"Jerusalem, September 2007" "A Battle in the Gaza Sea" "Why do we always hang out here?" "You wanna go somewhere else?" "What for?" "For a change." "A change?" "What a joke!" "My ball!" "You can't do that." "Thief!" "You're picking ﬁghts with kids now?" "You little jerk." "Stop it!" "Cut it out, asswipe!" "What's that?" "There's a letter in it." "Open it." "It may be an Israeli trap." "Atrap?" "They kill us with missiles, not bottles." "I get to open it." "|fit's a love letter, I have priority." "You have priority?" "He's right." "You found it, you open it." "Doesn't smell bad." "That was good whisky." "And you're a connoisseur!" "Shit, it's in English." "|'m terrible at English." "Myname is Ta/Levine." "Soon, I'll be 77 and] live in Jerusalem." "Last night', a cafe near my house was bombed." "Among the dead was a girl barely older than me." "It was her wedding day today" "Instead, it will be her and her fathers funeral." "I don't get how life can depend on going for a quick coffee ornot" "Some people get used to it" "They say bombings are I/ire accidents" "You get lucky or you don't" "You die or skip your tum." "I wonder how anybody can attach explosives to his body, choose some place and watch his Victims, knowing he's about to die..." "I wonder why" "With every bombing or rocket on Sderot, you hear, 'Screw the Palestinians!" "'" "Or even, 'K/ll them all!" "'" "The Palestinians?" "Who are they?" "If you ﬁnd this bottle, answer me at bott/e@newaccess com." "Tell me where you found it, who you are..." "Tell me about yourself" "Please." "Tal." "She's nuts!" "She wants to know how a guy blows himself up?" "Abu Samir, our neighbor, will show her." "Ta|!" ""|'ve been wondering how you make bombs." "''Tell me, Daddy."" "See ya!" "Sir, why do we have to walk up?" "Because there wasn't a cable car in Roman times." "Feel history in your bodies." "We're in 73 AD, the 10th Legion has completely surrounded the Zealots, besieging them here for months." "But the Zealots refuse to surrender." "The Romans start ﬁres outside the walls and prepare to launch an assault at dawn." "These are Eleazar, the rebel |eader's words, as recounted by Flavius Josephus." "Here's what he said..." ""We refuse to be held to account by the enemies of our souls," ""but by God alone." ""May our women die without knowing dishonor!" """May our sons die without knowing the bitter taste of slavery!" """I think God does justice to us" """by allowing us to die as heroes," """as free men!""" "Okay, follow me." "Total kamikazes, those guys!" "Hey!" "Hi, honey." "H ow was M asada?" "|t"s absolutely awesome." " How you doing?" " Fine." "I like that here." "They take the kids out." "Teach them to love where they live." "Listen." "C"mon, |et"s go." "Why?" " C"mon!" "Quickly!" "What"s up?" "Didn"t you see that guy?" "|t"s being French makes you panic like that." "Sharon Wil..." "Riki Cohen..." "Tal Levine..." "Here." "Mom, knock!" " Sony." " Sure you are." "Can you take a dress to Mrs. Bensimon?" "Yes, Efrat." "|"m on my way. 10 minutes." "You smoke?" "Since when do you smoke?" "Where are you going?" "The dress!" "Notime." "Wanna go for a drink?" "No, |"m going home." " You okay?" " Sure." "You complete idiot!" "Anyone write the Israeli chick?" " Not me." " Me neither." "Shit!" "She told me to drop by." "She said, "Baby, serenade me under my window!""" "Cut out the racket, you guys!" "People are asleep." "We"re just warming up!" "God damn every single one of you!" "Sons of bitches!" "So this is our sukkah." "Welcome!" "We worked all week on it." "So, respect." "|t"s original." "Why are we here in the sukkahtonight?" "You"re making up for never building a tree-house as a kid." "Good one." " That"s the real reason." " Thank you, Tal." "That"s not right." "I know!" "We learned it at school." "A long time ago, we were slaves in Eg/pt." "We got fed up and went into the desert, where there were no houses." "Very good!" "Happy Sukkot!" "C"mon, ﬁnish up." "When it says Game Over." "No way." "You never lose." "Because I can play." "Hand it over." "Get off, |"m not done yet." "Screw you!" "Just sit down." "Look at that!" "Your parents are cool." "Mine never leave home." "Cheers!" "To your folks!" "You"re really gonna do it?" "Yeah, with Uri." "I knew it." "You"re crazy