tO diE iN JERUSALEM.

The video is the best documentary so far. I thought I was going to be more conflicted as to what "side" i should sympathize with, but the point of view of the Israeli mother is parallel to an Israelis who don't understand why Palestinians chose to be suicide bombers. The Israeli mother refused to listen or try at the very least to understand the Palestinians' struggle. And that is the difference between seeing Ayat's operation as an act of resistance or as a death in vain. I wanted the Israeli mother to put aside her anger and sorrow and try to better understand the conditions of the Palestinian people. The woman in prison explained to her best, that it is a crime to kill during a time of peace! And there is no peace for people whose homes are being demolished, rights are being taken away, that is not a way of life. The woman made several valid points and justifications for her intended actions and all the Israeli mother just doesn't get it. She refuses to grasp the Other side of the story.

During the interview via satellite, both mothers agreed that they are victims but the conversation was never brought to a resolution of how they could use their experience to portray the negative effects of the Occupation for both sides. Instead, the Israeli mother wanted an apology and Ayat's mother was telling her Ayat's decision was influenced by the Israeli Occupation. Ayat's operation was an act of resistance and the Israeli mother was too stubborn to look past the pain of her daughter's death to grasp that idea. I would advise the Israeli mother to use her daughter's death as a medium to protest the injustices that are happening in Palestine that provoke them to choose suicide bombings.

The opportunity the Isreali mother had to try and understand the conditions that the Palestinian people face in their homeland, the refugee camps and border checks, was wasted on useless talk about why Ayat did what she did and how can her mother condone it...and she just went on about her own sorrow. Ayat's mother was trying to tell her that the Palestinians are not blaming their problems on the occupation, the OCcupation iS the PRObLem. No matter how much Ayat's mother stressed how it feels to live under Occupation and the effects of those living conditions, the Israeli mother chose to be disrespectful and blind to the injustices that Israel is inflicting upon the Palestinian people.

The isreali mother kept repeating that violence isnt the answer and that by talking they could accomplish more, but it was evident by the end of the video that talking did not achieve anything. What is there really to talk about? Their is no legitimacy for the Occupation, it is illegal and they are violating human rights. The Palestinians are fighting for their freedom and rights back. Israel has US support and military power and with that the conversation ends.