Love In Conflict

By Osama Massarwa

Naji ( a Palestinian boy) and Tamar ( an Israeli girl are peace activists. They meet at a peace conference and fall in love at first sight. can their love survive the Israeli- Arab conflict still unsolved? Can it transcend the barriers of religion, culture, race and politics? Do their families accept their queer relationship? Do the tragedies that strike their two peoples affect it? Do they stick to their beliefs and principles? Do they waive their wright to be different? Do they stand firmly against the hurricanes of mutual hostility and hatred? “Love In Conflict” tells their unique love affair and the multi- dimensional conflict they have to deal with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jul 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684706419

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Massarwa

Copyright © 2019 Osama Massarwa.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0642-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0641-9 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 06/19/2019

Chapter 1

Meeting Tamar

Naji used to get up at seven o’clock every morning, but since he was too excited that morning, he got up at six. He walked into his mother’s bedroom intent on awakening her, but she wasn’t there. She had to be in the kitchen, he thought to himself, and he was right. Salwa, his twenty-year-old sister, was also there to help his mother prepare breakfast and the sandwiches he and his two brothers would take to school. His mother heard his footsteps approaching, and turned to look in his direction.

Why are you up so early, Naji? his mother asked in astonishment. Is there anything wrong?

No, mother, I’m okay. I just want you to cook something special today.

Every day I cook something special, Naji, she protested.

I know, mother. Today, however, I want you to cook something very special.

May I ask you why? she said.

Naji lifted a chair and placed it next to his mother’s. When he sat down, he lifted her hand gently and kissed it. We’re having guests today.

As far as I remember, she said, looking questioningly at Salwa, we’re not having any guests today, are we, Salwa?

I suppose not, mother, Salwa said, sipping her tea silently.

They’re my guests, mother. You see, a group of Israeli students are coming to my school today.

A group… she exclaimed.

Not all of them, mother, he interrupted, two or three at the maximum. You don’t have to panic.

That’s fair, Naji, she said.

What’s wrong with you, mother? You’ve always been generous and hospitable.

The Arabs are famous for their good hospitality, Naji. However, due to the continuous siege, we hardly get our own supplies.

I know, mother, I’m just kidding.

Don’t worry, Naji, Salwa said cheerfully. We’ll cook them the most delicious dinner they’ve ever had.

Thank you, Salwa. I just want you to make them the most delicious ‘Konafa’ you’ve ever baked.

Don’t worry, Naji, ‘Konafa’ is my specialty.

I need another favor, sister, please, he entreated.

Of course, what is it?

I want you to iron my blue shirt.

You must learn how to iron your own clothes, Naji, his mother said, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

He’ll learn in due time, mother. Where’s your blue shirt, Naji?

It’s on my bed, Salwa. You’re the greatest sister a brother can ever have, said he, getting up and smiling in satisfaction.

I know, brother, she giggled.

After finishing high school, Salwa tried to look for a job, but she could not find any. As a result, she spent most of the time at home, reading any random book or magazine that Naji happened to bring home from the small, quaint school library. That was rare for the school administration could not purchase new books very often. In fact, most of books and magazines were donated by former students or individuals who had had some kind of link with the school. Salwa was so passionate about reading, and she used to read indiscriminately for the range of choice in a poor Palestinian village was always very limited. Ironically, that passion of hers was the only reason for the constant squabble with her mother over who should do the chores. Otherwise they used to get along splendidly.

Unfortunately, home wasn’t one’s castle in the occupied territories. It could be targeted by any Israeli aircraft, tank or military boat once they found out that it was harboring a wanted person. If some innocent people were killed in the process, it would be considered a collateral damage. Even after they had been asked to evacuate their homes, many Palestinians were killed remorselessly. And strangely enough, the Israelis always had the nerve to justify even the most horrible atrocities against the Palestinians. If somebody protested, he would be accused of anti-Semitism. No place was safe or sacred in the Palestinian territories. It had to be their lethal destiny to live in a conflict that seemed to be going forever. In spite of the endless rounds of direct and indirect negotiations, peace was still a far-fetched dream. What a sickening farce! Firstly, the Israelis had conducted indirect negotiations; then they moved forward to direct negotiations. And when the Palestinians realized that the Israelis were not sincere at all about the whole peace process, they were obliged to stop those rounds of futile negotiations. Nothing seemed to satisfy the Israelis, despite the unspeakably generous offers made by the Palestinian negotiating team. Sworn enemies did reconcile and made peace at a certain point of their struggle, however, the Israeli-Arab conflict seemed to be unsolvable. Naji wished that the future generations of both peoples would learn how to reconcile and start a new era of peace, prosperity and cooperation. That was the reason why a group of Israeli students was coming to his school.

