Noemie Nalbandian
Deputy Head Nurse at Hadassah Medical Center-Mount Scopus
People ask if I hate the Turks. I do not hate the Turks, I hate what they did to my grandparents. They have to recognize what they did and apologize. I live in a world where the Arabs and Jews fear each other and can’t depend on each other. The wounds and the sorrow are continuous—the way my ancestors were treated and the way Jews, Christians, and Muslims treat each other. It goes on and on. I teach my children, “If you strike the person who hit you, you are no better than he is.” We can’t get out of this mess if we strike back. [..]
Dima Aweidah-Nashashibi
Deputy Director of Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling
Women suffer. There’s an increase in domestic violence because of the political violence and poverty. And women cannot come to our Centers because of checkpoints. The Jerusalem area is completely closed off by the Wall, and the villages around are isolated so women cannot move easily from one place to another. [..]
Maha Saca
Founder-Director of Palestinian Heritage Center
The past 18 years I’ve worn black. I’ve been with martyrs and refugees. I’ve attended demonstrations and visited people in hospitals. I used to wear black to these occasions and when I returned, I’d change into the colors I love—red and yellow. But I wasn’t taking a stand if I dressed in black for a martyr and then changed. I vowed that after Jerusalem is our capital, I’d wear color again. For now, I add embroidery to connect to my heritage through fashion. [..]
Terry Boullata
Documentary producer
In the construction of the Wall most of the fertile land on the border between Israel and Palestine was confiscated to the Israeli side. These are the most fertile areas, the main food basket for the Palestinian Territory. [..]
Weaam Dawoud Ali Iriqat
Director of Public Relations and Culture for Jericho Municipality
Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Most people read about it in the Bible. We showcase the way the people live, the natural beauty of Jericho, the charm of the city, the magnificent, hospitable people. [..]
Tal Kramer
Former Executive Director of Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel
Working with women who have been raped or sexually abused, you must listen to hear their particular needs, desires, and voices. They are so varied and so different from each other. Everyone reacts differently in the world of sexual abuse, and each person has a different way of coping. [..]
Siham Chalabi
Facilitator at Daliat El-Carmel Community Center
The Druze are conservative people who believe in one god. There are religious Druze and secular Druze. One of our principles is that wherever we are, in whatever country, we have to be loyal to that country. We are concerned not only with our own interests but with the interests of the country. We do everything “Israeli,” everything. We have people in senior positions and regular jobs in the government. Our children serve in the army. We are Arab Druze, but we have a good life with the Jews. We love our country. [..]
Ghada Issa Ghabboun
Co-Director of Hope Flowers School in Bethlehem
My father worked ten years before he managed a room for us outside the refugee camp. Even the walls and windows weren’t complete, but it was a palace because it was outside the camp. Father used to say, “We are the victims of the victims.” He meant the Holocaust victims, but my Israeli friends try to build bridges. We have a painful history, and it has to stop. We can’t keep killing each other. [..]
Ilanit Melchior
Co-Director of StartUp Jerusalem
When you invest in the economy, you invest in relationships. The market is the creator and founder of relationships. Jerusalem is the poorest city in Israel, young people are leaving. You find a lot of ultra-Orthodox who are not part of the working labor. We want to make sure in years to come that this will not be an empty city. And we want realistic operations between East and West Jerusalem, a reality where people respect each other and work together. The economy is a primary way to do this. [..]
Ihsan Mohammed Turkieh
Comedy writer and actress
A checkpoint is a horrible scene, but as a comedian, I like to play the simple Palestinian lady. She says to the soldier, “Please, my daughter, she is in the hospital, let me go to see my daughter.” He barks, “Do you have a permit? If you don’t have a permit, you will not pass.” She pleads, “Let me go, let me go.” He yells, “Yallah, get away from here!” She curses the Wall and yells back, “I wish a tsunami takes the Wall, takes you. Then both of us will be at rest at the end!” The Israelis laugh, but it is very black comedy. [..]