about him." "Bullshit!" "We just agreed he"d do it for me." "Sure." "Like you"re not in love." "You"re all dreamy... and you"re not in love." "No, |"m not." "Yes, you are." "You"re like this and bright red." "Stop it and |"||" "let you in on a secret." "|"ve metaguy..." "In Gaza." "In Gaza?" "Yeah, right." "C"mon, that"s enough booze." "Straight up." "His name"s Gazaman." "Let"s go before you puke on my folks" new carpet." "His name"s Gazaman." "Naim... |"ve been thinking." "You have to go back to college." "What for?" "What for?" "To ﬁnd a job." "You plan to deliver T-shirts all your life?" "Seriously?" "Deﬁnitely." "Look, you were good at English." "You could work in journalism or with an NGO." "Who knows?" "You could even go abroad." "Don"t get stuck in a rut." "Be worthy of your father." "Are you worried about me or him?" "Where he is now, he doesn"t care |"m a delivelyman." "Are you sure?" "Anyway, do it for yourself." "You only live once." "The fuckers!" "They say it"s open and it"s closed." """He rose up" """and went unto the place of which God had told him.""" "How do you explain the repetition?" "|t"s not exactly the same word." "True." "But why say the same thing twice?" "Why does the text emphasize the fact that Abraham rose up?" "What does it tell us about his state of mind that morning?" "Maybe that he didn"t want to go." "Yes, go on." "The repetition implies that he went reluctantly." "He gets up the ﬁrst time, gets ready, then gathers his strength, a bit like me when I have a math test." "Sure, but..." "Abraham didn"t have a math test." "Take a look." "I have earrings ifyou want." "Thanks." "How you doing?" "Fine." "And you?" "Great." "You want a drink?" "Water?" "Coke?" "Vodka?" "A vodka, sure." " Did you bring your music?" " No." "I cou|dn"t make my mind up." "I brought the main thing." "Vely original." "Like you." "Thanks." " Ready?" " Yes." "Relax." "You"|| see, you feel different alterward." " Where do you want it?" " There." "Focus on your breathing." "Scared?" "A bit." "Hi there." "What"s this, our very own refugee camp?" "They won"t stay long." "Just until they ﬁnd a new apartment." "But why here?" "Ahmed upstairs has 1 0 times more room." "Be quiet." "They"re family." "They were there for us when your father died." "Didn"t you see the new prices?" " How much a half-hour?" " 20 shekels." "How come?" "Eve|ything"s gone up." "Fuel, milk, sugar, rice, evelything." "Your computers run on rice or fuel?" "|t"s the way it is." " How long does this buy me?" " 10 minutes." "Go on..." "Shit!" "Deliver that and come straight back." "Drive carefully!" "okay" "Drive carefully?" "I wish." "8 years since I went over 50 km/h." "Don"t complain, I never have." "Just like a ripe fruit." "You"re getting married in 6 months." "|t"s lucky for me." "I can"t take it anymore." "Some days!" "regret not being Israeli." "What?" "First, they have real roads." "You can do 130 without wrecking your car." "And..." "The eyes and legs on the babes... |fyou"d seen them, when we could work over there..." "I worked for the Jewish settlers." "Ankle-length skirts!" "Tel Aviv"s something else." "|t"s California!" "Hello, Tal." "Let me introduce m yself My name is Naim a" "Fard/ouki I was born in Shifa Hosp/Eta/, Gaza, in 7987." "Good-bye." "Have a good day!" "You speak French .7" "How come .7" "Coming." "Thanks for your name." "I was born in Crete/7, just outside Fan's" "Nothing like Jerusalem." "Write soon." "Miss Peace." "Totally." "So what?" "Can"t you take that out at home?" "It bugs me." "My life, Dad. |t"s my life." "You want to be free, acting the rebel, but that piercing of yours is a real act of submission." "Don"t be stupid!" "Like the way they branded slaves." "Stop ﬁxating about it." "|t"s done now." "But you don"t mind her smoking." "Evian!" "Sweetheart!" "You started without me?" " What are you doing home?" " I have one day"s leave." " What"s that?" " You don"t like it?" "|"|| get a plate." " Hi, son." " Father." " Sit, you must be hungry." " Very. |"m starving." " How"s things?" " You look exhausted." "Mom, don"t strangle me." " How are you?" " Good to see you." "Tell us." "Tell us all about it." "Everything!" " Eat up." " You too." "Stop staring." "We are eating." "Or we were." "I don"t want to be late." " Where are