The two schools actually had to put off the visit many times because of the ‘Intifada’ which ended a few years of relative peace. Those were years of prosperity when the Palestinian workers were allowed to work in Israel. However, man couldn’t live on bread only. Unlike the foreign workers, who would go back to their original countries after having saved a good sum of money, the Palestinians wanted more than just a financial gain. They wanted freedom and independence. They wanted to live in dignity and above all to control their destiny.

To Naji’s delight, there were no violent acts the last few months, and Naji wished so hard that the Israeli students would finally pay them the visit he had been expecting for a long time. So thrilled and elated he climbed down the concrete, slippery stairs confidently. As a marathon runner, he then walked briskly along the narrow, dirty alleys of the neighborhood, waving now and then to those shopkeepers that had already opened their shops and were busy placing their merchandise on the pavements in front of their old looking shops.

Salwa! his mother called soon after he had left.

Yes, mother.

Get a pencil and a piece of paper and write down the provisions I want you to buy, she demanded, pouring herself a third cup of coffee despite Salwa’s persistent demand not to drink so much coffee. When the task was accomplished, Salwa put the list and the money her mother could afford in her small, black leather purse, and walked down the stairs carefully. The small local market was exceptionally crowded because the Israeli authorities had allowed the shop keepers to open their shops, as a good gesture to the Palestinian president whom they had been fooling for so many years. And Naji often wondered how a man could let himself be fooled for such a long time, especially when his people’s rights were violated repeatedly. And when the Israeli leaders were asked why they couldn’t reach a peaceful agreement with him, they would say that he didn’t represent all the Palestinians since Gaza was completely ruled by Hamas. And Naji wondered what they would say, had all the Palestinian fractions, including Hamas, united under the leadership of Abu Mazen. Of course they would say then that Abu Mazen preferred to make peace with Hamas and not with Israel. What kind of peace were they offering him, for God’s sake? Besides, why should the Israelis fear such a union? It might turn out to be a stepping stone toward peace. Who could tell? Naji would wonder then.

It usually took Naji twenty minutes to reach his school. That day, however, it took him seven minutes less. He skipped looking at the dreadful, ominous graffiti on the walls. He even didn’t bother about the bad odor, emanating from the drainage water flushed out of the condense monstrosities, lining the winding, narrow alleys of the neighborhood. Those were kind of concrete boxes built at random in which random people used to live. As for the village itself, it was basically a refugee camp that first harbored the Palestinian refugees of 1948. Then the refugees of 1967 came along, and the village grew bigger, dirtier and poorer. The first tents were set up on top of a low hill, and were gradually replaced by wooden shacks. At first the refugees didn’t care because they believed, or made to believe, that their transition was temporary, just for a few days after which they would go back to their original homes.

More than sixty years had passed during which his village grew bigger and bigger, not only because of the birth rate which was actually the highest in the whole world, but also because of the increasing numbers of Palestinians who were frequently driven out of their temporary homes. No sooner had they settled down than they were driven out once again so that more Jewish settlements would be built to harbor more thousands of new settlers who were not necessarily Jewish. Ironically perhaps tragically, the Israeli judicial system had always given the Israeli authorities the legal justification. Any thing that had to do with Israel’s interests was automatically legitimate. There was no place for any ethical or human considerations. Even when that discriminating system happened to pass a verdict on behalf of a Palestinian family, it would never be carried out.

Despite those bitter facts, Naji glided on through the wet, narrow, winding paths and skillfully evaded the poultry, feeding in the open sewage canals, flowing along the alleys of the neighborhood. When he reached his school, he saw Mr. Sodqi, his history teacher and the man in charge of the whole project, talking to a few students in the school yard.

Now that you all are here, said he, looking at each one of them placidly, I want you to make your classroom neat and proper to receive our guests.

We want to put up some hangings, Mr. Sodqi, said Fareed enthusiastically.

Do whatever you like, guys. Show me your skills. When you’re done, I want you to carry all these refreshments and place them on the tables. Go ahead, guys; I know I can count on you, don’t I?

Absolutely, Mr. Sodqi, Naji said zealously, walking right away in the direction of his classroom, followed by his classmates, who were taking part in that unique event.

