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Have you ever experienced kindness from an Israeli?
Yusef Nablus
No, he never experienced kindness
He has never even met an Israeli
He spent all his life in the West Bank working here
He was never in touch with Israelis
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli
or experienced kindness from an Israeli?
Tawfiq Tul Karem
Yes
Give an example
In online games on the internet we played together
and we were friends like talking
and he was from Tel Aviv
He told the Israeli about the massacres that the Israelis did to our people
He replied back that this is not me, it is the government
the soldiers and it is not the civilians
and we are looking for peace as Israelis
and we don't belong to groups, the government soldiers are doing against the Palestinians
So I told him that you elected this government that represents the Israelis
In the end (the Israeli) told him that the right wing is a high percentage
but not all people elected them
and there are too many religious Jews who want to take land of Palestine
and believe it belongs to them
and that was the end of the conversation
and he never convinced me
He didn't convince him? So you are not convinced?
No
So you wouldn't have a Jewish neighbour? (related to another question discussed)
We have been occupied since 1948
and we have been asking for peace since 1948
The President and the government is negotiating with the Israelis
looking for peace
but no answers
The Israeli government doesn't look for peace
and when Palestinians ask for peace they create new settlements
making arrests, shooting at Gaza
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
Saad Nablus
No, I have never dealt with them before
You never dealt with any Israelis
civilians
He only dealt with Arab Israelis but no Jewish Israelis
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
Yes
Can you give us an example?
I had an experiment with an Israeli boy in Germany
There was a congress for young people
We stayed together about two weeks
We tried to live with him normal life
but finally we couldn't
because there was something between us
Which is?
We are from Palestine and they are from Israel
and there were three of them...
It is a congress for youth
and they took you from here to take you out of the emotions
in Germany and make you live together
What did you face in Germany that doesn't allow you to live together?
Because there were three of them
they are girls and were soldiers
They used to be soldiers
At the start...
we talked about what soldiers do to Palestinian young people
and they said "no we didn't do this"
and I said to her to the soldier
"Last year, a soldier hit me"
and she said "no, we didn't hit Palestinians"
Maybe she never hit a Palestinian
Maybe she didn't but in general they do
When they took you out of the mood of Palestine to Germany
they want you to live with each other Yes
They are, the three girls as you said
they were there as civilians
they were not there as soldiers
So what was the problem to keep you connected with each other?
I don't know
I don't know There is something
I said if I was there instead of you she would be my girlfriend
There was a barrier between each other that didn't allow us to connect with each other
and on the last night when we went to say goodbye to them
They said goodbye to all the young people there
there were about 60 people
All of them were Palestinians?
No, Palestine, Germany, Italy, France, Pakistan
They didn't say goodbye to the Palestinians
No
I sent a friend request to all of them
but they didn't accept On facebook
Yes
I think they chose the wrong girls to bring to Germany
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
Salman Bet Dejan
No
Have you ever met an Israeli?
Of course
Who? Where?
at the checkpoints
So soldiers?
Yes
He has never met civilian Israelis
Have you even been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one
Nur Nablus
Of course. I don't have a problem with Israelis
But I have a problem with soldiers
dealing with Palestinian people like animals
I don't have a problem with human beings
Give me an example
of something nice an Israeli did to you
or something nice you did for an Israeli
civilians, not soldiers
a regular civilian
when we go to Haifa and Tel Aviv
we go to malls, we deal with Israeli people
so we can have fun with children
like when they are in shops
So when you go to Tel Aviv and people know you are Palestinian
I don't have any problem with the people in Israel
civilians like us humans like us
But if someone deals with me aggressively
I don't care about him
because
We are human beings
We have Palestinians who are aggressive
We have Israelis who are aggressive
and on the other hand we have
Israelis who deal with you like a human being
and Palestinians who deal with ...
Do you remember a time you were nice to an Israeli
something you did
Yes of course
Give me an example
I played with their children
She is a psychologist
I am not a psychologist I study psychology
But I don't deal with psychologists
Training workshops, projects like that
Have you ever had a situation where an Israeli was kind to you
or you were kind to an Israeli?
