ARTICLE

ARTICLE

The Conflict Zone

The Conflict Zone

In a new series of four, eight-minute videos, National Geographic Explorer Aziz Abu Sarah meets with people from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in order to better understand and communicate how this international dispute impacts their everyday lives.

Grades

6 - 12+

Subjects

Social Studies, World History

















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National Geographic Emerging Explorer Aziz Abu Sarah is a cultural educator working to build relationships between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and throughout Israel. In this series of four eight-minute videos, Abu Sarah meets with people from both sides of the conflict in order to better understand and communicate how this international dispute impacts their everyday lives.

Use these videos to give students a broader understanding of both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the concept of conflict resolution.

Please watch these videos in order. Each presents a different perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "In the conflict zone," Abu Sarah says, "everything depends on which side you are on."

Video 1: Uneasy Coexistence
For Israelis and Palestinians trying to lead an ordinary life, the complications of living in a conflict zone can be extraordinary. Aziz Abu Sarah meets with people from both sides to understand how this conflict impacts their daily lives.

Video 2: Israel Defense Forces
For most Israelis, military service is mandatory. Aziz Abu Sarah meets with some of the young people who form the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces, and rides along as they encounter protesters from the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh.

Video 3: Palestinian Protesters
Throughout the West Bank, Israeli settlements and Palestinian villages co-exist in close proximity. Conflict over resources ensue, and can turn deadly. Aziz Abu Sarah takes a look at one such conflict, between the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh and Israeli settlement of Halamish. In this report, he embeds with Palestinian protesters as they clash with Israeli soldiers.

Video 4: A Space to Talk
A soccer game may not necessarily lead to peace in the Middle East, but you have to start somewhere, so why not with soccer? Aziz Abu Sarah's goal is to create opportunities for dialogue among people that are on opposing sides of a conflict. The hope is that if each side sees the other as human beings, they are less likely to support one another’s destruction. Could a soccer game among mixed teams of Israeli and Palestinian boys help?

For more information and discussion questions on Aziz Abu Sarah and these videos, please read this March 2013 blog post.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writer
Caryl-Sue Micalizio, National Geographic Society
Editor
Nina Page, National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society
Rights Holder
© National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society
Producer
National Geographic Society
other
Last Updated

February 9, 2024

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