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ IS BOTH A REFUGEE AND THE PALESTINIAN MINISTER OF PRISONER AFFAIRS. HE SPENT 21 YEARS IN ISRAELI PRISONS.

39. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ I READ THE TORAH MORE THAN THREE TIMES. IT WAS PART OF MY DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE AS A PALESTINIAN, MY LAND IS OCCUPIED AND IT IS MY DUTY TO WORK TO FREE MY LAND. THE ISRAELIS, FOR THEIR PART, ARE PROTECTING THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR EXISTENCE, TO THE BEST OF THEIR BELIEFS.

40. TSIPI LIVNI WE CANNOT TURN BACK HISTORY. THE WHEEL OF HISTORY DOES NOT GO IN REVERSE.

41. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ THEREFORE WE MUST BUILD A NEW FUTURE. IF WE WANT TO LOOK TOWARD THE PAST AND HISTORY, THEN WE WILL REMAIN STUCK IN THE TURBULENCE IN WHICH WE HAVE LIVED FOR OVER 55 YEARS

42. TSIPI LIVNI ALL WE CAN DO IS TO TRY TO REACH A SETTLEMENT, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE.

43. NABIL KHATIB CAN PALESTINIANS IGNORE THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR RIGHTS FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE, BECAUSE REALITY NOW DEMANDS DIFFERENT STANDARDS OF THINKING? THE REALITY OF THE EXISTENCE OF TWO STATES, THE REALITY OF THE EXISTENCE OF TWO PEOPLES, THE REALITY OF MILLIONS OF PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS WHO ARE FIGHTING OVER ONE PIECE OF LAND.

44. DR. KHALIL SHIKAKI WHILE MOST REFUGEES BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHT OF RETURN IS A BASIC, MORAL RIGHT, IN REALITY THEY ARE READY TO ACCEPT PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT WOULD NOT THREATEN THE PRESENT DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION OF ISRAEL.

45. NARRATOR DR. KHALIL SHIKAKI, HIMSELF A PALESTINIAN REFUGEE, IS A HIGHLY RESPECTED POLLING EXPERT WHO SURVEYED 4500 REFUGEES ON WHERE THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO LIVE, IF AND WHEN THERE IS A PEACE AGREEMENT.

46. KHALIL SHIKAKI THE POLLS IN PALESTINE, JORDAN, AND LEBANON SHOW THAT ONLY 10% OF REFUGEES WANT TO RETURN TO ISRAEL.

47. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH MY FAMILY, MY BROTHERS AND SISTER ARE STILL IN THE VILLAGE. THEY DIDN’T LEAVE. I DESPERATELY WANT TO SEE THEM AND, THEY WANT TO SEE ME.

48. HAFIZA KHALAYLEH THIS IS MOHAMMED. THIS IS HIS SON, AND THAT’S ME IN THE MIDDLE WHEN THEY WERE HERE ON A VISIT. I WAS PHOTOGRAPHED WITH HIM AND HIS SON.

49. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH IN 1978, ISRAEL USED TO GIVE PERMITS TO REFUGEES TO VISIT THEIR FAMILIIES INSIDE ISRAEL. MY SON AND I WENT THERE AND STAYED WITH MY FAMILY FOR A MONTH. THEY WERE SO HAPPY WHEN WE CAME. MY EYES WERE BLIND FROM CRYING, AND ALSO THEIR EYES WERE BLIND FROM CRYING.

50. HAFIZA KHALAYLEH WHAT WERE MY FEELINGS? I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE WHEN I SAW THEM. LET MY BROTHER RETURN AND I’LL GIVE HIM A PLACE TO STAY.

51. ZE’EV SCHIFF I CAN ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY RE-UNIFICATION IN REASONABLE NUMBERS. IT SHOULD BE DECIDED ACCORDING TO HUMANITARIAN NEEDS, AND ISRAEL HAS TO BE OPEN TO THIS.

52. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ ISRAEL MUST ACCEPT A LIMITED NUMBER OF PEOPLE, MEANING ISRAEL CANNOT SAY, “ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

53. MOHAMMED KHALAYLEH I WILL LIVE UNDER ISRAELI AUTHORITY JUST LIKE MY SISTER AND BROTHERS ARE DOING.

54. AMBASSADOR (RET) MICHAEL MOLLOY AT THE END OF THE DAY, REFUGEE PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED WHEN PEOPLE ARE GIVEN REAL CHOICES, ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, THAT THAT OFFER THEM DIFFERENT FUTURES FOR THEIR CHILDREN, THAT OFFER THEM COMBINATIONS OF BENEFITS AND IS PRESENTED TO THEM IN A WAY THAT DOESN’T DENIGRATE THEIR DIGNITY.

