Working the Jewish Quarter

On Sunday, we got a handful of interviews at Hebrew University, but needed to talk to more people. So, we went to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City where Kacey spent yesterday afternoon interviewing Jewish shop owners and every day people she approached. Of course, some people didn’t want to be interviewed, but most were happy to talk about their life in Israel.

The overall all tone here is this: tired. Israelis are tired of constantly being at war. There are tired of having to defend themselves against attacks. They are tired of having to send their young people to war to defend Israel. They want peace. They want to go on with their lives without disruption and fear.

Opinions of how to achieve peace range greatly.

Some saw a two-state solution as the only hope for peace. Others saw no hope for peace; rather, it was an all-or-nothing deal. One side would win and one side would lose. And the losing side could not and would not be Israel.

One woman Kacey interviewed said that the situation wouldn’t end until all the Arabs left Israel.

“Where would they go?” Kacey asked.

“To live in one of the 22 other Arab countries out there.”

Based on our interviews with Palestinians, that’s not going to happen. Their home is here—not in Saudi Arabia, Syria or Egypt.

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