For these kids its a thriling day out - tanks,
trenches, and abudant war stories. A visit to this
battle site - Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem - is a rite
of passage for every Israeli school child.
They come here to learn THEIR history, told from the
side of the victors.
SOT young israeli boy: "Here our brave men fought with
all their might..to fight off the Arabs for the glory
of israel and Jerusalem.."
They learn how heroic young jewish soldiers died to
secure the homeland.
SOT ...Teacher
"All those names written here along with another
20,000 soldiers that were killed throughout the wars
are the reason we can walk around freely today..."
but its freedom that's come at a price .40 years after
that victory, the spoils of war appear as
much a curse as a blessing. Its as if the war never
ended.
Certainly thats the impression 10 minutes drive to the
north, where these walls of separation, built by
Israel, surround the city of Ramallah.
Beyond those giant walls, palestinian schooolkids are
sitting their end of year examinations...There's
little disguising whats on their minds - occupation...
SOT schoolkid.......'I cannot be free...they took my
country,....its not their home...its not. this is
palestine....".
SOT schoolkids
Palestinian Boy
"At checkpoints i see alot of israelis,. they have
alpot of guns...alot of things they wear, they are
scared of palestinians... thats' why they are scare of
boys, three years old...
Inigo: Why?
They take our freedom and they know what they are
doing is not right. That is why they are scared.."
YOUNG girl sot. ..."I wish I had my freedom. they dont
let us go to our aunts and grandmothers and
grandfather. they are so mean to us.."
It's a sadly familiar story - Palestinian children
talking about being victimised by their israeli
occupiers.
But many Israelis argue that its
palestinian educators and their distorted media who
are
instilling such hatred..While for Palestinian
children, it's the Israeli victory in 1967 which has
locked each generation into a cycle of confrontation.
back in Jerusalem there are institutions dedicated to
monitoring what palestinian media broadcasts - and
conveying their resserach to the international media.
Palestinian media watch, recently releassed this much
talked about clip from Hamas television featuring a
Mickey Mouse lookalike which, they say, incites
Paslestniians children against Israelis.
And here's another clip from palestinian tv. showing a
young
boy (ssaying goodbye) dreaming of become a palestinian
martyr
(aston=
SOT Itamar Marcus
Palestinian Media Watch
For many Israelis, and Jews overseas, it's TV clips
like these - and
the propaganda they seem to portray - that exemplify
why
their small state is still vulnerable - and why the
lands won in 1967 can never be relinquished...
But there are some Israelis who claim that much of the
mistrust stems from indoctrination of their own youth.
UPSOT Dr Nurit Peled el Hanan....'they teach..."
Dr Nurit Peled el hanan, has been researching israeli
school textbooks . And she's found that racist and
derogatory attitudes towards Palestinians are
prevalent....
(ASTON)
SOT
Dr Nurit Peled el Hanan
Israeli reseacher and academic
."the way israeli kids are taught in
schools leads leads directly to the behaviour...."
(VISSUALS>...clashes between israelis and
Palestinains)
And its at the checkpoints that israelis and
Palestinians have come to know each other other -
largely seeing such scenes through their own
viewfinder.. Education may be one thing - but reality
is
another, for parents and children alike...
(ASTON)
Inigo Gilmore
(Inigo Piece to camera..........)
As hopes for compromise have receded in recent years
it's to the younger generatrion of isaeli and
palestinan that people have tuurned..But even among
them there is little commoppn narrative on which to
build hope and trust...
SOT Israeli kid: THey throw bombs at us
SOT Palestinian..girl...I hate them because they are
my enemies and when they grow up they will be just
like their parents..."
SOT israeli kid: the only palestinians....we see are
the ones throwing stones...
SSOT palestinina kid: we can never trust them etc
Inigo to Kid: If the young generation are not talking
to each other how will this ever be resolved.????
isreaeli kid: "I dont know...I really dont know"
Forty years after the 1967 war each side perpetuates
its own narrative of victimhood and suffering. So
perhaps its not suprsing that the walls of distrust
between the children of Israel and Palestine have
never been more difficult to break down.
inigo Gilmore,More 4 news, Bethlehem
trenches, and abudant war stories. A visit to this
battle site - Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem - is a rite
of passage for every Israeli school child.