55. NARRATOR MICHAEL MOLLOY WAS CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS.

56. AMBASSADOR (RET) MICHAEL MOLLOY IT’S NOT HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE COUNTRIES LIKE THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NOT TO MENTION MANY OF THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, WHO TEND TO HAVE GENEROUS ASYLUM POLICIES, NOT TO MENTION SOME OF THE ARAB COUNTRIES PROVIDING OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE.

57. KHALIL SHIKAKI THE POLL IN JORDAN FOUND THAT 1/3 OF REFUGEES LIVING IN JORDAN HAVE THE DESIRE TO STAY IN JORDAN AS JORDANIAN CITIZENS

58. HATEM SHAHEEN I WAS BORN IN SCHNELLER REFUGGE CAMP, SOUTH OF AMMAN. I HAVE 23 SISTERS AND BROTHERS.

59. NARRATOR HATEM SHAHEEN IS A PALESTINIAN WHO OWNS A BARBER SHOP IN AMMAN.

60. HATEM SHAHEEN I WORK ON AN AVERAGE 14 HOURS A DAY. I AM HAPPY IN JORDAN. PERSONALLY, I WILL STAY IN JORDAN. I HAVE MY WORK AND MY HOUSE HERE. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO START ANEW IN A PLACE WHERE I HAVE NEVER LIVED.

61. NARRATOR UNLIKE HATEM MOST PALESTINIANS TAKE A DIFFERENT VIEW, THEY WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN PALESTINE.

62. KHALIL SHIKAKI THE POLLS SHOW THAT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF PALESTINIANS WANT TO LIVE IN A PALESTINIAN STATE.

63. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ I WOULD CHOOSE TO RESIDE IN THE PALESTINIAN STATE, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THERE I WOULD FIND MY IDENTITY AND MY PLACE - AND SATISFY THE DESIRE OF MY PEOPLE TO BUILD THEIR FUTURE.

64. NARRATOR THE SHAPE OF THE PALESTINIAN FUTURE WOULD SEEM TO REST WITH THE NEXT GENERATION – WITH YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE RAMZI ABU RADWAN, WHO IS KNOWN THROUGHOUT PALESTINE AS THE POSTER CHILD OF THE FIRST INTIFADA.

65. RAMZI ABU RADWAN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. I WAS WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL WITH MY FRIEND. SUDDENLY MY FRIEND FELL TO THE GROUND. I SAW BLOOD COMING OUT OF HIS HEAD. I LOOKED IN THE DISTANCE AND I SAW MANY ISRAELI SOLDIERS. I WAS IN SHOCK. I PICKED UP SOME STONES AND STARTED RUNNING TOWARD THE SOLDIERS. I GOT HIT THREE TIMES BY BULLETS. FROM THAT TIME ON, I KEPT THROWING STONES. SOMETIMES, MY GRANDFATHER USED TO TIE ME DOWN WITH ROPES TO STOP ME FROM GOING OUT OF THE HOUSE.

66. RAMZI ABU RADWAN I WAS SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST STARTED WITH MUSIC. I KNEW A PALESTINIAN TEACHER WHO SHOWED ME VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS. I CHOSE THE VIOLA.

67. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ WE WANT TO LIVE IN A PALESTINIAN STATE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF JUNE 4, 1967, WITH EAST JERUSALEM AS ITS CAPITAL, AND TO LIVE AS A PEACEFUL STATE, ALONGSIDE ISRAEL.

68. ZE’EV SCHIFF THE GOAL IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO STATES, PALESTINE AND ISRAEL, THAT LIVE NEXT TO EACH OTHER IN PEACE AND SECURITY.

69. TZIPI LIVNI I WANT TO HAVE A PEACEFUL LIFE HERE. AND IN ORDER TO HAVE A JEWISH STATE I AM WILLING TO FOREIT SOME PART OF THE LAND.

70. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ THE SOLUTION AND THE FINAL SETTLEMENT AREBASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT PALESTINE IS THE PALESTINIAN STATE, AND ISRAEL IS THE JEWISH STATE. PALESTINIANS, ALL AROUND THE WORLD, HAVE THE RIGHT OF RETURN TO PALESTINE, TO THE STATE OF PALESTINE. THIS IS A LEGITIMATE RIGHT THAT NOBODY CAN TAKE AWAY FROM US.