you going?" " You don"t know?" "Bible class every Thursday." "He"s awestruck for 3 days alter." "Sure, make fun ofme." " See you, Dad." " See you." "Did your bottle ever get a reply?" "No." "I wonder ifyou really sent it." "I told you I did." "Did you really expect a reply?" "Hello, my names Bernard" "Hello, my names Celine." "its a pleasure to meet you." "It's sunny today." "Enjoy your da y." "How are you, Bernard?" "What"s this?" "I study French." "We talk by email." "Who with?" "The teacher." " Come outside." "We want a word." " Why outside?" "Outside, I said!" "We want a word, get it?" "C"mon, get in." "Sit down!" "You always sit in the corner, hiding what you type." "Somebody"s telling you lies." "I..." " You know people over there?" " No." " You"re an informer?" " No." "Two Jihadists were shot this morning." "Traitors like you get us killed." "May God bless them and death to traitors!" "|"m totally innocent." "What do you do at the cyber-café?" "I have to study, I told you." "Call my Uncle Ahmed." "You know Ahmed, his son died a martyr." "He"|| tell you |"m not one of those traitors." "Scared?" "Get up!" "The Zonist enemy launched more air raids on Gaza" "The Zonist enemy launched more air raids on Gaza at 9 o'clock this morning" "Why did they take you?" "What have you been up to?" "N othing." "They wanted a scapegoat." "That"s not true." "There must be a reason and you must know it." "Ahmed already hates you studying French." "Be careful." "You have to grow up." "I think." "You think." "He, she thinks." "You think." "We think." "They think." "Hurry up!" "Hold on!" "You"re too kind." "|"m not staying here!" "Shitty fucking life!" " What"s wrong with him?" " Nothing." "I can"t take any more." "Don"t say that." "You remember what your father used to say?" "Despair is like the devil." "It takes you over." "Someone told me a joke yesterday." "What"s the difference between an American, an Israeli and a Palestinian falling off a bike?" "The American bombs the Chinese factory that made the bike." "The Israeli demands a commission of inquiry..." "And the Palestinian asks the UN to pass another resolution?" "No, the Palestinian never actually fell off his bike." "The Israeli stole it ﬁrst." "Not funny." "You"re right." "It isn"t funny." "It must be an Israeli joke." "Naim al-Fardjouki, anything to confess?" "Wait for me." "Feeling better now, hotshot?" "And you?" "What"s with the long face?" "Did they hurt you?" "Want me to avenge you?" "Forget it." "Nobody calls my cousin a collaborator." "okay" "Or says he talks to Israelis." "okay" "Even if it"s true." "The girl with the bottle?" "No." "Quit playing games." "Anyway, a contact over there could come in useful." "To get rid of my stupid cousin, for example." " For example?" " For example, yes." "Watch out, though." "My dad"s watching you now." "Can I use the computer, please?" "Go ahead." "Naim..." "No news from you for a week I'rn worn'ed." "Just letme know you're okay." "Please." "Tal." "Hello, Tal..." "Thanks for your em ails its too tough in Gaza n'ght now." "Too many problems" "I cant tell you everything" "But for your information... I have a mother." "I have no father." "I have no brothers nor sisters I have lots of cousins" "And nowl have a friend in Jerusalem." "What use is French to you?" "How should I know?" "We"|| see." "Hotshot..." "She likes you." "Yes, but I want a French girl." "Au revoir." "I/ive Carla Brunil" "Let"s imagine we"re in a French university, okay?" "Alima, come on..." "AIima"s a new student and you ask her questions." "You all want to talk to her and get to know her." "Go ahead." "Hello." " What"s your name?" " My name"s Alima." " Where were you born, Djamel?" " In Gaza." "Are you French, Alima?" "No, Palestinian." "' And yours?" "' And you!" "And you?" "|"m French." "I was born in Créteil." "|t"s just outside Paris." "French Government Scholarships" "HI, Miss Peace." "How are you?" "Here, it's cold." "But life's okay since I found the French Cultural Center." "I like being there." "its quiet lt's happy." "We listen to songs" "Do you know Jacques Brel?" "I like him a lot See you." "Jacques Brel?" "I'rn not a big fan." "Funny, you mention the Cultural Center." "When we moved to Israel, we went there all the time." "its cold too, butl like winter in Jerusalem." "Last year, it snowed." "It was beaut/'i'ul." "See you, Tal." "P.S... I'rn sending you a photo ofme at Masada by the Dead Sea its like being on the moon there." