The Lemon Tree

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At times Dalia thought she should listen to her Western friends who insisted that the taunting voice from Cairo represented bravado and "Oriental exaggeration." She knew that the Israeli army was strong. Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal, to the anger of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Israel, was a source of deep pride for Bashir and millions of others on the Arab streets. Nasser had become a leader, with Nehru of India and Tito of Yugoslavia, of the "non-aligned movement" that sought an independent, third path between the superpowers. Most important for Palestinians, Nasser's recent championing of their cause had stirred hopes in the diaspora for a great Arab rebirth to avenge the defeat of 1948. Unlike the U.N. and its resolutions on paper, Bashir believed, Nasser could end the long exile of the Palestinians by force of arms. fabulous insight on the Arab-Israeli issue…a fair and balanced touch on that sensitive matter…and unbiased reading to the facts. For now, though, Palestinians would find themselves returning to their homes not in triumph, but simply to ask permission to peer inside. The story is compelling enough on its own, but Tolan interjects history throughout that I found illuminating and helpful.

Lemon Tree (Tolan) - LitLovers Lemon Tree (Tolan) - LitLovers

The king's fears of an Israeli occupation of the West Bank, however, were secondary to his worries at home. American officials in Amman had already warned Washington that "the monarchy itself is in jeopardy." we get to know quite personally two people (Bashir and Dahlia) who are both caught up in the conflict, but who are also active agents in trying to further their respective causes…We aren’t talking about abstract principles or faceless groups, we are talking about two individuals who claim the same piece of land as their home… I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.”By late on June 6, Dalia knew that the war was won. She experienced it not with elation -- not yet, since the fighting was still going on -- but rather with a sense that a miracle was taking place in Israel. How could this have happened? she thought again and again. Did God save us? How can this be? But she does visit. Bashir is obviously pleased, and he shows her exceptional hospitality. Bashir answers Dalia's questions about the conflict between their peoples. She bemoans the poor decisions of the Israelites. They openly talk about their beliefs, and they show each other tolerance. One of the incontestable virtues of this remarkable book is that Tolan enters fully sympathetically into the lives of two people, with completely different philosophies, who are the moving forces in the book. Your Honor!" Bashir bellowed. He was surprised how loud his voice sounded. The other lawyer stopped in midsentence; everyone in the courtroom stared at Bashir. "I have just received word that the war has begun on the Egyptian and Jordanian fronts." Israeli pilots now patrolled the entire region virtually unchallenged... From this point, the outcome of the war was written. The Six Day War was essentially decided in six hours.

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

As they circled through the yard, Dalia looked up at the night sky and sang: "David the king of Israel is alive. Alive and present. David is alive ..." She would always remember this night and its abiding sense of miracle and liberation.Dalia's parents have died. Now, since her parents aren't there to keep the house from Bashir, she agrees with Bashir to turn the house into a school where Israeli children and Palestinian children can be educated, together. There is angry between them for their political opinions, but their commitment to peace in rooted in mutual love and respect. They meet in 2004 to talk things through. Update this section! Humane and literate—and rather daring in suggesting that the future of the Middle East need not be violent. In a time during which the conflict is reaching a head yet again, I finally find myself able to read the headlines and finally understand what is going on. For anyone else seeking some education in this regard, I HIGHLY recommend this book.” s. (RG7) After Dalia’s parents died, and Bashir got out of prison, Dalia did indeed get in touch with Bashir. Why? Describe her evolution from being “zealous in the defense of Israel” (p. 180) to meeting Bashir at the home of a Christian minister in Ramallah. At that meeting, Dalia offered to share the home in Ramla. What is the meaning of this gesture? What is the meaning of the agreement Dalia and Bashir forged that day?

Book Review: The Lemon Tree | Reform Judaism Book Review: The Lemon Tree | Reform Judaism

e. Chapter Six describes the calamitous scenes of refugee life in Ramallah and Gaza in late 1948 and early 1949. At one point (p. 89) Bashir watches his mother sell off her gold, and experiences the shame of watching his proud father become increasingly destitute. How would this have shaped Bashir’s attitude, and his increasing devotion to the “right of return”? The author's youthfulness helps to assure the inevitable comparison with the Anne Frank diary although over and above the sphere of suffering shared, and in this case extended to the death march itself, there is no spiritual or emotional legacy here to offset any reader reluctance. As far as Israeli leaders were concerned, this was a declaration of war. That day, May 22, the Israeli government sent a request to the U.S. military for twenty thousand gas masks, and the cabinet went into crisis deliberations. For Israelis, the paralyzing time known as the "period of waiting" had begun.

The affecting story of an unlikely truce, even a peace, between Palestinians and Israelis in contested territory. As the occupation wore on, a sense of calm and clarity began to settle over Bashir. The loss was devastating, but it made one thing clear: Palestinians could rely only on themselves to deliver their own justice. It was clear that the right of return, guaranteed by United Nations Resolution 194, would never be delivered by the U.N. or the international community. Return was subsequently promised by the Arab states whose armed forces instead were crushed and humiliated. The Arab states still put up a rhetorical front -- in the days after the war, they would publicly declare "no reconciliation, no negotiation, and no recognition" regarding Israel -- but these were increasingly taken as empty words by Palestinians. After several weeks, I found my story. It was about two families who were connected by the same stone home in the Israeli town of Ramla. I learned that a Palestinian family, the Khairis, had built the house in 1936, and planted a lemon tree in the yard. They lived there until the war, when like almost all the families of that town, they were forced into exile by the arriving Israeli army. The eldest son of that family was Bashir, six years old, who vowed that some day, he would return home with the many other Arab families who were driven out of Palestine. At 11 a.m., Jordanian forces began firing long-range artillery toward Israeli suburbs near Tel Aviv and at an airfield at Ramat David. Fifteen minutes later, Jordanian howitzers began firing thousands of shells on neighborhoods and military targets in Jewish parts of Jerusalem. Within an hour, Jordanian, Syrian, and Iraqi fighter jets were slicing into Israeli airspace as Jordanian infantry churned forward toward Israeli positions. The Lemon Tree is a brave book… an excellent primer on the vagaries of the Israel/Palestine conflict. I recommend it to any and all.”