71. ZE’EV SCHIFF THIS A QUESTION THAT EACH COUNTRY MUST DEAL WITH SEPARATELY. WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO INTERVENE IN THEIR RIGHT TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMELAND.

72. NABIL KHATIB NATURALLY, IF BOTH PARTIES REACH A FINAL AGREEMENT, THIS WILL MEAN AN END TO FUTURE DEMANDS.

73. ISRAELA ORON WE WOULD LIKE TO REACH A PLACE REGARDING THE REFUGEE QUESTION WHERE THE REFUGEES WOULD HAVE NO REMAINING CLAIMS.

74. AMBASSADOR (RET) MICHAEL MOLLOY I WOULD SAY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT GOING TO BE RAPPED UP RAPIDLY. YOU ARE LOOKING VERY PROBABLY AT A COMMITMENT THAT COULD GO ON FOR ABOUT 15 OR 20 YEARS. YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE; YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE UPGRADING HOUSING SO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ASSISTING FAMILIES BUILDING THEIR HOUSE, ASSISTING THE STATE WITH SCHOOLS, WATER.

75. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ THE REFUGEES SHOULD LIVE WITH A SMALL DREAM, BUT NOBODY CAN REMOVE THE GRAND DREAM FROM THEIR SOULS, BUT THEY MUST LIVE WITH A SMALL DREAM , BECAUSE THIS IS THE POSSIBLE DREAM, AND THE ONE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE AND LIVING IN PEACE FOR THIS GENERATION AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

76. RAMZI ABU RADWAN THE MUSIC MAY HAVE HELPED ME COME OUT, NOT COMPLETELY, TO EXPRESS MYSELF AND DO MANY THINGS LIKE PERFORMING IN CONCERTS AROUND THE WORLD AND TO COMMUNICATE WHO I AM AND THAT I COME FROM A REFUGEE CAMP AND THAT WE PALESTINIANS ARE LIKE ALL OTHER KIDS IN THE WORLD, EXCEPT WE HAVE LIMITED MEANS TO DO THINGS.

77. RAMZI ABU RADWAN I WOULD LIKE, GOD WILLING, TO WORK ON A PROJECT THAT WILL BRING MUSIC TO A LARGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN REFUGEE CAMPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA. WHEN CHILDREN HAVE HOPE, THEY WILL THINK MORE ABOUT LIVING. IF THERE IS NO HOPE, CHILDREN WILL PICK UP STONES AND THROW THEM.

78. TZIPI LIVNI I DON’T SEE THE PROCESS AS CENTERING ON WHO IS MORE JUST OR WHO HAS BEEN HURT MORE. I THINK THAT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION, AND I HOPE IT HAPPENS AMONG THE PALESTINIANS AS WELL, TO TEACH THEM HOW WE CAN LIVE TOGETHER.

79. RAMZI ABU RADWAN THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE HAVE A GREAT PASSION FOR LIFE. AS THE POET MAHMOUD DARWISH SAID: “WE LOVE LIFE WHEN WE FIND THE WAY”.

80. NARRATOR ONLY A FEW KILOMETERS FROM THE REFUGEE CAMP WHERE RAMZI LIVES IS LOCATED THE SETTLEMENT OF BEIT EL, WHICH IS BUILT ON LAND ISRAEL SEIZED FROM JORDAN IN 1967. IT IS ONE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED JEWISH SETTLEMENTS AND OUTPOSTS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA. BENNY AND EMUNAH ELON LIVE IN BEIT EL. BENNY IS A RABBI AND A FORMER ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER WHO LEADS A RIGHT-WING PARTY. EMUNAH IS A WRITER AND A HOUSEWIFE.

81. EMUNAH ELON WE MOVED TO BEIT EL 21 YEARS AGO. WE RETURNED TO THE LAND, TAKING IT FROM WHOMEVER LIVED HERE FOR THE PAST HUNDRED YEARS. I AM HERE BECAUSE I HAVE TO BE HERE, BECAUSE IT SAYS SO IN THE BIBLE, BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE, AND BECAUSE HISTORY LEADS ME TO RETURN TO MY LAND. FOR THIS, I COULD, GOD FORBID, SACRIFICE MY CHILDREN’S LIVES.

82. BENNY ELON THIS IS OUR HOME, THIS IS OUR LAND. WE HAVE RETURNED TO THIS LAND EXACTLY AS PROMISED IN THE BIBLE. WE NEVER ABANDONED THIS LAND. WE WERE EXILED FROM IT.