The classroom was soon like a mad house, where every one was busy doing whatever he or she was skilled for. The girls decorated the ceiling with colorful hangings. Nadia drew a very big dove and wrote the words ‘peace’ and ‘welcome’ in Arabic, Hebrew and English on the cracked blackboard. Rania arranged some flowers in a brown vase, while Samara prepared paper-hearts on which the students would write their names for identification. When every thing was ready, Fareed came up to Naji and told him that Khalid and Mona were dissuading the other students from taking part in what they called a ‘miserable farce’. Naji was so upset that he intended to go out and talk to them hadn’t Mr. Sodqi sent the janitor to call him.

Naji rushed out immediately and when he was about to enter the teachers’ room, he narrowly collided with Mr. Sodqi who was just coming out.

Come on in, Naji, said he, stepping back. I want you to deliver a speech on behalf of your classmates.

Naji didn’t hesitate because Mr. Sodqi had given him such an assignment many times before. Besides, Naji spoke Hebrew very well. During the school vacations he used to work for Israelis, and very often he was obliged to stay in Israel for many weeks. Consequently, his friends believed that he had become too close to the Israelis. They even called him ‘the damaged Palestinian’.

They’ve changed you. They’ve brainwashed you. You talk like one of them, they used to say whenever he argued with them. When Naji finished writing the speech, he left the teachers’ room and once he was out, he saw some of his classmates coming in his direction, looking very concerned.

What is it, guys? he said, coming up to them.

Are they coming, Naji? Hussein exclaimed.

Do you think these visits are useful, Naji? Will they change anything? Kamal inquired.

Will they lead to any kind of normalization? Fareeda added.

Look at the bright side, guys, Sami said laughingly. At least we’re enjoying the warmth of the spring sun, let alone skipping seven classes two of which are mathematics.

As they laughed heartedly at Sami’s funny remark, Kamal shouted excitedly, Hey guys, there’s a bus coming toward the school.

The school was located in the middle of the plains, and since they rarely saw buses coming in its direction, every body hurried to the front gate to cast a curious look. I think they’re coming, Naji said, unable to conceal his excitement.

They all watched the bus move ahead until it actually stopped at the gate. Mr. Sodqi hurried to meet them and when he reached the gate, he asked the guard to let them come through. The bus drove on very slowly and stopped at the far back of the schoolyard. Two Israeli soldiers got off and surveyed the area with their eyes. A few seconds later, five Palestinian soldiers came up to them. The soldier, who was in the lead, saluted them and they saluted him back. After a short conversation the Israeli soldiers allowed the Israeli students to come down.

In his greeting speech Naji wished the Jewish guests a very pleasant visit.

And a very safe one, one of the Jewish students added. They all laughed, though deep in their hearts they shared him that precious wish.

I wish we all would have a better chance to make peace, Naji concluded.

When the applause was over, the Jewish teacher asked Tamar, a tall, blond girl with crystal blue eyes, to speak on behalf of her Israeli classmates. She talked about the importance of those visits which would give the Israeli students the opportunity to talk freely and frankly to their Palestinian counterparts.

I believe we can live peacefully together if we learn how to trust each other. We must be ready to move ahead and forget our past grievances, she went earnestly. The Israeli-Arab conflict will never be solved by the sword. Unfortunately, our region has experienced many wars, resulting in a lot of suffering for both peoples. Both peoples are destined to live side by side. They deserve a better future, and it’s our responsibility as Israeli and Palestinian youths to make it a sure reality.

After she had delivered her speech, she handed Naji a silver clock made by her classmates as a token of good will. Naji took it and showed it to his classmates triumphantly as if it was a cup.

As it ticks, she added with a charming smile, it warns us that time is running out. Therefore we have to act together right from this moment. I believe we can overcome this bloody conflict once and for all. This visit however dangerous it might be, she then concluded as she looked at the cautiously smiling faces of her classmates, is a stepping stone in that direction.

As expected, the visit was opposed by some fractions of the Israeli and the Palestinian communities. Many Israeli parents were afraid to send their children to a very dangerous place in the occupied territories, especially at a time when the Palestinian uprising was at its peak. Furthermore, the Israeli, radical parties whether religious or secular tried hard to make the school administration cancel the visit. Those parties had their followers among the teachers and the students and they all combined forces, but the principal and Mrs. Levi were courageous enough to carry out the visit. Mrs. Levi, in particular, had to face not only verbal attacks but also physical injuries. She was twice hit by stones thrown at her by a few extremely religious young men who were waiting for her at the parking lot, not to mention her car which was badly sabotaged. Being their history teacher and a person who believed in peace, Mrs. Levi wanted her students to do something different than usual. She wanted them to have new experiences and think independently.

