« Thematic Highlights

Family

Yafit Gamila Biso
The Olive Tree Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I didn't see my grandchildren, my son's children, for a year. He is religious and the rabbis told him -- I don't know who told my son's rabbis, though during the activities we attend we're photographed everywhere we go -- that "your mother associates with Arabs." They thought they would apply some pressure. I kept calling my son for a month saying I was coming to see the kids and he found reasons, "mother don't come, we're going, we're coming, we're cleaning." Finally I said, "What's the story? Can't I come visit my grandchildren?" And he said, "To tell the truth mother, I'm miserable, it's hard for me, and one of the rabbis said last week that as long as my mother associates with Arabs my life won't get easier." I said, "You know what? You, and your children and your rabbi won't change my opinion."”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Yoa'ad Shbita
Building Bridges for Peace, Reut-Sedaka Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I do know that I want things to get better. That's why I'm not sitting at home or working and studying for the college entry exams. I want things to change. I'm only nineteen, my grandmother is eighty and she went through the whole Nakba. And she's still willing to accept the things that I'm doing [living in a communal house with Palestinian and Jewish Israelis]. Maybe not that we live together with boys and that I live away from home, but the fact that we're working on this, that there are Jews who come to our family's house, that we go to demonstrations; she's eighty and was expelled from her village and she can accept it! "Do it," she says!”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Nasser Laham
Maan News, Bethlehem Television Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I used to have a vision, but now I don't anymore. Is that a disgrace to say that I don’t know? I really don’t know. I wish I did, and then perhaps I would be able to explain things to my children. The hardest questions come from them. I have 13 year old twins. They say to me, “Dad, what about Israel?” But I’m as silent as a mule. I can’t explain things to them because it pains me. I don’t know what to tell my son – whether he should carry on and build a family or stop; whether there is hope that the Israeli people will make decisions or the generals will continue to decide; whether Dan Halutz will decide or rather you will; or my friends in Israeli society, the journalists, will.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Itamar Shapira
Combatants for Peace Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Parents usually say, "Of course not. My sweet Yoram would never do such a thing." I know quite a few parents like that and I am familiar with what their sons did. It's true, their son would never do such a thing because at home he's a good boy and a very nice guy, but if he's in control, tired and people are pissing him off, he changes a little. He doesn't even have to be really annoyed for the situation to trigger him to contribute to a continuous sense of humiliation: though he himself serves in the Territories for only two years, later sweet Yoavi replaces him, and for the past 40 years an entire population has been humiliated, therefore Palestinians end up involved in the struggle.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Majed Tbeileh
Nablus Youth Federation, The Future Generation Hands Committee Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I was married and was forced to divorce because I couldn’t continue with my work while I was married. My work had a negative affect on my wife even though she used to work with me. Today, I think that I will be forced to marry somebody from outside Nablus, because I will not find the woman I want in Nablus. That is because the community doesn’t accept my work. The community is afraid of my work with the Israelis.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Meir Margalit
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ My children were in seventh and eight grade. They told me, "Daddy, people are saying you help terrorists." That broke me. Even if they did realize it wasn't true, that's it. It clings to you and continues with you and your children have to deal with other kids saying, "My dad read in the paper that your dad collaborates with terrorists." This is a pretty radical example, but I think it represents the price you pay when you go all the way with your opinions, when you don't cut corners.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Ester Golan
Interfaith Encounter Association Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ The thing is when my mother wrote that my father died, I had something concrete. I had a letter, I cried. But because of not knowing about my mother, I sort of had visions that she might be with the partisans, that she might be in hiding or something. I gave birth to one child after another, and we were struggling to survive. There was no literature around [about the Holocaust], and nobody to talk to. It's very difficult to explain. There was a lot of sadness and I suffered from depression, but eventually, with the Eichmann trial, you couldn't escape listening because it was in the newspaper, it was on the radio, everyone talked about it, but it was very impersonal. It wasn't my mother, it was other people. So it took longer. I can't tell you what I did think because I don't know. Things which are not recorded, I can't recall. But I know that I cried a lot. That I do know. I had years of deep depressions.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Majed Tbeileh
Nablus Youth Federation, The Future Generation Hands Committee Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ In the current situation, the conflict, in which children face tanks and are sometimes caught in the middle of the armed struggle, we forget that children are still children despite the tragedy. We should enable children to enjoy their childhood as much as possible so that they won’t become violent in the future, not in terms of political violence only but in terms of domestic violence as well. Many Palestinian children who grow up in this situation become violent domestically. Personally, I am more concerned about the issues of youth and children than about the other issues I mentioned.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Ihsan Turkiyyeh
Arab-Hebrew Theatre in Jaffa Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ In the end for me he [my husband] was killed, and he sacrificed his life fighting the Israelis. He wanted to go home. The last thing he said to me was, "I love you, I love my kids, but I love Palestine more. I want my children to live in dignity. I don't want my children to live as refugees like us. It's very hard. We lived without dignity. We were humiliated by Arab regimes, and by the Israelis. We have the right to live as people. If I die I will die for this cause." That's what he said. What shall we do? That is our life.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Ayelet Shahak
Association for the Commemoration of Bat-Chen Shahak, Bereaved Families Forum Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Our daughter Bat-Chen was killed by a suicide bomber in Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv in 1996, exactly on her 15th birthday, according to the Hebrew calendar. She was born on Purim and she was killed on Purim. The doubly happy day of Bat-Chen's birthday and Purim, which is the happiest holiday, has become a very sad day. For us Purim is when fate got turned upside down. There is no more Purim at home. Instead of sending mishloach manot and receiving mishloach manot, our friends bring us memorial cakes. Ofri and Yaela do not wear costumes and do not go to parties, although Yaela, in the past two years has begun to go to parties. Ofri still has not. This period of Purim is hard.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