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, ﬁve, four, three, two, one..." "Happy New Year, Naiml lhope all your dreams come true." "I'rn going to a party with friends And you?" "Big hugs" "I wish myself a happy new year, too." "That makes two of us, so maybe it willbe." "Tonight I'rn going to bed." "Like every night" "Here, Miss Peace, December 37 isnt anything special." "For Muslims, the year begins with el-Aid, and we dont go clubbing in Gaza" "its a shame." "What the hell?" "My bedroom won"t paint itself!" "You lucky shit, only one more month to go." "He can hardly wait any longer." "We'll paint their room for them in red, to set the night on iirel" "You"re all jealous!" "|"|| be a real man, at last." "I have to study." "The exams aren"t for three months." "Hold on..." "Yes, Dad?" "No, I just got out of school." "What?" "I got cut off." "What?" "There"s been an attack on Jaffa Road." " With a bulldozer!" " What?" " With a bulldozer!" " Any victims?" "Yeah." "My mom was headed there." "She"s not answering her phone." "Shit, no signal!" "Call from my place." "The worker, an lsraeliArab, drove a bulldozer through West Jerusalem..." "That"s some rodeo!" "Awesom e!" "Yes, there was an attack" "Thanks for thinking of m e." "A woman threw her baby out her car window" "The baby survived, but she died." "It's awful, I sense I'rn getting used to it too." "Fried food, snacking and weighing are out." "That"s why your diet works." "You don"t weigh yourself." "Sivan, in 3 months, you"|| be in the army." "Army food"s so crappy, you"||" "lose a ton of weight." "Did you do your checkup?" "Yeah, I got a 21." "What?" "|"ve got asthma." " You never said." " I never got a chance." "4Cf heat in Masada, and you never complained." "So what?" "He"s dodging 3 years in the army." "The Hasidics are allowed to." "Why not us?" "|"m sick of this." "Hasidics, the army..." "We"re celebrating me getting my license." "You wanna stay over tonight?" "Maybe." "We"|| see." "Anybody heard this joke?" "A Palestinian, an American and an Israeli fall off their bikes..." "I have, and it"s not funny." "Sleep with me, s'il vousplait" "|t"s s'il te plait" "No." "I don"t get you." "Are we through?" "|t"s not that." "|t"s more complicated." "Complicated?" "There"s someone else, right?" "No." "There is. |t"s obvious." "I know it." "I sense it." "You"re wrong." "No, |"m not wrong." "Good night." "Who wants to read?" "Go ahead, Naim." "One stone" "Two houses" "Three ruins" "Was Jacques Prévert Palestinian?" "Four gravediggers" "A garden" "Some liowers" "A lonely beaver" "About that scholarship, you could be ready in October." "Keep working hard and..." "Of course, you"|| need an exit permit, but all in good time." "Read this." "It tells you all you need to apply." "Thanks, Thom as." "Sorry, Uncle." "Class ﬁnished late." "Can"t you act your age for once?" "I do act my age." "I study!" "You study?" "Study to do what?" "Dream?" "Like your parents?" "Deliver that to Khaled and hurry back." "Move it!" "I thank you for all you"ve done since Dad died." "But I won"t be treated like a dog." " Kha|ed"s been waiting two hours!" "Go!" " Let him wait!" "Don"t talk to me like that!" "You give, then you take back." "Keep it all!" "When I make it, |"|| pay back every shekel." " You"|| never see me again." " Go on!" "Apologize to my dad now!" "|"ve nothing to apologize for, except speaking the truth." "Who are you to go lecturing people like that?" "I am who!" "am." "Nothing more." "|t"s something you can"t understand." "You talk weird since you started doing French." "I speak French." " That"s how it is." " What?" "You"re still my favorite cousin." "Repeat after me..." "My name is Hakim Ahmed al-Fardjouki." "I live... in Paris." "|"|| talk to your dad." "Call it an apolow ifyou want." "Hi, Tal, todayl want to tell you about my father." "He died four years ago." "I've forgotten his voice and I miss it" "He was a goodman." "He worked at the hospital like Mom." "He died there too." "He liked your singer, ZoharArgov." "He even looked a bitlike him." "I thought you hated oriental music." "Only