This is clip #2 of a 10-part series of interviews I did while producing our public television special Rick Steves’ The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today. Considering the impact of American policies on the daily lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, this is my attempt to introduce you to some people in both camps whose voices might otherwise not be heard.
Old rusty keys are found in refugee camps throughout the West Bank. They are the keys the residents of hundreds of Arab villages took with them when they fled their homes in 1948, expecting to return shortly. In this clip, we meet the director of a Palestinian refugee camp discussing the symbolic power of the key. Land for Palestinians is a complicated and very human challenge that deserves a thoughtful response from American leaders.
Thank you Steve for digging deeper into the reality of people’s lives. One of the most meaningful experiences I have had is to talk with everyday people on both sides of the occupation to listen to their stories. I appreciate your curiosity and compassion.
Rich … I watched the first; now this, the second of the series. I’ll continue to watch each and I’m sure I will have learned more about this complex situation for doing so. Thanks for this series. We all need to keep on travel’n in mind, body and spirit!
thank you, Rick, for humanizing these people and showing us human perspectives that the media doesn’t not show. Wishing peace, love, compassion and connection for all.
I enjoy viewing these interviews and am looking forward for 8 more.
Not saying it is good, but wars have created displacement of people and loss throughout history. The Jewish survivors of WW II from Europe can never go back to their homes. Others live there now. Germans whose families lived for centuries in what is now the Czech Republic, even today can not return to their home. In all ~30,000,000 were refugees after the war. Only the Palestinians are still refugees. In the 1920s a people exchange was made between Turkey and Greece based on religion. The Churches in Turkey are either in decay or have been re-purposed. I recall visiting an art museum in Greece that looks like a mosque. Except for the Azores, I can think of no people that are not living on land that once belonged to someone else. Shifting boarders are all over Europe.
I doubt that there will be refugee camps in Europe for the refugees of the Mideast wars today 40 years from now.
Why are there Palestinian refugee camps, not only west of the Jordan, but also in other Muslim countries? There are over a million in Jordan today with out any rights.
Again it is hard not to feel sorry for people who lose their home. We should help them, but in order to do so best, we should figure out why the Palestinians are unique in staying refugees for 3 generations. (My personal belief is that they provide the host countries with international financial aid and provide a cause for the Arabs to “liberate” the non Muslim controlled land from the infidels. It only took 300 years for the land to be liberated from the Christian Crusaders). It is always sad to see people used as pawns.