83. NARRATIONARI ELON IS BENNY’S BROTHER. HE IS A TEACHER AND SCHOLAR OF ANCIENT JEWISH TEXTS.

84. ARI ELON THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONNECTION BETWEEN BEING JEWISH AND THE OLD TESTAMENT, BUT THIS DOESN’T GIVE ME ANY RIGHT TO OWN THE LAND AND SURELY IT DOESN’T GIVE ME ANY RIGHT TO DRIVE AWAY ANOTHER PEOPLE, THE PALESTINIANS.

85. BENNY ELON THIS IS NOT A THEOLOGICAL, THEORETICAL ISSUE. IT IS A DEBATE OVER LIFE. I LIVE HERE AND I HAVE A BROTHER WHO WANTS TO UPROOT ME FROM MY HOME.

86. ARI ELON I THINK THAT OPPRESSING ANOTHER PEOPLE AND WITHHOLDING THEIR RIGHTS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A LARGER PIECE OF LAND IS A CRIME.

87. BENNY ELON THIS LEFT WING POLITICAL STUPIDITY CAUSES US TO FEEL WEAK, NOT TO BE CONNECTED TO THE BIBLE, NOT TO BE CONNECTED TO TRADITION, NOT TO BE CONNECTED TO THE LAND.

88. ARI ELON I AM NOT GLAD TO DIVIDE MY COUNTRY, BUT I’M HAPPY TO BEHAVE AS A GROWN PERSON, KNOWING THAT ONE OF THE CLEAR SYMPTOMS OF GROWING UP IS TO REALIZE THAT NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE MINE.

89. BENNY ELON I AM A SHERIFF, WITH A TANK AND A RIFLE, WHO DEFENDS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO RETURN TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL. I DON’T HAVE TO BE AN UNDERDOG TO BE RIGHT.

90. NARRATOR JUST DOWN THE HILL FROM BENNY’S HOUSE IN BEIT EL IS A PALESTINIAN VILLAGE WHERE AISHA AND SAID FARAH LIVE.

91. SAID FARAH THEY SAY IT’S THEIR LAND. IT’S NOT. THEY’VE STOLEN THE LAND. THEY EXPAND AS THEY WISH AND NO ONE STOPS THEM.

92. AISHA FARAH I HAVE TWO MARRIED DAUGHTERS. I SWEAR TO GOD IT’S BEEN SIX YEARS SINCE I LAST VISITED THEM. THE ROADS ARE CLOSED. WE CAN’T PASS. I PLANTED THESE OLIVE TREES. THEY UPROOTED TWO OF MY OLIVE TREES.

93. BENNY ELON WE WON’T ALLOW THEM TO HIDE AMONG THOSE TREES. WHAT’S PREFERABLE: TO SAVE HUMAN LIFE, OR TO LEAVE TREES? AS A SOVEREIGN POWER, IF – FOR REASONS OF SECURITY – I NEED TO DESTROY EVEN HUNDREDS OF OLIVE TREES, THEN I WILL DO SO – AND NOT ONLY OLIVE TREES - WITHOUT ANY PITY.

94. BRIG. GEN. (RET.) DOV SEDAKA OLIVE TREES HAVE BEEN NURTURED SOMETIMES FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THEY SYMBOLIZE FOR PALESTINIAN FAMILIES THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND. TO CUT DOWN OLIVE TREES IS A CATASTROPHE. I EXPERIENCED MANY SUCH INCIDENTS.

95. NARRATOR DOV SEDAKA IS A RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL, WHO HEADED ISRAEL’S CIVIL ADMINISTRATION FOR THE WEST BANK.

96. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA IT CAN CAUSE SEVERE HATRED TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING AND TO HAVE TO PASS THROUGH ROAD BLOCKS OR BARRICADES IN ORDER TO REACH SCHOOL; OR TO BE CUT OFF FROM ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE; OR TO BE DENIED ACCESS TO BASIC EDUCATION.

97. NABIL KHATIB THE PALESTINIAN PEASANT FINDS HIMSELF LOSING HIS LAND BIT BY BIT TO THE ISRAELI SETTLER AND HE FEELS HELPLESS IF HE THINKS ABOUT RESISTING, SINCE THE SETTLER IS ARMED AND IS A CITIZEN OF THE JEWISH STATE THAT IS OCCUPYING THE LAND.

