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. [..]
Jihad Abu Zneid
Member of Palestinian Legislative Council (Fatah party), Jerusalem
My name means “holy war” or “struggle.” I was born in 1967 after Israel occupied the West Bank. My father named me Jihad because he felt I would be a jihad. To me, it means a struggle for a just peace, women’s issues, for all Jerusalem issues. [..]
Michal Cafrey
Lawyer and Senior Advisor to Ministers in the Knesset
I am Israeli, a right-winger, and a feminist. I am not for the building of the Wall, I think Jews and Arabs should co-exist. I don’t see an end or solution right now, but I know my policies. Menachem Begin, a right-wing president, brokered the first peace treaty with an Arab country, Egypt, and it continues to this day. Maybe it’s a cold peace, but it’s a peace for 30 years. [...]
Galia Golan
Commentator, author, professor, and co-founder of Peace Now
People aren’t afraid to use the word occupation today. I think people who don’t use the word are blind or unjust. I can’t understand them. There are, of course, people on the far Right who believe we liberated these territories in 1967—that the West Bank, Golan Heights, maybe even the Gaza Strip are God-given territories promised to Abraham. They would reject the word occupation. [...]
Nira Lamay
Deputy Commissioner of Knesset Commission for Future Generations
A few weeks ago I was stopped at a barrier on my way to work. I asked the policeman, “If I were blonde with blue eyes, would you have stopped me?” He was very embarrassed. My intuition says that, when there is trouble on this road, his intuition tells him that stopping someone who is dark, who might be Arab, is a natural thing to do. This is how it is. This is my existence in Israel. [...]
Molly Malekar
Director of Bat Shalom of The Jerusalem Link
As a peace activist, you have chances every day to feel angry. You deal with peace, but you deal with violations of peace and human rights. I’ve tried to build an internal discipline not to be angry. One thing that relieves me is—maybe it’s age—knowing that peace will not be achieved within my lifetime. We have a long way to go and will not necessarily see the fruits of our work. It’s a marathon—and anger destroys energy.
Muna Salim Saleh Mansour
Member of Palestinian Legislative Council (Hamas party), Nablus
My husband joked, “What would you do if I were killed?” I said, “I would cry.” He said, “It is okay to cry.” I said, “The house is too small to accommodate mourners.” Mourners arrived in busloads. The march on the day of his death was the largest ever in Palestine. People from surrounding towns and villages joined the funeral even though the Israeli occupation placed roadblocks. [...]
Episode 7: Politicians
Listen to what Israeli and Palestinian women have to say to the politicians.
Amira Dotan
Member of Knesset and retired Brigadier-General
Feminism is the ability to do what you want to do. It must be on the table immediately that there are two different genders. Women need to believe that men are who they are and we are who we are, and to be proud of who we are instead of spending so much energy imitating men. Then we will have more energy to do what we want to do, and questions of harassment and violence lessen because men see you as equal. [...]
Patricia Smith: Monday
Books still not here, but promised now for delivery at 10 am tomorrow. High stress, a million phone calls, some cajoling.
So let’s talk about the Israeli elections instead, for most likely the most complex democracy on the planet. The Knesset is currently “dissolved” for elections. What is more interesting than the elections [...]