Whenever she taught about the Israeli-Arab conflict, she didn’t just mention events and dates. She wanted them to think about those events and see if they really made them feel safer. And most importantly, she wanted them to take a stand based on their own understanding. She didn’t want them to be brainwashed or act like robots controlled by the same fanatic political leaders who had been capturing the Israeli, political scene for so many years. It was a hard mission, but it was necessary despite the harmful results that would ensue later.

Just yesterday in her last attempt to convince some of her students to come along, she had to swallow their rude remarks.

Don’t try to convince me, teacher. I won’t meet those bastards who killed my brother, Miriam said furiously.

I’m sorry for your loss, Miriam, Mrs. Levi said sympathetically. I lost my only son too, and that’s exactly why we should talk to them.

We mustn’t talk to them; this is our country and they must leave it, Mordechai shouted.

You can’t throw them out of their homes, Mordechai, Tamar said in an attempt to support Mrs. Levi. They have the same right to exist as we do.

Didn’t they try to throw us into the sea, Tamar? ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. That’s what they can understand. Mordechai said.

I’ve never been in an Arab village before and I feel it’s going to be a great adventure, Galeet, Tamar’s best friend, said.

I can’t understand your enthusiasm, Galeet, Ofer said mockingly. The Arab girls won’t understand you and the boys will take advantage of you, so don’t make a big deal out of it.

This is not the matter, Ofer, David said skeptically. It’s a matter of life and death. This visit can kill us all and I’m damn serious about it. It’s not safe to drive along our main roads, the more so to drive into a hostile Palestinian territory. You seem to live in outer space, Galeet. And you, Tamar, stop filling her head with this stupid gibberish about peace.

Still we have to go, Tamar replied resolutely. This bloody conflict must stop. It can’t go on forever. We’ve tried everything in our power to subdue them, have we succeeded?

Similarly, on the Palestinian part there were certain groups that opposed the current visit on the excuse that nothing would change the Israelis. They claimed that the Israelis could talk about peace for centuries, but what they really wanted was to annex more of the Palestinian lands to build new settlements until the two-state solution would become absolutely impossible. The visit, they said, was just another show the aim of which was to deceive the world and hide the Israelis’ sinister schemes.

Nevertheless the visit was finally carried out, and Naji was so happy to receive the clock on behalf of his classmates. However, he felt sorry that he couldn’t present her with something they had made at school. How could they make electronic devices in a school where the electric power could be cut off any time due to the Israeli policy of collective punishment? In turn he presented her with a carpet, picturing the Dome of the Rock in East Jerusalem.

During the morning hours the students took part in different social activities ‘to break the ice’ as Mr. Sodqi had put it. One of the activities was to find similar Arabic and Hebrew words. The students could find hundreds of those words in no time, and it was not surprising because both languages were Semitic, not to mention the fact that both peoples were descendants of Abraham.

According to the primary plan the Israeli students should have lunch with the Palestinian families. However, their teachers decided to cancel it as a precautionary measure against any mishap that might unexpectedly happen. As a result, they had lunch at school and soon after they were free to hang around or play football. The boys, who naturally preferred to play football, were asked to form mixed teams to prevent any friction that might ruin the idea of cooperation which was the main goal of the visit in the first place.

The two Israeli soldiers, who kept guard outside the classroom while the students were engaged in their social activities, also kept guard in the schoolyard. Two other Palestinian soldiers safeguarded them from afar. Since the students had to stay at school, the teachers didn’t have to introduce the students to one another. They let them introduce themselves in person and form groups, containing members of both nationalities. However, the task didn’t go well so the teachers had to intervene. Obviously, the majority of the Jewish students were girls, the Palestinian students, on the other hand, were mostly boys. When people met for the first time, first impressions were very important. As far as Naji was concerned, he could fit into any group. Yet deep in his heart he wished Tamar would join his group because when she handed him the clock and shook his hand, he felt as if an electrical current came over his body. He was enchanted in a way that he couldn’t understand.

