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They make peace by aiming deadly punches at each other's heads. Forty year old Sharon Friedman is a lawyer, religious Jew and a boxer. Her opponent is a 16 year old Palestinian, Amal al-Haj. They are fighting for the title of Israel's first female boxing champion. Jerusalem correspondent, Dominique Schwartz, uses this extraordinary bout as a parable for the personal trauma facing Israel, as Jew and Arab attempt to find common ground on which they can co-exist.

So put in the mouthguard, don the padded helmet and join Dominique ringside for the Camp David sequel. To find out who wins on a technical knockout, you'll just have to wait for the referee's decision.

CD Player/Sharon exercising

Music

21:29

Schwartz: At 40 years old, Sharon Friedman is fitter than most women half her age. She needs to be.

21:47

Amal training

Amal al-Haj is 16 – young enough to be her daughter.

21:58

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Schwartz: They come from different worlds, but both want the same thing – to be Israel's first female boxing champion.

22:10

Map

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22:22

Sharon/Jerusalem

Schwartz: This is where Sharon Friedman draws her inspiration.

22:33

Sharon: There's no place in the world like Jerusalem. I love it here, it's my new home.

If you just drive through Jerusalem or walk through Jerusalem, just breathe in Jerusalem, you can't help but feel that there is such an enormous spirit here.

It's easier to connect to God here. I feel very lucky to be here.

Sharon at Wailing Wall

Schwartz: Sharon is a religious Jew from New York. Her three brothers are rabbis. A trained lawyer and literary agent, she found her true calling soon after arriving here two years ago.

Sharon: Boxing is what I love and what I do best.

22:56

Sharon

There's something that comes over you, or gets into you, where you know it's not just – there's not just something completely physical. You're kind of a vessel, for something spiritual. And you feel it, and you feel it just as much when you're working out as when you're in a synagogue, or when you're in nature. They're all ways of feeling connected to God.

23:13

Schwartz: Have you always been a fighter?

23:31

Sharon: Well, my brothers named me 'Shark Bite.'

Once I took a bit out of them, once I took a bite out of anybody, they were never quite the same.

Amal

Schwartz: That doesn't scare Amal al-Haj.

23:42

Amal: I don't know that much about her. When we fought once she lacked both movement and speed. When I do all my effort in the ring, without any mistakes, why shouldn't I win?

Kfar Yasif

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24:06

Schwartz: Amal lives in Kfar Yasif, an Arab-Israeli town in the north of the country. Although most Palestinians here are Israeli citizens, as Arabs in a Jewish state, they feel the need to make their mark. Many do – through boxing.

Training session at boxing centre

Radwan: Keep going… one step at a time, backwards. Frighten him… He jumps backwards – you follow him – punching left… right.

24:25

Schwartz: Kfar Yasif boasts Israel's largest boxing centre – home to the national team.

24:31

Amal has been training with the best of them.

The country's undisputed king hitter is Palestinian, Tewfiq Bassisse, Israeli super heavyweight champion number three in Europe.

24:44

He believes Amal has star quality, and could be as good as the daughter of boxing legend Mohamed Ali.

Tewfiq

Tewfiq: Amal has the courage to win -- she has the courage of a boxer. That is, to become like Leila Clay. There is hope that one day she will become like her because she has her courage and techniques.

25:00

This is the start of her journey. This is where I started as a boxer.

Dr. Shahada

Schwartz: Amal's coach is Dr. William Shahada – chairman of Israel's boxing association.

25:18

Dr. Shahada: I believe that the woman must have chance like the men, in everything.

Schwartz: Three years ago, he took on his first female recruits, his two teenage daughters and their friend, Amal.

Some people laughed, but Dr. Shahada is used to breaking new ground.

Dr. Shahada with awards

Dr. Shahada: I was champion of Israel boxing 1977. I was in Atlanta in 1996 in the Olympic Games, champion of north Germany for three years.

25:40

Schwartz: Dr. Shahada's sweetest victory was in 1977, when he won the right for Arab-Israeli boxers to compete in the Maccabiah Games – the Jewish Olympics.

Dr. Shahada

Dr. Shahada: It was difficult because I am Arab, and the Maccabiah Games was for the Jewish people. But the sporting federation in Israel said Shahada William is the Israel champion, he must take part in the championship of the Maccabiah, and then I won the gold medal also.

26:05

Sharon training

Schwartz: Now his dream is to see women in the ring, competing for Israel. He's on his way. In a few days, Amal al-Haj and Sharon Friedman will fight to become Israel's first female boxing champion.

26:27

Schwartz: Does it make you feel like one of the boys, Sharon?

Sharon: Yeah, there are women's version, I already won. This is kind of embarrassing, I had to stuff it with a sock.

26:44

Adolfo: Step into my office please.