idiots never change." "I didn"t sayi liked it." "|t"s for school." "Dad!" "This is no time for a concert." "Why not?" "|t"s embarrassing." "You always seem regretful when you sing." "|"ve no regrets." "Why do you say that?" "I don"t know..." "Your eyes." "What do my eyes say?" "That since we moved here, you pretend it"s all great, but deep down, you"re not at home." "|t"s logical." "It takes time to feel at home." "But I have no regrets." "Not for one second." "C"mon, |et"s go." "No, they"re gonna let some milk through." "Marwan"s kids need it." "say. .." "How"s it feel being married?" "Good at night and scary in the morning." "Don"t laugh." "Your turn will come." "My mother talked to yours about Fatmeh." "Look, they"re through." "I've applied for a scholarship to go to France." "Leaving Gaza's almost impossible, butl mayget a chance with the ceaseﬁre starting today." "Thomas says I'rn the best student he's had in years I'rn sure it's all thanks to you." "Thank you." "A scholarship to go to France?" "That'd be great" "Maybe we could meet up." "That would be so cool." "Keep me in the loop." "Fingers crossed!" "Tal." "PS I cant take it anymore." "its too hot right now." "Lots oflove." "its too hot here, too." "The sea stinks, the days drag by, twice as slowly as in winter, so we're twice as bored." "There's less and less electricity." "Nobody knows why." "Maybe even the Israelis dontknow." "I'dIike us to meet up, too." "Making it out of Gaza would be a miracle." "Guess what, we Ieamed the conditional." "It's an invaluable tense for Palestinians" "Lots oflove." "P.S." "What do you mean by 'ﬁngers crossed?" "'" "When |"m away, you miss me." "When |"m here, you sit alone." "Are you really here?" "Why do you say that?" "Yeah." "How"s your love life?" "What love life?" "Is it over with Yuri?" "Uri!" "Why won"t people back off?" "Yes, it"s over!" "Shame." "I liked him with his folk guitarist look." "Date him then instead of Keren." "Evian!" "Coming!" "What"s it like for you now in Gaza?" "|t"s going well." "|t"s quiet." "Evian!" "Tal, Ihave to write an application letter." "Ifl tell the" "Thatl cant wait to fly out, leave here and go to that cafe you mentioned, in Bastille." "How does that sound?" "Can you help me?" "Great, we"re done." "Dear Sir or Madam," "|"ve never before written a letter to explain my motivation." "The dictionary deﬁnes ""motivation""" "as the force that drives us to achieve." "This is what drives me." "I fell in love with French." "I learned it as if furiously digging a tunnel." "|"d like to go where it"s spoken, hear it, and become a French teacher one day." "I hope |"|| make it." "Naim al-Fardjouki." "P.S. Maybe you don"t want to teach, but it sounds good." "How"s that?" "I don"t understand how this works!" " Year of birth?" " 1987." "|t"|| be complicated." "Back then, we were under Israeli administration." "Fill in a form and we"||" "look in the records. 100 shekels." "Why 100 shekels?" "That"s what it costs." "Under Fatah, it was 300 and nobody complained." "Now, 100 is too much." "Ifyou don"t want to pay, go home and we"|| send it by post." "Make up your mind." "C"mon, we"re busy." "When?" "I don"t know." "It takes time." "|"m gathering the documents." "How long is it for?" "A year." "You"re good enough." "If it"s your chance, you"|| get it." "Don"t tell anyone, not even Hakim or Ahmed." "No one." "You know..." "When your dad and I were in Europe, he liked the way people wished each other things." "They raised and clinked their glasses." "Here"s to your success!" "Here"s to Paris!" "To you and to my father"s memory!" "You made me want to do this." "Next year, Eytan will be out and Ta!" "in the army." "They won"t want her with an IQ of 1 5." "They"|| put me in your unit, the one for dummies." "You won"t laugh when |"m on a Thai beach." "That"s all he ever thinks about." "Can you eat kosher in Thailand?" "This is really good." "Some more?" "Good evening Naim." "its November 4." "73 years since I-'labin's assassination." "Last night I went to Tel Aviv for the memorial concert" "In that huge crowd, I felt at home." "I thought about}/PM" "Dalia Rabin..." "I've sent my application." "Thanks for your help" "I/usthave to waitnow." "Andpray." "Fingers crossed, like you said" "Quick, turn it off!" "Alter