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, but that look shouldn’t be measured by any time unit. Sometimes one single moment, look or word could turn one’s life upside down. That particular look was one hell of an experience. It actually hypnotized him on the spot. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn’t know, but he knew then that his life wouldn’t be the same any more. Was he possessed by some magical power beyond his understanding capacity? How could he explain the fact that one moment he felt happy, elated and excited, the next he felt afraid, worried and confused? Those questions and many others kept humming in his head. He didn’t want to believe that he fell in love with her at first sight; it would be insane to think so, even suicidal. Wake up, he told himself. This is not a fictional love story or a romantic movie. This is the reality of the Israeli-Arab conflict. So stop deluding yourself unnecessarily, please, else you’ll suffer the bad consequences.

The only thing that woke him up was Husein’s loud call. Come over here, Naji, he shouted. Hussein, the clown of the class, was talking to a few Jewish students who seemed to be enjoying his funny jokes. Tamar was there too and when Naji came over, he avoided looking at her for the excitement, which he was experiencing for the first time in his entire life, might be just a creation of his own imagination. In fact, he believed that it was very presumptuous of him to assume that she might have any feelings for him. She came to his school because she believed in peace as many other Israelis did, but without any concrete results for the extremists still shaped the Israeli policy. When Husein finished the repertoire of his jokes, he suggested that they should go to the nearby orchard and bring some oranges. The orchard belonged to the school, yet Naji was not sure it would be safe for the Israelis to go there. Therefore he suggested that he would go and bring some himself.

Wait a minute, Naji, Tamar said, I want to talk to you.

Naji looked at her and then at Hussein for a moment.

You can stay, Naji. I’ll go with Kamal, said Hussein who noticed Naij’s embarrassment. Come on, Kamal, let’s go.

Nobody could imagine how happy Naji felt at that particular moment. In fact, he didn’t believe his own ears. It was too good to be true or too much to anticipate.

Should we sit there? Tamar said, looking as radiant as the sun.

Okay, Naji whispered, overcoming his embarrassment.

They both walked silently toward a half broken bench nearby. When they sat down, Tamar asked him curiously, What does your name mean, Naji?

It means the survivor, said he humorously.

What happened to that building, Survivor?

Nothing unusual, Tamar. One of your helicopters targeted it. The result is very obvious, I suppose. said he, keeping up with her ironic remark about his name.

If this is a joke, it’s a silly one, she protested.

Life itself is a silly joke. If you take it seriously, you’ll end up with a heart attack.

The Qassam missile, which hit an Israeli school yesterday, wasn’t a silly joke, Naji. I’m sure you saw it on television, didn’t you?

Naji was embarrassed because he knew that those mutual accusations were not the right way to start a friendly conversation. Unintentional as they might be, they would lead to nowhere. They would just widen the gap between them and consequently raise the wall of mutual mistrust even higher. Yet he wondered whether they could actually refrain from talking about those matters if they were to meet once again.

Wherever there’s a conflict, people get hurt and I believe you’ve taken the risk to come over here not to argue with me, Naji said calmly to end the vindictive attitudes they both had.

I guess not. Actually, I don’t want to talk about such matters, not now at least.

Okay, said he contentedly though he wasn’t sure he would see her again. Then to change the subject, he added, How was your trip, Tamar?

Very scary.

I don’t think otherwise, Tamar.

That morning as their bus was heading toward the unknown, the Israeli students felt that their trip was going to last forever. Glued to their seats all that they could do was to stare bleakly at the Palestinian villages they passed. In fact, the more Palestinians they saw along the way, the more frightened they felt. Their fear grew to the extent that they believed that any minute a Palestinian would come out of nowhere and start shooting at them.

You don’t have to fear anything now that you are here, Tamar, he said, smiling cautiously.

I don’t know, Naji, she said gloomily.

‘What is it, Tamar? You look somehow troubled."

The trip was too hard for me. You know this is my first visit to a Palestinian village and I’m not coming to a friendly place either.

The unfriendliness of the place manifested itself in the grim faces of hundreds of Palestinians who waited at the military check-post. The old veiled women in black sat on the hot, rocky ground on both sides of the road, while the younger ones stood nearby in the scorching sun. They all waited for the Israeli soldiers to grant them passage from one part of the Palestinian territories to another one. Getting permission to come to Israel was something completely different and highly unattainable.

As they were waiting to get permission to move on, Tamar saw an old pickup approaching the barrier in spite of the regulations that demanded otherwise. The mad screams of a woman inside the vehicle were so heart breaking that they drew the attention of every body there. When the vehicle stopped, a middle-aged man came out and walked forward toward the soldiers, keeping guard under the roofed check-post. The two soldiers, who kept guard on the high concrete castle-like building, spotted him instantly.