98. ZE’EV SCHIFF IT TURNED INTO AN OCCUPATION
THE MOMENT WE MEDDLED IN PALESTINIAN LIVES, THE MOMENT WE SETTLED AMONG THEM, THE MOMENT WE DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO CONTROL THEMSELVES. INSTEAD, WE RULED OVER THEM WITH FORCE. THIS IS A PAINFUL EVIL. IT IS A CANCER.

99. BENNY ELON WEAKNESS AND SUBMISSION INVITE FURTHER TERRORISM AND MORE MURDER.

100. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA I SAY HATRED INCREASES TERROR. HATRED CREATES A LACK OF SECURITY FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

101. OTNIEL SCHNELLER I AM A SETTLER. I AM A PIONEER. I AM ON A MISSION FOR MY PEOPLE.

102. NARRATOR OTNIEL SCHNELLER IS THE FORMER HEAD OF THE YESHA COUNCIL, THE BODY THAT REPRESENTS ISRAELI SETTLERS ON THE WEST BANK AND IN GAZA.

103. OTNIEL SCHNELLER WE CAME TO THIS PLACE, CALLED MA’ALEH MICHMAS, 22 – 23 YEARS AGO. THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL SENT US HERE. THAT WAS THE MOST LEGITIMATE THING IN THE WORLD.

104. NABIL KHATIB IF HE DOES NOT REALIZE THAT HE HAS TO LEAVE THE HOUSE HE BUILT, EVEN IF BY FORCE, THERE WON’T BE PEACE.

105. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA THE DISMANTLEMENT OF SETTLEMENTS WILL NOT DECREASE THE SECURITY OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL. I THINK THAT THE STATE OF ISRAEL WILL BE MORE SECURE IF THERE IS A PALESTINIAN STATE, WITHOUT THE CONTINUOUS THREAT OF TERROR, A REFORMED STATE WITH A REFORMED ADMINISTRATION, WITH AN ORGANIZED POLICE AND THE RULE OF LAW.

106. NABIL KHATIB PALESTINIANS WILL NOT ABANDON THEIR ASPIRATIONS AND DREAMS FOR A PALESTINIAN STATE, WITHOUT ISRAELI OCCUPATION.

107. OTNIEL SCHNELLER I BELIEVE THAT PEACE IS VERY IMPORTANT, SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN LIVE HERE IN A NORMAL STATE. WHILE WAR WITH THE PALESTINIANS COULD CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER FIFTY OR HUNDRED YEARS, OR AS LONG AS IS NECESSARY, I VERY MUCH DON’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, I WOULD AGREE, FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE, TO GIVE UP PARTS OF MY LAND.

108. NABIL KHATIB THERE CAN BE A CHOICE THAT FORMS A COMPROMISE FOR US AND FOR THE ISRAELIS.

109. OTNIEL SCHNELLER WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS – DO WE WANT TO LIVE WITH THEM IN A BI-NATIONAL SOCIETY WHERE THERE IS NO MORE JEWISH STATE, BUT THERE IS A BI-NATIONAL STATE, OR, AFTER 2,000 YEARS OF EXILE, DO WE WANT TO LIVE IN A JEWISH STATE?

110. TZIPI LIVNI I WANT TO COMBINE THE TWO VALUES OF DEMOCRACY AND LIVING IN A JEWISH STATE. THEREFORE, I WOULD BE PREPARED TO ENTER INTO A PROCESS WHICH WOULD MEAN SEPARATING.

111. NARRATOR THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IS CURRENTLY BUILDING A SEPARATION FENCE THAT IT CONTENDS IS ESSENTIAL TO PREVENTING TERRORISM. PALESTINIANS CALL IT THE APARTHEID WALL.

112. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA I BELIEVE IN THE FENCE. BUT THE FENCE SHOULD BE THE SAME FENCE WHICH WILL BE THE BORDER BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS. THAT’S WHY PART OF THE FENCE, WHICH IS BEING BUILT TODAY, IS NOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

113. ZE’EV SCHIFF THE FENCE SHOULD, IN LARGE PART, BE BUILT ALONG THE 1967 BORDER. NOT EVERYWHERE, IT’S NOT POSSIBLE EVERYWHERE.

114. NARRATOR DESPITE VIEWS LIKE THESE, THE FENCE OR WALL CUTS DEEP INTO THE WEST BANK AND MUCH OF IT IS BEING BUILT ON LAND ISRAEL OCCUPIED IN 1967. THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE HAS RULED THIS IS ILLEGAL, AND ISRAEL’S HIGH COURT HAS DECREED THAT THE ROUTE SHOULD BE CHANGED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT PALESTINIAN RIGHTS.