George Sa'adeh
Bereaved Families Forum Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ We were a well-connected family, we miss her so much; for her actions, for her movements, and for her love for people. She loved swimming, music and playing the piano. She participated in the millennium celebrations even though she was a child of 12. She took a Hebrew language course. She was very active and had a lot of hobbies. In addition, she was good at school, her friends loved her, and so did her teachers and principal. I imagine that everybody misses her but I know that we cannot change the reality we live in. We can only hope that through our love for her and for people there will be peace so that families and mothers can take care of their children and not go through the hardship and pain that we went through.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Dr. Khuloud Dajani
People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Working for peace not only pertains to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; we work for peace as part of cultural education or social education. Our society is reacting to the oppression, the suffering, the economic and social crises and the current problems. Psychologically, human beings unconsciously act as defenders. The lack of peaceful upbringing affects children’s daily behavior and their emotional and philosophical upbringing. […]Therefore, raising awareness about peace education is crucial. A culture of peace has to be practiced and lived daily, and to be embraced through behavior and speech.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Ali Abu Awwad
Bereaved Families Forum, Al Tareek (The Way) Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ During the recent intifada I became connected to the conflict in a different way. I was badly injured in my leg by an Israeli settler and my brother was killed by an Israeli soldier in a totally inhuman way and without any reason. The soldier shot my brother from a distance of two feet only because he was talking to him. This isn’t human conduct at all. At the time, my brother Yussif didn’t know that the Israelis had issued a new law. He didn’t know that it was forbidden from opening his mouth; we were supposed to keep our mouths shut. My brother broke that law, and since then I decided not to shut my mouth.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Yoa'ad Shbita
Building Bridges for Peace, Reut-Sedaka Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I was born in Tira. My family on my father's side is from a village that was uprooted in 1948, from a small village, Miske, near Tira. I think it all began from that. That is, I couldn't have known from the age of one that my family was uprooted, but while I was growing up I began to understand. My family also got involved because of this. I'm also the daughter of two pretty involved activists. My mother is very, very active.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Gershon Baskin
IPCRI (Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information) Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Well, my daughter, who is going to be 18 in July, has decided to refuse to serve in the army. She's written her letter to the army saying why she refuses to serve in the army because she refuses to support the occupation. She wrote in her letter that since she was a baby she's been going to demonstrations against the occupation, so how now as an adult could she go and serve the occupation. […] I fully support her. I sat with her to make sure that the reason that she was refusing to serve was not because she was lazy and didn't want to do the army service, or that she was looking for a way out. There are a lot easier ways to get out, and I wanted to be sure that she was willing to pay the price for her decision. I believe that in a democratic society when you refuse to observe the law you have to be prepared to pay the price, going to prison. I told her that I would be very happy to come and spend my Saturdays over a year or two years visiting her in prison. I wanted to make sure that she made as a point in her letter that she was a loyal Israeli and was willing to serve the country in a non-military civilian service. She is and she's willing to do that, and she wants to push for that. I'm fully supportive of her. If I had to go into the army today I would do the very same thing.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Salwa Abu Libdeh
Dialogue On The Road Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I was raised in a very conservative home, I learned that the land equals the soul, and my brother died for that cause. Our dream is to go back to our home. My father died here, but he always used to tell us about his house and the fields of orange trees. We have carried on his dream to this day and in turn I tell my children about the house of my family in Jaffa. We will pass it from one generation to the next; this is something that will never be forgotten.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Ihsan Turkiyyeh
