Promises

"Why was communication essential to understanding among the children of Promises?"

Before anything lets talk about Promises a documentary that take us through a journey in the middle east and introduces us to seven children who´s names are Yarko, Daniel, Shlomo, Moishe, Faraj, Mahmoud, Sanabel. Throughout the documentary we can see the children´s perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite the fact that they live only 20 minutes away from each other,  all have different lifestyles and opinions. Just like if they lived in complete different worlds.

These children even though they lived very close to each other have never interacted with the one another. First there is Yarko and Daniel, two Israeli twins that play volleyball and are not very religious. After visiting a soldier that was hurt in a bomb blast, they tell how insecure and scared they are about going on the bus. Their grandfather is a holocaust survivor and shares some experiences from it with the twins. Both seem pretty open to meet the Palestinian and are the ones that show less hatred toward the others, they are very excited to meet the other kids.

Then we also meet Shlomo, who is a fervent orthodox Jewish boy. He spends 12 hours per day studying the Torah and is on his way to become a rabbi. Shlomo state that he has no problems with the Arabs and argues that peace will eventually come along with the Messiah. Even though he does not appear to have any conflict with the Arabs we later see him arguing with a Palestinian boy. At the end Shlomo says that he has no interest on ever meeting an Arab.

Later we are introduced to Moishe, he lives in Beit El, and hopes to become Israel's first religious Prime Minister. He strongly believes that that land belongs to the Israeli and even supports his believe reading a passage in the Thora that says that God gave the land to the Jews. Moishe tell us how when he will be the Prime Minister he'll clear his land from all Arabs, and has no intention of interacting with one.

Only 20 minutes away lives Mahmoud, a supporter of Hamas and son of the owner of a coffee shop. Mahmoud argues that "the more Jews they kill the stronger the Arabs will be". Later he takes us to Jerusalem´s Holiest shrine Al Aqsa mosque were we see him praying for the liberation of his homeland.

After meeting Mahmoud we meet Faraj who lives in the Deheishe refugee camp. Faraj is marked by an atrocious experience where he saw his best friend get killed by an Israeli soldier and since then thinks all Israeli are nothing but murderers. Faraj rebukes Israelis since that day but is open to meet Yarko and Daniel who both seem exited on the phone just before meeting.

Sanabel another refugee, she is training to be a folk dancer and says that she wants to tell the story of her ancestors by traditional Palestinian dance. Sanabel expresses her opinion and feelings in an uncommon way for a girl in a conservative Islamic society. Even though her father has been arrested for two years Sanabel wants to meet the other kids and seem to enjoy their company when they do.

After meeting and spending the day together Yarko, Daniel, Faraj and Sanabel seem to enjoy each others company and create a friendship like any other kid will. Direct communication between them produced a greater understanding on what the other feels and thinks. This gave these kids the opportunity to develop a natural bond of affection by very simple way “having fun just as regular kids without any difference”, it gave them the opportunity to see by themselves how similar they are.

Years after in 2004 they produced a follow-up called “Promises: Four Years On”, this last has interviews with all children except Shlomo who refused to appear again and Daniel who could not because of military responsibilities. We also see Mahmoud again who expresses a complete different opinion from the one he gave before. Mahmoud first stated that it was their land, and they should give it back to them, but in this follow up we see him talking about the time he meet Yarko and Daniel and how he liked them. He has a complete different opinion even though he still believe the land is theirs. I think he is the best example on how communication is essential to understanding the other children. His parents and people around might have influenced him as a kid and then we see how after interacting with the twins he had his own and complete opposite opinion than before. These friendship that were created go beyond the prejudices that their parents or people around them told them, and we see how communication is essential to understanding among the children.