115. NABIL KHATIB I DON’T FIND THIS TO BE A SUITABLE CONDITION FOR ESTABLISHING A STATE. IT IS APARTHEID TO ISOLATE THE PALESTINIAN POPULATION IN THIS WAY. IT WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A STATE, EVEN IF IT IS CALLED A STATE.

116. OTNIEL SCHNELLER WHEN I SAY A PALESTINIAN STATE, I MEAN A STATE. A STATE CAN’T BE MADE UP OF CANTONS. A STATE CAN’T BE IN PARTS. AND SO THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT IT HAS TO BE TERRITORIALLY CONTIGUOUS.

117. ZE’EV SCHIFF THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPE FROM REMOVING SETTLEMENTS IN CERTAIN AREAS, SO THAT THE PALESTINIAN STATE WILL BE ABLE TO EXIST AND SO THAT THERE WILL BE CONTINUITY IN THEIR TERRITORY.

118. OTNIEL SCHNELLER SETTLEMENTS LOCATED WITHIN A CONTINUUM OF THE ARAB POPULATION AND LAND WILL BELONG TO THE PALESTINIAN STATE. SETTLERS WILL HAVE TO RELOCATE. IT WILL BE TERRIBLE.

119. NARRATOR A WELL-ORGANIZED MINORITY OF ISRAELIS STRONGLY OPPOSES EVACUATING ANY SETTLEMENTS.

120. PROTESTING SETTLER #1 WE CAME TO MARCH, TO START THE STRUGGLE, TO FIGHT. WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO, WHETHER IT MEANS MARCHING ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, OR IF IT MEANS STANDING AT INTERSECTIONS, SPEAKING TO PEOPLE.

121. PROTESTING SETTLER #2 WE WON’T LET THEM PASS. WE WILL BLOCK THE ROADS. IF THERE IS A NEED FOR FORCE, WE’LL USE FORCE. WE WON’T MOVE FROM OUR HOUSES BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS PIECE OF LAND AND ANY OTHER PIECE OF LAND IN THIS COUNTRY.

122. NARRATOR IF THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT ORDERS THE EVACUATION OF SETTLEMENTS, MANY ISRAELIS FEAR CIVIL VIOLENCE.

123. ARI ELON A WAR BETWEEN BROTHERS IS A CONCEPT THAT TERRIFIES THE RESIDENTS OF THIS LAND - AND RIGHTFULLY SO.

124. BENNY ELON WE WOULD FIGHT USING DEMOCRATIC MEANS, IN ANY LEGAL WAY POSSIBLE: DEMONSTRATIONS, OPPOSITION, PASSIVE DISOBEDIENCE – NOT VIOLENCE. NOT VIOLENCE. IF THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SO STUPID AND SO BEREFT OF ROOTS AS TO DO SUCH A THING, THEN SO BE IT. WE’RE NOT GOING TO KILL OUR BROTHERS.

125. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA I DON’T BELIEVE THAT IT WILL REACH BLOODSHED OR CIVIL WAR. IF THE STATE REACHES AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NATIONAL MAJORITY AND WITH THE MINORITY, THE SETTLERS WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT IT. IF FORCE IS NECESSARY, THEN FORCE WILL BE USED.

126. OTNIEL SCHNELLER IF IT WERE TO BE DECIDED THAT MA’ALEH MICHMAS WON’T BE HERE, THEN TO MY GREAT SORROW, AND IN MOURNING, AND WITH A SENSE OF DESTRUCTION, I WOULD STAND AT THE FRONT OF THE GROUP THAT DECLARES THAT THE UNITY OF THE ISRAELI PEOPLE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE UNITY OF THE LAND.

127. NARRATOR IN ADDITION TO BEING A SETTLER, OTNEIL IS ALSO AN OFFICER IN THE ISRAELI ARMY RESERVE. HIS UNIT MIGHT BE CALLED ON TO CARRY OUT EVACUATIONS.

128. OTNIEL SCHNELLER I TOLD MY COMMANDERS, THAT IF I AM FORCED TO DO SO, I WILL TAKE A KNIFE, A POCKET KNIFE, AND I WILL CUT MY COLLAR, AS ANY MOURNER, I WILL SAY THE BLESSING: “BLESSED ART THOU O LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE; BLESSED IS THE TRUE JUDGE.” AND THEN I WILL SAY TO ALL, THROUGH MY MOURNING AND THROUGH MY TEARS, THE LAW OF THE LAND IS THE LAW.

