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Maya Morse
Julia Hewitt
Humanities English
4 April 2012


The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan is a book based around the Israeli Palestinian conflict,
as non-fiction it presents about real events and real people and their experiences. The main
premise of the book is this house with a lemon tree in the backyard and all the people the tree
and house have impacted. The first family to live in the house is the Khairis, who have built the
house for their family to live in. However after the second world war all the Jews come from
Europe and force the Palestinians out of their homes and across the land to refugee camps.
The Khairis then live as refugees during the occupation and throughout all the events in the
book. Meanwhile a new family of Jews move into the house with the lemon tree, they come to
the town and are told that no one lives in the houses. They take up residence in the house and
live there throughout all the events in the book.The story shows how the house brings about the
meeting of two very different people, different people who through their meeting come to
understand their differences and become friends, thus bridging the understanding between both
sides of this conflict.
The first way The Lemon Tree bridges understanding between the Israelis and the
Palestinians is in the way the people can relate to one another, how they're willing to listen to
the other side and see what the other side is seeing. This is mostly due to Dalia, an Israeli who
has therefore has been brought up with the views from her side of the conflict. Somehow,
however, she has gained the ability to listen and to relate to the Palestinians. Throughout the
book she shows how much she can empathize with the Palestinians. Dalia turned as she
reached the door. Im only one person searching for the truth, she said. And I found the
thread thats going take me there. (Pg.163) She says this about Bashir, a Palestinian, who she
thinks will help her understand his side of the conflict. This quote shows that she is not only
willing, but actually wants to listen to Bashirs side of the story. In order to find the truth, she is
willing to put aside her opinion to listen and understand the opposing viewpoint.
Bashir, on the other hand, is seemingly less willing to give up his views for the
understanding of the other side, though this is partly because he doesnt have what he wants
while Dalia does, what he wants being the right to live on his own land and in his own home.
Even so his tolerance is something amazing, no matter what happened in his life, he is still able
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to meet Dalia halfway, and attempt to see where shes coming from. He says,
He who plants barley Dalia, will never reap wheat. And he who plants hatred can never
reap love. That leadership has planted hatred in our hearts, not affection. It has destroyed all
human values the day it destroyed our childhood, our existence, and the right to live on the soil
of our homeland. Your change, Dalia, and your new perspective was attained through research
and investigation. And your ability to see things the way they are in reality, not the way they
were told to you. (Pg. 217)
This shows that he is appreciating Dalias attempt to understand their side of the conflict
despite what she was taught. He can see how hard is must have been to make the decision to
form her opinion of the conflict, as well as the Palestinians around her own perception, instead
of what she was told as a child. Dalia makes this decision without much hesitation, which is why
she is able to empathize so well with the Palestinians.
While, Dalia can understand the Palestinian side of the conflict she can see that no real
solution can be made. She realizes that no matter what conclusion the governments come to, it
will never be good enough to fully satisfy everyone. And with a truly just compromise, both sides
will be left unhappy. She says,
I struggle for your rights despite my fears. But your rights have to be balanced with our
needs for survival. That is why you cannot be satisfied. For you every viable solution will always
be lacking in justice. In a peace plan, everybody will have to do with less than they deserve.
(Pg. 212)
This shows that Dalia can fully understand the state of the conflict. She can see that the
solution will have to include major compromises to both sides. She believes neither side is fully
in the right, nor in the wrong. She can bridge her understanding between both sides and
recognize that neither of them is more or less than the other.
In the end, both Dalia and Bashir understand each other. They can see each others
perspectives and from there accept each other. The author of the book, though only writing
about peoples real action clearly portrays the way these two friends bridge understanding of
each other despite the circumstances.






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Works Cited

Tolan, Sandy. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East. New York:
Bloomsbury Pub., 2006. Print.