Reach Out for Peace in Israel and Palestine, Part 5

Ronen Lazarov
34 years old, Jewish
family lives in Rome.
Diamond trader

“I came to Israel in '82. I was a fervent Zionist, I admit that I was a bit narrow-minded. Maybe I was full of prejudice. The Palestinians weren't a people. Today I recognize their identity and I think that they should have their own country. When I arrived here I thought that I would achieve perfection. Now I'm tired of the way in which most people behave, so arrogant and irritable, although I do appreciate their pragmatism and solidity compared to Europe. Even diamonds have begun to bore me. I've opened a pizzeria.”

Mohammed Khallaf
42 years old, Arab
born in the Arabic port of Isra, lives in Jaffa.
Greengrocer

“This land has always produced many fruits: grapefruit, oranges, figs. But the best melons are from the city of Jenin. It's a pity I can't sell them. I'm over the green line, in the occupied territories so I can't buy them. During the Intifadah in Jenin they used them as flags in the protests. It was forbidden to wave the Palestinian flag, but the melons have all its colors, white, red, green and black.”