The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

by Sandy Tolan

In some ways, the specifics of Bashir’s decision to maintain silence with Dalia do not matter. They are symptomatic of a steady deterioration of relations between Israelis and Palestinians, as Israel claims ever more West Bank land, the settler population surpasses eight hundred thousand, and seventeen Israeli settlements encircle East Jerusalem, long the place Palestinians fought for as the capital of their new nation of Palestine. Now, special roads just for settlers and “VIPs” crisscross the West Bank. Palestinians are not allowed on these roads—even though they, too, were built on lands supposedly set aside for a future Palestine. The vast majority of these radical changes to the landscape occurred despite the “peace process” that began in 1993. Hundreds of checkpoints and other barriers continue to dot occupied Palestinian land, and Israeli military forces retain control of sixty percent of the West Bank, and of Gaza by air and sea. Many Palestinians are cut off from their families, their freedom of movement severely curtailed. Palestinians spend hours waiting at military checkpoints to get to work or to visit family and friends. They are unable to travel to Jerusalem to pray at ancient holy sites, since it is now part of a “unified” Israeli capital and off-limits to most Palestinians.