“To us, this lemon is more than fruit, Dalia…It is land and history. It is the window that we open to look at our history.”
Bashir explains to Dalia the significance of the lemon at a time when their home is no longer their home due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To Bashir, the lemon tree is a symbol of what was, a peaceful land, their home, and also the hope he harbors of justice for his people. As they abandoned it during the Israeli takeover it gradually withered symbolizing the dying hope of ever regaining their home. Thus, the presence of its fruits is very important to Bashir and his people as it is the only thing that ties them to the history of their home.
“If national interest comes before our common humanity…then there is no hope for redemption, there is no hope for healing, there is no hope for transformation, there is no hope for anything!”
Dalia directs this sentiment towards Bashir to rebuke his terrorist acts since he is a part of the Palestinian factions that seek to find justice through violence. She believes that the whole conflict was birthed through violence thus to end it more violence is not required but rather amicable resolutions. For her the only way to move forward is to accept the faults that were done in the past but move on and nurture a new generation with a different outlook. However, Bashir is passionate about the Palestinian national agenda and seeks to enforce violence on the Israeli state which relatively prevents future armistice.
“By now the dream of immediate return had transformed into the reality of long-term struggle. The Palestinians had begun to understand that their return would not come about through diplomatic pressure.”
The assertion encompasses the sentiment held by the Palestinians regarding the conflict that arose after the occupation of Israel. After the occupation of Israeli, most Palestinians held the hope that they would soon return back to their land through diplomatic means. However, after failed agreements, akin to Bashir, most have lost hope in returning back to their home through amicable resolution. Thus, the political factions choose to enact violence upon each other. As seen today the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still ongoing and several ceasefires and pacts have been futile in resolving the conflict. Hence the violence between the two parties becomes cyclical in nature as time passes by.