They come here to learn THEIR history, told from the
side of the victors.
SOT young israeli boy: "Here our brave men fought with
all their might..to fight off the Arabs for the glory
of israel and Jerusalem.."
They learn how heroic young jewish soldiers died to
secure the homeland.
SOT ...Teacher
"All those names written here along with another
20,000 soldiers that were killed throughout the wars
are the reason we can walk around freely today..."
but its freedom that's come at a price .40 years after
that victory, the spoils of war appear as
much a curse as a blessing. Its as if the war never
ended.
Certainly thats the impression 10 minutes drive to the
north, where these walls of separation, built by
Israel, surround the city of Ramallah.
Beyond those giant walls, palestinian schooolkids are
sitting their end of year examinations...There's
little disguising whats on their minds - occupation...
SOT schoolkid.......'I cannot be free...they took my
country,....its not their home...its not. this is
palestine....".
SOT schoolkids
Palestinian Boy
"At checkpoints i see alot of israelis,. they have
alpot of guns...alot of things they wear, they are
scared of palestinians... thats' why they are scare of
boys, three years old...
Inigo: Why?
They take our freedom and they know what they are
doing is not right. That is why they are scared.."
YOUNG girl sot. ..."I wish I had my freedom. they dont
let us go to our aunts and grandmothers and
grandfather. they are so mean to us.."
It's a sadly familiar story - Palestinian children
talking about being victimised by their israeli
occupiers.
But many Israelis argue that its
palestinian educators and their distorted media who
are
instilling such hatred..While for Palestinian
children, it's the Israeli victory in 1967 which has
locked each generation into a cycle of confrontation.
back in Jerusalem there are institutions dedicated to
monitoring what palestinian media broadcasts - and
conveying their resserach to the international media.
Palestinian media watch, recently releassed this much
talked about clip from Hamas television featuring a
Mickey Mouse lookalike which, they say, incites
Paslestniians children against Israelis.
And here's another clip from palestinian tv. showing a
young
boy (ssaying goodbye) dreaming of become a palestinian
martyr
(aston=
SOT Itamar Marcus
Palestinian Media Watch
For many Israelis, and Jews overseas, it's TV clips
like these - and
the propaganda they seem to portray - that exemplify
why
their small state is still vulnerable - and why the
lands won in 1967 can never be relinquished...
But there are some Israelis who claim that much of the
mistrust stems from indoctrination of their own youth.
UPSOT Dr Nurit Peled el Hanan....'they teach..."
Dr Nurit Peled el hanan, has been researching israeli
school textbooks . And she's found that racist and
derogatory attitudes towards Palestinians are
prevalent....
(ASTON)
SOT
Dr Nurit Peled el Hanan
Israeli reseacher and academic
."the way israeli kids are taught in
schools leads leads directly to the behaviour...."
(VISSUALS>...clashes between israelis and
Palestinains)
And its at the checkpoints that israelis and
Palestinians have come to know each other other -
largely seeing such scenes through their own
viewfinder.. Education may be one thing - but reality
is
another, for parents and children alike...
(ASTON)
Inigo Gilmore
(Inigo Piece to camera..........)
As hopes for compromise have receded in recent years
it's to the younger generatrion of isaeli and
palestinan that people have tuurned..But even among
them there is little commoppn narrative on which to
build hope and trust...
SOT Israeli kid: THey throw bombs at us
SOT Palestinian..girl...I hate them because they are
my enemies and when they grow up they will be just
like their parents..."
SOT israeli kid: the only palestinians....we see are
the ones throwing stones...
SSOT palestinina kid: we can never trust them etc
Inigo to Kid: If the young generation are not talking
to each other how will this ever be resolved.????
isreaeli kid: "I dont know...I really dont know"
Forty years after the 1967 war each side perpetuates
its own narrative of victimhood and suffering. So
perhaps its not suprsing that the walls of distrust
between the children of Israel and Palestine have
never been more difficult to break down.
inigo Gilmore,More 4 news, Bethlehem