Several Palestinians have been invited to a discussion in Kfar Etsion
With Eliaz and other settlers.
Unless they're hired to do construction
Palestinians rarely find themselves in settlements.
I go to pick up Mohammed Abuayash for the meeting
He lives in Bet Ummar
A town of 17,000, a few kilometers south of Kfar Etsion.
I ask him if there are settlements that are close to Bet Ummar.
We have three nearest settlements
Too close to Beit Ummar.
One is Karme Tsur, about 1 kilometer from here.
And Gush Etsion settlement, about 2 kilometers.
And Bat Ayin, less than 2, 2 and a half.
At today’s meeting he’ll tell the story of how his grandfather was killed
On May 15, 1948
The last day of the 1948 War
At the famous Lone Tree in Gush Etsion.
This is my grandfather.
Just one photo we have of him: Moussa Ibrahim Abu Ayash.
And below: the same Lone Tree that's on the Gush Etsion flag.
But here, with the word “Palestine” above.
We go to a hill on the edge of town, where Mohammad points out the settlements.
Just last week, the entire town was closed off by the Israeli army for a few days
Because of friction with settlers.
Mohammad tells me not to get out of the car
While I video the permanent Israeli guard tower at the main entrance to the town
Or the army jeep at another entrance.
Then we drive to Beit Zacharia, to pick up Mohammad Attala,
Also coming to the meeting.
Two kilometers south of here, the Kfar Etsion massacre happened
On May 13, 1948.
On the eve of the next day, May 14
Ben Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel.
And on May 15, the last day of fighting
Mohammad Abuayash’s grandfather was killed right here.
Between 1948 and 1967
The West Bank was a territory of Jordan.
During that time, the Lone Tree - a symbol of longing for Israelis
Supposedly could be seen from the border, 5 or 6 kilometers west of here.
We drive together, through the Security Gate, into Kfar Etsion.
When Israel won the ‘67 War, and took possession of the West Bank
The Kfar Etzion widows and orphans petitioned the government to settle here again.
And in September, 1967
Kfar Etsion kibbutz became the first Israeli settlement.
Eliaz and I had visited Mohammad Attala many times
But this is the first time for Mohammed to be inside the gates of a settlement.
Organic bagel.
The meeting starts with Mohammad Abuayash.
He describes his grandfather, who he had never known
From the memories of his grandmother.
With dark skin color, and brown eyes.
He was a real man.
Always he was helping the weak side.
On that day, the people came from my village
To take the bodies.
They came back from Gush Etzion in the evening.
But she saw many people
People taking on their shoulders different people, different bodies.
She felt her husband was one of them.
She started running to see him.
And she saw that he
And she saw that he got shot in the chest and in the head.
I can say that after 63 years
That war is not the best way to connect people together.
What did Mohammad Attala learn from the family story of his father Ibrahim
Helping the Jews at the end of the War?
it’s like my father said: a human being is a human being.
It doesn’t make a difference
If he’s Arab or Jewish. He's a human, first of all.
If you have to help a human being, you help him.
Six months ago, through Eliaz and Mohammad’s continued efforts talking with the regional Israeli government
Gush Etsion Mayor Shaul Goldstein
And Israel’s Vice Prime Minister, Silvan Shalom, visited Beit Zacharia.
Silvan Shalom said near me, "We have to help them, really. "
"To make for them a sewage system, electricity, water – everything.”
God willing.
(Sarcastic) And now, we're still waiting for God's help.
We're not waiting! We are trying to DO!
To get things moving.
Maybe we should just give Bet Zacharia a Jewish name – and build a new settlement!
--Oh yeah! --A completely new settlement!
(translating): A good idea - we'll build at Bet Zacharia a new settlement!
Then ALL the money will come!!
For the first time, you – I – heard the story of the last battle of Gush Etsion
From the Palestinian point of view.
And the tragedy from the other side.
And it wasn’t easy for me.
To know how deep the wounds are.
And to know how
Hard both sides must practice
To heal the wounds.