Music

Sharon

Sharon: They've broken my nose, they've torn my cornea, they've knocked me out, concussion. So they're not afraid to hit me.

27:20

Adolfo

Adolfo: Women can do pretty much anything a man can do. You know, some men have a hard time swallowing that, but the truth is that's the truth.

27:32

Sharon: Most people are afraid of pain, they're afraid of getting hit, afraid of being hurt. And once you kind of get beyond that, you just feel like you know I'm strong, I'm beautiful, I'm powerful. I can do whatever I want. It's all like, up here.

Sharon with family

Schwartz: Sharon initially took up boxing to learn self defence, and to get fit – probably to keep up with her four energetic children.

28:06

Sharon's husband, Weldon, a Afro-American convert to Judaism, finds the publicity more confronting than his wife's choice in sport. As for the kids, at first they couldn't quite believe their mother's new passion.

28:16

Sharon's daughter

Schwartz: Did you think it was a bit weird that your mum wanted to do boxing?

28:30

Daughter: Yeah. Very.

Schwartz: So would you ever think about boxing?

Daughter: No. No way.

Sharon

Sharon: I don't really know where it's going to take me. I'm kind of going to take it one fight at a time. But I really hope to be an inspiration for women, especially women of my age, you know, who are – for many of them they feel like the physical part of their life is over.

28:42

Amal's family

Schwartz: In Kfar Yasif, there's at least one 40 year old woman who isn't inspired by Sharon's killer punch – the mother of her opponent, Amal.

29:06

Nadia: It is difficult to figure how Amal is going to play against someone who is my age – 40 years old. That's why I am worried for her.

29:28

Schwartz: Nadia al-Haj is used to the idea of Amal boxing, even though it first came as a shock.

29:37

Nadia

Nadia: She was a ballet dancer – and all of a sudden she wanted to box. I asked – "How come… from ballet to boxing?"

29:43

Schwartz: For Amal, boxing was a chance to learn self defence. For her uncle, Mahmoud, it was a sign Arab society had come of age.

29:54

Mahmoud

Mahmoud: A young girl goes into the ring and fights. This shows our society is developing and that we are living in good times of freedom.

30:05

Nadia

Schwartz: Despite her maternal misgivings, Nadia will go to the fight – now, just one day away.

30:20

Nadia: It's difficult – she's our only daughter. We waited seven years to have her. What shall I do? I have no option but to support her because that is what she likes -- and I like to support her.

Sharon training/Dr. Shahada

Dr. Shahada: What's important for us is more the meeting between two women – Jews and Arabs – they make friendship, they make peace.

30:48

Schwartz: Despite their different ages and backgrounds, the two boxers see only what unites them.

Sharon

Sharon: I don’t think I would have an opportunity to meet someone like her in the daily course of my life, except for boxing. So I think boxing is a great way to bring people together.

31:06

Amal

Schwartz: Do you feel a connection with Sharon?

31:18

Amal: Certainly, yes… because boxing is patience and we both have patience – in addition to many other things.

Sharon

Sharon: I would like to try to knock out my opponent. I would like to try to neutralise her, and make sure I don't get hurt. That's the job.

31:31

Amal

Schwartz: What will you be thinking about when you're up in that room tomorrow?

31:42

Amal: Winning.

Boxing stadium/Amal and Sharon's fight

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31:49

Schwartz: Weighing in at 55 kilos, Amal al-Haj is the home town favourite.

Sharon Friedman has three kilos and 24 years on her young opponent. This is not the first time these boxers have met in the ring.

32:04

They fought an exhibition bout a few months ago. It was a draw.

Bell

Schwartz: This fight is for real.

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Schwartz: Sharon is slower, but stronger. By the end of the two minute first round, the pounding has taken its toll.

32:38

With two rounds to go, the pressure is on.

32:53

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Schwartz: Thirty seconds into the second round, Sharon lands her killer punch.

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Schwartz: Sharon Friedman is Israel's first amateur women's boxing champion.

33:20

Sharon

Sharon: I feel so great, I could go on for another ten rounds, I feel great.

33:26

Schwartz: Amal al-Haj is gracious in defeat. She knows she has time on her side.

33:34

Amal

Amal: Winning or losing – it doesn't matter. This is boxing. You either win or lose. We must be patient.

33:41

Schwartz: Amal's mother, Nadia, considers the result a small victory.

33:52

Nadia: The result was okay, because Amal is okay.

Sharon on phone

Sharon: I'm finished. All done. I won. Yeah!!

34:00

Schwartz: The battle over, they're the best of friends. But only until the next time. As Israel's only real contenders in women's boxing, they're bound to trade blows again.

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34:25

Credits:

Reporter: Dominique Schwartz

Camera: Andrew Sadow

Kobi Yonaton

Editor: Nissim Mossek