Arab-Hebrew Theatre in Jaffa Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I am a mother, this is the first thing. For me, my son is better than all Palestine, to see him alive. How could I be happy if they gave me all of Palestine and my son was not in it? [...] Yes, this is different than what my husband said, I am different. Maybe also that time was different. In my husband's time we were at war and it was difficult. But now we are in a process of peace. We already started a process of peace, now we have to continue it. Why do we have to lose souls and people? If we want Palestine, we will get it with papers that they sign, not with souls.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Helmi Kittani
Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Look, the conflict impacts my personal life in a harsh manner. I'm in Baka el-Gharbiye and it is located on the seam line, just on the Green Line. My mother is from a village that is over the Green Line. So my family is located on the other side of the wall and it is difficult for me to keep up natural and normal contact with them. Even if a relative dies I cannot always participate in the mourning - if they live on the other side of the Green Line. And likewise, it is hard for my relatives, my cousins, to come and participate in my happy events or, mourning, God forbid. ”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Michal Zak
The School for Peace Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ First of all, on the level of motherhood, I've become very over-protective [since the second intifada]. Now I'm done with that. I've changed and now I'm a total believer in determinism. During the first two years we wouldn't let them [our daughters] budge. Anywhere. And they really didn't go anywhere. We used to go to the weekly demonstration and that's it. That was their only outing. We went every week, got falafel or pizza - that was our good time. Afterwards I stopped being like that. I decided that it's all in God's hands anyhow… not in mine.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Yafit Gamila Biso
The Olive Tree Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I have many problems with my family because I help Arabs. One of the most significant things took place about a year ago. I didn't see my grandchildren, my son's children, for a year…. He said, "To tell the truth mother, I'm miserable, it's hard for me, and one of the rabbis said last week that as long as my mother associates with Arabs my life won't get easier." I said, "You know what? You, and your children and your rabbi won't change my opinion."”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Salwa Abu Libdeh
Dialogue On The Road Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I don’t want to lose my son. I lost my brother before and that’s enough. I want my son to grow up and get educated. Until this day I think about my brother and what it would have been like if he had lived and had a family and children. Until this day my mother grieves for him. He died in 1979, but she still keeps his clothes in a bag and takes them out once in a while to look at them. Why? Doesn’t she have the right to see her son grow up and have a life?”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Itamar Shapira
Combatants for Peace Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ Shovrim Shtika’s central concept is that there is a conspiracy of silence inside Israeli society that initially starts between a soldier and his family. When a soldier is on leave, he never talks about exactly what he’s doing and how many people he beat up or if he killed anybody, or how many people or their identity, or how many houses he blasted. These issues are kept between a soldier and his friends; there is also a more profound conspiracy of silence within a soldier himself in that he doesn’t consider his own actions. People reach different states of aggression as a result of being in control, yet they are tired and frustrated and just kids. Society is silent about what appears in the papers, about the little that is published. There are other pacts of silence, but this is the main one we want to call attention to and get out in the open.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Meir Margalit
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ First of all, I'm afraid [regarding my children's military service]. I certainly am afraid of their military service. Second, I respect their decision. Third, I wish they would refuse to serve. But I do understand the pressure. At that age, growing up in a place like Jerusalem, peer pressure has the ultimate say and I can't force them to start paying the price now, excluding themselves, fighting with friends, all because they would refuse to serve.”  [Source in Complete Interview]

Dr. Khuloud Dajani
People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy Portrait »
Interview Highlights »

“ I once told her [my daughter] that we were attending a meeting for peace, and she answered: "Mom, don't kid yourself. You are not working for peace; you are working for surrender." She was eight years old then. She challenged me. The peace we are working for ought to be a genuine peace for the courageous. People should be convinced that peace is in line with what they want. People think that peace is surrender. My daughter's reaction was normal for her because she was living in the midst of the intifada and violence. She was thinking, "What are you talking about?"”  [Source in Complete Interview]