129. NARRATOR IN 1982, AS A RESULT OF THE CAMP DAVID PEACE AGREEMENT, ISRAEL ENDED ITS OCCUPATION OF THE SINAI PENINSULA, WHICH IT HAD SEIZED DURING THE SIX-DAY WAR. 7,000 ISRAELI SETTLERS WERE EVACUATED FROM THEIR HOMES.

130. EZRA SADAN THERE WERE DEMONSTRATIONS, WILD BEHAVIOR THEN, BUT THERE WAS A STRONG MINISTER. IT WAS SHARON, WHO DID THE EVACUATION, AND HE DID IT WITH A STRONG HAND. HE CARRIED OUT DECISIONS QUICKLY AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE. I WAS THEN THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE. AND WHATEVER THE POLITICIANS DECIDED, WE HAD TO FOLLOW THROUGH. WE HELD THE PURSE AND WE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT SETTLERS WOULD EVACUATE QUIETLY AND MORE OR LESS WILLINGLY.

131. NACHUM SCHEFFER IT’S NATURAL THAT PEOPLE WOULD OPPOSE EVACUATING THEIR HOMES, BUT IN THE END, WE ACCEPTED THE LAW. WE GOT INTO OUR CARS, AND EVERYONE LEFT.

132. NARRATOR NACHUM SCHEFFER AND ZOHAR SADEH WERE AMONG THE 7,000 ISRAELIS FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOUSES IN SINAI IN RETURN FOR PEACE WITH EGYPT.

133. ZOHAR SADEH WE HAD BEEN IN SINAI FOR 11 YEARS. THE DECISION WAS VERY DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAD ESTABLISHED A WONDERFUL SETTLEMENT THERE.

134. NACHUM SCHEFFER SOMEONE HAS TO SIT AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE LIKE ME AND TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED THE EVACUATION.

135. ZOHAR SADEH IT IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TO INVOLVE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. IT’S A DIFFICULT PROCESS.

136. NACHUM SCHEFFER IF THEY HAVE TO TRANSFER SETTLEMENTS, THEY SHOULD TRY TO MOVE A SETTLEMENT WITH ITS POPULATION, IN A COHESIVE WAY, TO A PLACE THAT RESEMBLES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THE PLACE THEY COME FROM. WHEN YOU TAKE A PERSON FROM A DESERT WITH STONES, YOU SHOULD BRING HIM TO A NEW DESERT WITH STONES.

137. ZE’EV SCHIFF THERE IS NO OTHER WAY BUT TO COMPENSATE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOSING THEIR PROPERTY AND WHO ARE MOVING TO ANOTHER PLACE.

138. EZRA SADAN MY ASSESSMENT IS IT WILL COST ABOUT $500,000 PER FAMILY. THIS IS THE LOWEST ESTIMATE I WOULD USE. TO EVACUATE 10,000 FAMILIES, IT IS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT IT WILL COST THE TREASURY FIVE BILLION DOLLARS.

139. NACHUM SCHEFFERTODAY, AFTER THE FACT, I’VE ALREADY BEEN HERE FOR 21 YEARS. THE FARM IS GLORIOUS. I LOVE IT. I’M PROUD OF IT.

140. ZOHAR SADEH I SAY THAT, WITH EVACUATION, THERE IS A CRISIS, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET OVER IT. IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN’T GET THROUGH. MY WOUNDS HAVE HEALED. I SAY, THERE IS LIFE AFTER EVACUATION.

141. NARRATOR AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS MIGHT WELL INCLUDE A SWAP OR EXCHANGE OF LAND.

142. BRIG. GEN. DOV SEDAKA IN MY VIEW, THE IDEA THAT THERE SHOULD BE A LAND SWAP IS CORRECT. ALSO, IT WOULD MAKE EVACUATION OF CERTAIN SETTLEMENTS EASIER, WHILE LEAVING IN PLACE THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY SHOULD STAY.

143. NABIL KHATIB IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE EXCHANGED LANDS BE EQUAL IN SIZE AND VALUE, SO THAT PALESTINIANS WILL HAVE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE LANDS OCCUPIED IN 1967.

144. NARRATOR IF THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE FOR ISRAELI SETTLERS INCLUDES EVACUATION, THEY ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFERED LAND INSIDE ISRAEL, SUCH AS IN THE NEGEV. SHIBI ELON, WHO IS BENNY AND EMUNAH’S SON AND ARI’S NEPHEW, IS ALREADY PIONEERING IN BUILDING A NEW COMMUNITY IN THE NEGEV.

