Israeli and Palestinian children
show promise for peace
By Catherine Turner
Massachusetts Daily Collegian
May 1, 2002
It seems like every day in the news, no matter whether it's on television or in the newspaper, there are reports of more violence and strife in the Middle East, particularly in the area of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Though there is little encouraging news about the conflict, there is hope for peace. One example of this optimism came last night in a film entitled, "Promises," which was shown in the Campus Center Auditorium.
The film, which is a collection of profiles and stories of both Israeli and Palestinian children, was filmed over a three-year span, from 1997-2000, during a relative calm.
One of the directors of the film, B.Z. Goldberg, explained at the beginning of the film his reasons for embarking on such a documentary and for concentrating solely on children.
"I knew that the children here had something to say and no one was asking them what they thought of the conflict or the peace process."
Seven children were highlighted from different areas in and around Jerusalem. Each child lived 20 minutes or less from the others, but had absolutely no contact, or possibility of contact with each other, due to the set up of the city, and the checkpoints between Arab and Jewish areas.
The children were from: an Israeli neighborhood in Jerusalem; a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem; the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem; and Palestinian territories and refugee camps. Their political or religious affiliations ranged from Orthodox Jewish, secular, apolitical Israelis and Israeli Arabs, to Muslim Palestinians, and supporters of Hamas.
Each child was interviewed and filmed in their everyday life. They were shown dancing, playing sports, and interacting with their families and their surroundings. Each child also had a passionate opinion about the situation in their area.
"When I see a Jew, I want to pick up a stone and throw it at him," one of the children said early in the movie.
Similar sentiments were shared by other children, but the enemy was reversed. However, feelings changed as the film progressed. At one point, four children from opposite sides were introduced to one another. Liberal Israeli twins from the city spent a day with Muslim Palestinians in the refugee camps on the West Bank. The children were at first timid, but as they spent time and talked with one another, they became friends.
With the new friendships also came confusion. The film focused on the way that the children's minds opened up to the possibility of Arabs and Jews meeting.
"Arabs and Jews should meet. No Politicians, just children," one girl said.
"I used to think that people who liked the Hamas were insane. Now I can understand," one of the twins said. "If I were them I'd feel the same way."
"Peace between us is impossible unless we get to know each other," a third child said.
The concluding portion of the film was a follow-up two years later after the first, and major interviews took place. Goldberg asked each child if their opinions had changed during the two years that had gone by. The children were still skeptical of peace, but some did acknowledge that friendly interaction between Jews and Arabs was the key to a peace process.
Throughout the film there was footage of the city, its holy places and the contrasts between life inside Jerusalem, and life outside in the camps. The narrative was also interjected with historical footage from the 1948 emigration of Jews from Europe, the 1967 war, and even current news coverage of terrorist violence.
At the conclusion of the film, a representative from Campus Activities [Hind Mari, who cosponsored the program with the Office of Jewish Affairs] introduced director Goldberg, ushering in a question and answer period.
"We hope that you find that the film touches your heart the way it does ours," [Ms. Mari] said. "We hope it will be an inspiration for all of us who [want to] contribute to solving this problem." Goldberg then discussed a little bit about the process of creating the film.
"We wanted to try and tell stories about an issue in a region. We wanted to get something that would not be so complicated."
He then addressed questions that ranged from the feelings of Christians in Jerusalem, to the permits he had to obtain in order to film. Before the questions began, Goldberg discouraged the crowd from becoming too politically charged, and to keep the discussion focused on the subjects in the film.
"We'd rather try and keep the conversation to questions, rather than manifestos," he said.
Goldberg also, to the surprise of the audience, introduced one of the children from the film, Feraj, who traveled to Amherst and was there to also answer questions.
"At the time of the making of the film we were saying, 'we're the children of the world and we want peace,'" he said, according to his translator (he spoke in Arabic). "I want to be a voice for every child back in Palestine."
Toward the end of the question period, audience members began to file out. Some expressed their admiration for the film and their amazement with the children.
"The whole time they grew up hating the other side," Diana Fassbender a junior Political Science major said. "They were so young, it was easy for them to let go of those chains."
Fassbender, along with her two friends, were also surprised by the knowledge that the children possessed about history and politics, and how articulate they were.
"What strikes me is in so many ways they think they're knowledgeable about the other side, and yet it's actually next to impossible for them to get to knew people from the other side," David Mednicoff, a Legal Studies professor said. "If people like us can see the hope that these kids had and how horrible the situation is now, not only can they learn something, but it's possible that they can play a role to break thru that hostility. Idealistic committed young people here really can make and difference over there."
Goldberg was a guest in Mednicoff's Legal Studies/Middle Eastern Studies class, "Explaining Terrorism," earlier in the day. During his visit to the class he expanded on his experience in the refugee camps and in filming.
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