Faces and views

Noor Baida

I stay at home most of the day; the situation is very difficult. [Palestinian, Muslim, aged 19, seven siblings, has finished school but can't go to university because his family doesn't have the means to support him; Jayyous, West Bank.]

Mahmoud Jaddeh

All sorts of obstacles are put to Palestinians who'd like to be authorized tourist guides; this ensures that tourists receive a biased and exclusive view of Jerusalem. You can't be in favour of peace if you deny the very existence of the other. [Jerusalemite of African descent, Muslim, former political prisoner, works as an educator; East Jerusalem.]

Yehuda Stolov

We need to learn how to live together, and for that humanizing the other is key; when people meet face to face, prejudices and stereotypes evaporate. [Israeli, Orthodox Jew, founder of the Interfaith Encounter Association, which brings together Jewish, Muslim and Christian Israelis and Palestinians for interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural study; West Jerusalem.]

Khouloud Alajarma

I hope one day Israelis and Palestinians will live together like brothers and sisters as they did in the past; for that to happen, the Israeli people has to realize that we Palestinians have rights just like they do and stop the occupation. [Palestinian, Muslim, aged 20, university student and volunteer at a youth centre in Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, West Bank.]

Ursel Kammann

I made the decision to always speak friendly to the soldiers, trying to create a certain atmosphere; otherwise one becomes very angry, because what is being done to Palestinian farmers is so mean that people wouldn't believe it. [German, Christian, ecumenical accompanier; Jayyous, West Bank.]

Salim Aref Jacir

I'm father of eight children who don't want to get married because they don't see any future. I want my land back; I want my life back. [Palestinian farmer, Muslim, who has been cut off his land by the 'separation barrier'; Jayyous, West Bank.]

Tamar Avraham

No people has a monopoly of suffering; acknowledging someone else's tragedy doesn't diminish my own, but being unable to do so is certainly a problem. [Israeli, Jewish, of Christian and German origin, works as a researcher on issues related to the Holocaust; West Jerusalem.]

Hisham Sharabati

My friends call my shop The Resistance Café, because although we lose money keeping it open in the midst of closed shops, we are determined to stay; in this way we provide a feeling of safety to people who otherwise wouldn't dare to walk these streets. [Palestinian journalist, Muslim; Hebron, West Bank.]

Abdul Latif Khaled

Some Palestinian cities, completely surrounded by the 'separation barrier', are open-air prisons, except that people there are encouraged to leave. The 'separation barrier' is not about security; it's about confiscating land and water. [Palestinian, Muslim, water engineer; Jayyous, West Bank.]

Olav Fykse Tveit

It's sad to see that in Bethlehem, where peace was announced to the shepherds, people can't live in peace; I'd like to tell people in Europe to come and visit a city that is safe and makes for a unique experience. [Ordained Lutheran minister and head of the Church of Norway's Council on Ecumenical and International Relations; Oslo, Norway]

Christina Biere

Peace education for children and youth may be a key factor to achieve a lasting resolution of the conflict. Holy Land churches are willing to undertake this challenge but need support from the worldwide ecumenical family. [Young Lutheran theologian member of the WCC central committee; Greifswald, Germany.]

Victor Batarseh

Tourism to Bethlehem has plunged to 15% of what used to be. We need pilgrims who stay overnight in our city. Before 1948, Christians were 92% of the population here; today we are only 35%. [Palestinian, Roman Catholic, physician, elected Mayor of Bethlehem on an independent list in 2005; Bethlehem, West Bank.]