Chiara and Ellie as Sanabel

An Interview with Sanabel

1. What rights should Palestinian refugees have?

We should be able to return to the land or the house that our ancestors had. We want the land, not your money or a different house. We shouldn't have to live in a settlers' camp, nor should we not be able to go into Israel without hassle. We should also have the right to be part of the organizations we want to be part of, such as trying to make peace.


2. What should be the status of Jerusalem?

The status of Jerusalem should be equal to everyone, except for soldiers. Soldiers shouldn't have so much power that they have now, and they should be more fair and less ignorant. The government and police should supply a reason if they decide to send a person to jail. Jewish and Palestinian kids should meet, and talk about each other and what life is like. Also, Palestinians should have more power than they have.


3. What should be the status of the West Bank and Gaza, currently occupied by Israel?

The Palestinians should have power of this land, because they had to leave their land, and now all they have is the West Bank and Gaza, which are occupied by the Israeli military. Palestinian kids and Jewish kids should meet, to talk about what life is like. Israel should leave the West Bank and Gaza in peace, but Palestinian kids and Jewish kids should meet.

4. Should the U.S. give aid to either the Israelis or Palestinians--or to both of them? If so, what kind of aid?

I think the U.S. should give aid to both. The Israeli kids should have the aid of security, because most of the Israeli kids have a spacious homes, they have food, they have the ability to go where they want, so they don't need much. Palestinians should have the aid of homes, food, security, and clothes. The majority of us don't have homes that are spacious, we might not get every meal of the day, and we constantly have to live with the occupation from the Israeli soldiers that scare us, and who want to get rid of us.


5. What additional ideas or proposals can you make to bring about a peace and just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis?

I think that to make peace we need more people that help show both sides of the children to each other and have them meet. For example, Hand in Hand schools for the young should be more numerous across Israel and Palestine because kids are the generation that will come later, and we are both experiencing what each other is experiencing. We also need to have more protests that show we are staying, and that we need to have peace, not wars. I talked to Daniel and Yarko, and they made a valid point the we as Palestinians should respect the idea that Jewish people suffered the Holocaust, and they have been through the same as us, if not greater. The checkpoints should vanish because that is what is causing all of the violence, and if the checkpoints demolished, then there would be a lot more peace. We could also visit our friends the Israelis whenever we want, so then we could be friends.