the ceaseﬁre, there is tension in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians" "In recent days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have ﬁred over 200 rockets on southern Israel." "People are stuck in bomb shelters" "Two civilians have died, with a dozen more in/ured." "The attacks have caused alarm in Western capita/s.." "They want war!" "They used the ceaseﬁre to rearm." "Poor folks who live down south..." "How do they cope?" "They just cope, same as the other side." "Despite everything." "See you tonight." "Any news of Eytan?" "Nothing since Thursday." "Here"s your order." "|"ve gotta run." "Hold on, we"|| check it together." " Are you calling us thieves?" " Not at all." "Just scatterbrains." "May God forgive you." "Go on, count." "Iheard the news Get in touch." "Ihope you and your family are okay." "No news ofm y brother either." "It's scary" "Lots oflove." "Close the door." "Help me move the table." "Move the table." "God save the children." "And the adults in the name of the Prophet." "Help us, God." "Help us." "May these murderers perish!" "A week alter Israel launched its offensive on Gaza, reportedly cost/ng 400 lives," "Operation Cast Lead has brought an escalation in the conflict" "Grad rockets were ﬁred for the ﬁrst time on the Israeli cities ofBe'er Sheva and Ashdod, barely 40 km south of Tel Aviv." "Hopes of a ceaseﬁre are fading.." "Eytan, I know you can"t answer." "I wanted to hear your voice." "I miss you." "Come back soon." "Lots of love." "My dad"s a reservist." "He"s being sent to Gaza tomorrow." "Maybe he"|| get news of Eytan." "If he"s been called up, they must be going in." "Most likely." "Look, Naim." "Look there." " I want to see." " |t"s nothing." " Let me see." " Sit down!" "|t"s nothing, calm down." "I want to see!" "We have to do something!" "Get a midwife!" "Deep breaths, Aicha." "Deep breaths." "Do something!" "|"|| go to the hospital." "Mom!" "What are you doing here?" "They"re on al-Mukhtar street." "Aicha had a ﬁt, shaking like a leaf." "We cou|dn"t calm her down." "Hold on..." "Follow me." "Two spoonfuls, three times a day." "And one for the children every evening." "Can"t you come home?" "You"ve been here 10 days." "I can"t leave them." "Can you do something for me?" "Of course." "Say something in French." "One stone." "Two houses" "Three ruins" "Four gravediggers" "A garden." "Some ﬁowers" "A lonely beaver." "That"s beautiful." "Thank you, son." "You got a connection?" "Barely." "|t"s working for now." "Can I borrow it when you"re done?" "Happy birthday!" "Don"t look now, sweetie!" " You scared me." " Happy birthday." " The candles!" " No, the gifts!" "No, candles ﬁrst!" "I want to open the gifts ﬁrst." "Sorry to bother you." "Is Tal Levine in, please?" " Come on in." " Thanks." "And you are?" "Thomas Morin, director of the Cultural Center in Gaza." "Really?" "Are you Tal?" "Naim al-Fardjouki asked me to drop by." "Let"s go to the café downstairs, if that"s okay." "I won"t be long." "Don"t wait for me for the cake." "What"s going on?" "Is this a bad time?" "|t"s okay." " You want a coffee?" " Not here, no." "Do you mind ifwe walk?" "Not at all." "Naim gave me this for you." "Thanks." "Have you heard from him?" "No, I was recalled to Jerusalem before the offensive." "I hope he"s okay." " Can you give him this?" " Of course." "Thanks." "He had our address!" "Not from me." "He found you!" "Did he come to chop me up?" " We"re at war with them!" " Think of the danger." "Eytan"s over there and you talk to a guy you don"t know." " They abduct soldiers!" " Who is he really?" "Your Naim could be Hamas." "Don"t speak his name." "He could be ﬁring Kassams on the south." "You obsess about Kassam s, H am as, while we bomb people as ifthey"re irrelevant." "Don"t they have rights?" "You know there"s more to it." "You know all we want is peace with them." "We leave Gaza, they elect Hamas and attack the south..." "So, who wants war?" "You put yourself at risk, you put us all at risk." "Wait!" "You don"t get it!" "Over a year, you"re in contact with a guy in Gaza and you don"t tell me?" "Why?" "I don"t know." "I was scared you"d laugh at me, and one thing led to another..." "Can I stay over?" "Of course." "Can I use your computer?" "You don"t need to ask." "|t"s