145. SHIBI ELON IT’S AWESOME. THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF FOUNDING A COMMUNITY, A SETTLEMENT, TRULY FROM NOTHING. IT’S REALLY SATISFYING,

146. SHIBI ELON GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE NEGEV THE DESERT, AND ALSO THIS SETTLEMENT AND THIS SPIRIT HAVE DEEP ROOTS. YOU REALLY FIND YOURSELF OFTEN FACING YOURSELF, FACING BASIC EXISTENCE, FACING GOD, FACING FAMILY AND ASKING THE QUESTIONS AND BEING FORCED TO DEAL WITH THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ALSO DIFFICULT.

147. BENNY ELON THERE WAS, AND THERE REMAINS, A COMMANDMENT TO SETTLE THE LAND OF ISRAEL. THE NEGEV, JUDEA, SAMARIA, THE GALILLEE. I HAVE NEVER FELT LESS LOVE FOR ANY AREA OF THE GREATER LAND OF ISRAEL.

148. ARI ELON IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL IF ALL THE ENERGY THAT BENNY AND THE FOUNDERS OF BEIT EL USED TO BUILD THEIR SETTLEMENT COULD BE INVESTED SOMEWHERE ELSE.

149. BENNY ELON WE ARE A FAMILY WITH DIFFERENT VIEWS, AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL ARE ONE FAMILY WITH DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

150. ARI ELON I THINK IT’S VERY NATURAL FOR BROTHERS TO HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

151. BENNY ELON ONE NEEDS TO REMEMBER THAT WHILE ARI AND I HAVE OPPOSITE OPINIONS IN POLITICAL AREAS, WE ARE BROTHERS, AND WE LOVE EACH OTHER. AND IT WOULDN’T ENTER MY MIND THAT I WOULD CAUSE HIM ANY HARM. IT IS THE SAME WITH THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

152. ARI ELON WE ALL AGREE THAT THE LAND IS OURS, AND SINCE IT IS OURS WE HAVE TO PARTITION IT. AND THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO HEAR FROM BENNY. HE DOESN’T HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE. SOMEDAY, HE WILL SAY IT. DEEP INSIDE, HE KNOWS IT.

153. SHIBI ELON I THINK THIS CAN BE DEFINED AS A DISAGREEMENT FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN, WHICH ACTUALLY LEADS TO A DEEPER AND BETTER EXAMINATION OF SITUATIONS AND THE BEST SOLUTION POSSIBLE.

154. NARRATOR FOR ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS TO FIND THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION, BOTH SIDES WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN THEIR MAXIMUM DREAM.

155. HISHAM ABDEL RAZEQ A POLITICAL SOLUTION WOULD DENY BOTH THE ISRAELI GRAND DREAM AND THE PALESTINIAN GRAND DREAM. IT WOULD REQUIRE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES TO LIVE IN PEACE AND TO END THE STATE OF WAR AND CONFLICT.

156. ZE’EV SCHIFF WE CANNOT LIVE ON OUR SWORDS FOREVER. TO KILL AND BE KILLED.

157. NABIL KHATIB EACH SIDE WAS BROUGHT UP ON DREAMS. BOTH PARTIES SHOULD PERHAPS REACH A TRUCE WITH DREAMS, WHICH IS HARD TO DO, ON THE HUMAN LEVEL.

158. ISRAELA ORON IT IS SAID OF US ISRAELIS THAT WE’RE PESSIMISTIC, THAT WE LOOK AT THE GLASS BEING HALF FULL, AND THAT WE ARE FEARFUL AND ALWAYS PREPARE FOR THE WORST… WELL, FIRST OF ALL, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING WE HAVE GOOD REASONS FOR ACTING THIS WAY. STILL, IF YOU’RE NOT LOOKING FORWARD AND WILLING TO TAKE A FEW RISKS, YOU WON’T GET ANYWHERE.

159. NABIL KHATIB IT’S A DIFFICULT TRANSFORMATION FROM BEING PRISONERS OF PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THE PAST TO LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE.

160. ISRAELA ORON I THINK THAT A PALESTINIAN STATE SHOULD BE FOR THE PALESTINIANS, WHAT ISRAEL WAS FOR ME AND FOR MY PARENTS WHEN WE CAME HERE. THE REALIZATION OF THEIR DREAMS, TO BE INDEPENDENT, TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THEIR FATE.