Nizar Nablus
I am not sure what you mean by kind
not kind but maybe just having a normal relationship
The problem is that the relationship is at a checkpoint
So having an Israeli soldier let you go through a checkpoint
you couldn't really call that kind
No, I meant...
It's just that it's an awkward situation
Maybe some of them feel they don't want to humiliate people at the checkpoint
when they let them go through
But it's not kindness Maybe it's a personal thing
But his presence isn't kind to start with
Have you ever dealt with Israeli civilians
or Israeli doctors (he is a cardiologist)
I haven't, no
There isn't much of a relationship between
I have never been to Israeli hospitals
or have Israeli doctors here
So no
I have never had such a personal...
What about Israeli civilians?
Have you ever met Israeli civilians?
Maybe... I think
Like a partner of one of my friends
but that was back in 2000
So that was 14 years ago
You have a friend who is Israeli?
or he is Israeli Arab?
Israeli Arab
and his partner is Israeli
It was a normal relationship
but nothing special
just meeting someone
Ahmad Bethlehem
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from an Israeli?
I don't like to talk about politics
It's not political Have you ever met an Israeli?
This is political
Have you ever met an Israeli?
Yes
Were you kind to him or the opposite?
Excuse me, I can't answer
I don't want to answer
Why not?
I don't like this
I don't know you really
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
Hala Nablus
No
Have you ever met an Israeli? No
Yes of course
In Jerusalem
You weren't nice to them?
No
You decided not to be...
Because they take our land
I am asking if in the time when you met them
you weren't nice to them?
No
You meet an Israeli in a store and you're like... (I made an angry face)
Yes, of course
and say *** off
Yes
and no one was nice to you?
What?
Was anyone nice to you?
Were Israelis nice to you?
No
What did they do that was not nice?
I don't know
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
No
Have you ever met an Israeli?
Yes, a soldier
Soldiers only
You never met a civilian?
No
Have you ever been kind to an Israeli or experienced kindness from one?
Amjad Yassid
No
Let me explain it better
Have you ever been in a restaurant in Tel Aviv
or in Jerusalem, the one who work in the restaurant is an Israeli
he gave you a free coke and you thanked him
That's the meaning of the question
You have never had that kind of situation?
No
You've never met an Israeli?
No
(the translator) I think this is an issue
It's a huge issue
They have to experience that
(translator is West Bank Palestinian)
Have you ever been with Israelis and they showed you kindness?
who showed you kindness who were kind to you, good to you
Yacub Nablus
All the Israelis that we worked with
treatment in our offices
they were kind to me
They were kind to you when you worked for the Israelis
Yes
Did you as a Palestinian ever show Israelis kindness?
Were you ever kind to them in return?
I explain to you
polite, I put it inside
You are talking about kindness in treatment
Yes
Kindness in people, they are very kind
They believe you if you tell the truth
they are also kind
They trust you and you can make big business with them
The Israelis? Yes
Can you remember an example of something very kind they did?
Or you did?
In 1985
1986
I with my brothers were working
with merchandise
dealing with Israeli people
in Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba and other places
we bought merchandise from them for 10 years and we paid them
What kind?
Chewing gum
Sweets Chewing gum and sweets
Chocolates
merchandise
from outside Israel
Where were they from outside Israel?
From South Africa, England
Foreign goods
At that time
we went bankrupt (in Hebrew)
we had a break down
Ok, why?
Break down
Our partner took out his money
It was too much
We cut continuously with cheques and banks
So we had half million dollar debt
Too much money
One of the Israeli merchant guys
came to me in my office
He said to me "Yacub"
"We work with each other 10 years"
"and I earn too much from you"
"If God gives you the money again"
"you can give me the rest of my money"
"If you can't, that's okay"
You owed him money or he gave you money?
I owed him money
No, he owed me
He owed me mechandise and I gave him cheques
The cheques were for 10,000
about 20,000 shekels
I couldn't pay it
So he gave you the merchandise
He came to me
He came to me and said
"If you get back your business and you have the money"
"you can pay the cheque"
"If you can't..."
"I don't ask you"
This is one of the examples you ask about