totally wild." "Emails get through to Gaza?" "Sure." "Look..." "There are even real people who reply." "Wow, he"s hot!" "Tal, sure you're worried aboutme and worried about your brother, but he and his pals make life hell for us" "He's the one dropping ﬁyers telling us to ﬁee orbe bombed." "But where can we go?" "Where?" "The ﬁrst day of the war, a man died on me." "And for me, you died that day, too." "|t"s been a long time since this topic came up in the exams, so pay attention." "Okay, the Versailles Treaty." "The Treaty marked the end of World War One." "We"ve declared a unilateral ceaseﬁre." "The war"s over." "But, as we now know, it also sowed the seeds that led to the outbreak of WWII..." "I hope you ﬁnd your house in one piece." "Thanks for everything, Intessar." "We"re grateful to both of you." "I hope it"s the last time." "We say that every time." "Take care of yourselves." " Thanks again." " Have a safe trip." "Come on, help me clean up." "I've dralted 20 replies to your em ail." "Itmust have been homble for you, but your words are hornble, too." "I thought our ﬁiendship stronger than all this violence." "Apparently, I was wrong" "I'm even more confused than when we ﬁrst wrote." "Are we condemned to live this way?" "Maybe." "Ihoped you and I could be different" "University"s one thing but..." "Be"er Sheva"s a great school." "|"m going on vacation..." "Sure, but think about it." "|"|| work out what I want to do without people telling me..." "Rents are cheap." "All I want is to learn this recipe." "|t"s a college town..." " You"re obsessed with food." " No kidding." "Lucky you go to bible class..." "What"s wrong?" "Nothing." "I was going to ask you the same." "|"ve been home a month and you hardly even speak to me." "And this guy in Gaza, why didn"t you tell me?" "I don"t know, no reason." "You don"t tell me everything." "Sure, but this involved me." "The folks are worried about you." "Honestly, I don"t see why." "Let me put it another way." "You seem sad." "ArI9W" "And you look at me as if..." "Asif?" "As if you blame me." "As ifyou wonder about me?" "Wonder about what?" "I dunno, about what!" "did over there." "Ifl killed anyone." "Right?" "You wonder, did I kill and did I enjoy it?" "So what"s the answer?" "I defended people terriﬁed to leave their homes." "At what cost?" "You think war can be gentle?" "|t"s a choice, us or them." "You made a friend down there, you have his version of events, ﬁne." "But Hamas is not a peace movement." "You know what they do to their Palestinian opponents?" " You want details?" " No." "Trouble is, we waged war on all of them." "Even those who talked to us refuse to now." "Is something wrong?" "No, |"m okay." "|t"s for you." "Yes." "Thank you." "Mom, |"|| be back." "You know |"|| be back." "Come on, you"|| be late." "Tal, todayl might succeed in getting out of Gaza forthe ﬁrsttime in mylife." "At Erez." "Ihave to get through before 5 pm." "I'll cross Israel, butI'rn not allowed to stop until we reach Jordan." "Then Amman and Paris!" "|"m nearly there." "No." "Meet me downstairs." "|"|| need your documents." "Your documents." "Well..." "I hope that..." "Anyway..." "Your number is 057 87 656 98?" "That"s right." "|"|| call when I get their authorization." "Remember to go through every gate." "Thank you." "My father." "His T-shirts can wait." "|t"s him." "Yes, okay." "Take care, cuz." "You too." "Mom," "|"|| be back." "It says Erez but there"s no checkpoint, it"s a kibbufz." "Thanks, Eytan." "What do we do?" "Left at the second intersection." "Route 4." "Look!" "|t"s Gaza!" "Justa moment" "Proceed." "Faster!" "Thank you, Thom as." "Can I see your ID?" "Yes." "Okay, |et"s go." "Where are you from?" "Jerusalem." "Reason for coming?" "To see our friend." "Efrat, look!" "|t"s him!" "Can you stop?" "|t"s not allowed." "Move it!" "|t"s impossible." "Thanks to you, I Ieamed French and I Ieamed more besides" "Knowing you did me good and hurt me, too." "Nothing's easy between us but everything is possible." "everything is possible." "Can you drive faster, please?" "Stay as you are, Miss Peace." "Dont change." "The others have to change." "." "Sol0I79 ." "Sol0I79" "See you soon, Ihope." "In Paris, if you want.." "we can have a coffee together, you and me." "Inshallah." "Inshallah."