Go back, or I’ll shoot, the soldier on the right furiously shouted in a loudspeaker. The man, however, ignored his threats and walked on toward the soldiers, guarding down below. The soldier then fired twice in the air, terrifying all the passengers who rushed back right away. The elderly, however, had a considerable difficulty getting up and walking to safety behind the rocks scattered all over the adjoining field. The younger ones had to help them, while the mothers had a hard mission appeasing their children’s fear. The soldiers soon surrounded the reckless man with their drawn up rifles.

Don’t move any further, the one on the lead shouted.

The man stopped at once and pointed at the pickup. The soldiers looked at the car suspiciously, and were about to open fire at the vehicle hadn’t they heard the mad screams of a woman. The man, however, didn’t freeze as he really should do. Instead, he continued to point at the car, and as it turned out later the man’s wife was on her way to deliver her baby at the district hospital, six miles away beyond the check-post. One of the soldiers was relatively considerate and asked him to show him his ID. The man nervously searched his pockets and finally managed to find it among the numerous papers in his pockets. However, when he went to fetch his wife’s, he found out that she hadn’t brought it with her.

I’m sorry; she can’t pass, but you can, the same soldier said.

Don’t you get it, soldier, the man screamed. My wife’s going to deliver her baby. Please forget about those papers, for God’s sake.

This is not my problem, the soldier replied indifferently. You should have brought all the necessary documents with you.

The man looked at the soldier unbelievingly, and murmured a few words as he looked up at the sky desperately. When his anger or perhaps prayer was over, he looked down at the soldier and said, Her birth pangs came upon her all of a sudden, and the baby’s head is almost out.

The papers, the papers, the soldier reiterated.

Having failed to convince the soldier to let his wife pass, the frustrated man had to go back and fetch his wife’s documents. However, when she finally reached the hospital, the doctor had nothing left to do but pull out the baby’s dead body.

When the sad scene was over, two Israeli soldiers came up and asked Mrs. Levi to follow them to their cabin.

I’m sorry for the delay, Mrs. Levi, said their commander. It’s for your students’ safety and yours, of course.

It’s okay, commander, thank you, she said and was about to leave when he said, Why should you do this, Mrs. Levi?

Do what, commander?

Going into hell, he said.

She has a suicidal tendency, one of the soldiers remarked.

They all have it, another one commented sarcastically.

You know something, Tamar? Naji then said, noticing that she was absent minded for a while.

What?

My mother will be very disappointed today.

How so? said she in astonishment.

According to the original plan you should have lunch with my family. The teachers, however, had to change the whole plan at the last moment. Isn’t that disappointing for a person who’s been preparing lunch since the morning?

It surely is, especially for Arabs who are famous for their good hospitality.

Poor Salwa, she must have taken a lot of trouble, making you some ‘Konafa.’.

Who’s Salwa?"

She’s my elder sister.

Unlucky me, you know the Arabs, whom my father used to employ, often brought us a variety of oriental sweets. However, when they stopped working for us, he had to buy us some himself whenever he happened to be in East Jerusalem.

What does your father do, Tamar?

We have a farm where dad cultivates different kinds of crops which he used to sell to Arabs among others. That was a long time ago before they stopped coming.

Why did they…?

The deafening noise of two military helicopters interrupted his question. To Tamar’s astonishment when they were about to fly over the school, Naji got up on an impulse and ran away for a short distance before he managed to control his fear and come back sheepishly.

What’s the matter, Naji? she said deeply concerned.

Nothing, Tamar, I’m sorry, he said, looking down at the ground.

Noticing his embarrassment, Tamar didn’t want to embarrass him any longer. Instead she said, What did you want to ask me?

I’m sorry, I don’t remember. What did we talk about?

We talked about the Arabs who used to work for dad.

O yes, I just wanted to ask you why they stopped working for your dad?

Because of the ‘Intifada’, what else?

And the siege and the wall too, he added. The former doesn’t allow us to cultivate our lands; the latter prevents us from merely reaching them.

Let’s hope for the better, Naji said she in apparent frustration.

Though he was still agitated by the sudden appearance of the two helicopters, Tamar’s sad look made him forget his own misery. He even felt ashamed of himself for having to run away. Yet he felt so moved by her frustrated wish that he felt obliged to cheer her up.

I feel so optimistic today. The fact that you’re here strengthens my belief that peace is inevitable.

I hope so from the bottom of my heart.

One more thing, Tamar.

What is it?

I believe God won’t let down a very beautiful girl, will He?

"Thank you though I don’t think I’m that