Haifa - 14

My perfect day will be when my mother comes running to me telling me to get up really quickly because the Israelis have given us back our country. Oh my god that will really be my perfect day. I’ll go directly to my grandpa’s city, Haifa, I’ll go to our house there, then I’ll swim in our country’s water and then I’ll go celebrate with my family and my people.

I live in Nablus, I like Gerzim mountain where I like to go with my family because you can see the whole of Nablus from the mountain. I like to go there at night because I can see all the Nablus lights so it is really nice. But when the Israeli soldiers came Nablus changed and now it is bad, they have destroyed the houses and they jailed all the people that we loved. We are always under curfew and nobody can go out of their home, he can’t even look from the window and if he does the Israeli soldiers will shoot him directly.

My Uncle Shardie

In the summer of 2003 Jayyous was invaded and placed under curfew, homes were ransacked and 21 year old Shardie was one of 5 university students taken by the Israeli military who claimed they were “key members of the Palestinian resistance”.

Neveen - 15

I wish for peace and freedom on the Earth, especially in Palestine.

I don’t believe in the “Roadmap” because the Israeli government hasn’t given the Palestinian people their freedom and they don’t respect the Roadmap.

I respect my family and my people because they make me see the true way in my life.

I was born in Nablus. I like swimming and singing and in the future I want to be an engineer. Ribha is my best friend, she is 15 and lives in Nablus, she likes to read and play tennis.

Mohammed - 18

I don’t listen to the news because I have a secondary school examination coming up, but most people know that we don’t need any of the Israeli politicians. The “Roadmap” is a way for the Israeli government to make everything wrong for Palestinians.The tradition of the Palestinian people is providing for the sick people, to make them healthy and help them psychologically. Another tradition is helping the poor people by giving them food and money. A third tradition is to wear black when somebody dies.

My father is the same as a friend, I tell him any of my problems, my brothers are like my friends but I don’t tell them everything. My friends are like my brothers, I love them very much and we spend our time doing many good things.

The occupation made the life of Palestinians very hard and very poor.

Ammar - 14

If I was the Prime Minister of Palestine I would kill myself because if I didn’t I would do terrible things to people. I think the “Roadmap” is a big lie, a very big one. They are lying to us and the keep saying that we will get our homes back, but we don’t.

I respect everything in Palestine, especially the traditions because they are the only thing which is still alive in this country.

I would like to visit Austria because it is a country of peace. When I grow up I will live there and have a big family.

Haifa - 14

I have two sisters, Areen and Ellyah and I have one brother, his name is Ahmed. My friends are Rapha, Hadel and Rola.

I hope in the future I’ll be a Doctor and I really hope Palestine will be free and all the prisoners are out of jail.

I want to learn English because it is an International language and I could use it everywhere.

Raya - 15

I live in a big house and I have three sisters and one brother.

I have five friends and one best friend, her name is Dana.

I live in Nablus and it is like a beautiful place, like the Old City and the Ebal mountain. I would like to make something of my life in Nablus but now I don’t have anything because the life under occupation is very sad and the people have much frustration and depression.

I would write to the children of the world that I want for my future to be a lawyer and for the future of Palestine.

Nidal - 15

My perfect day will be when the world lives in peace and allows people to travel around so I can go see my uncles in Germany and the USA and travel to see all of the world and see no pain again.

I like English because it is an International language and a beautiful language. I want to learn English because I have relatives who live in England, the USA and Australia, I also want to chat with other people around the world and I want to go to England or the USA to study at university there.

Dahlia - 15

My family is not very big, my parents, three sisters and two aunts live in a big house with a big garden. My dad is an engineer and my mum doesn’t work, my sisters are younger than me and in school.

I wouldn’t want to be the Prime Minister of Palestine because I hate politics but I would do anything to stop the Israeli soldiers because they hurt the people in my country and I don’t agree with that.

Hadal - 14

The “Roadmap” is very important. The Israeli government doesn’t like the Palestinian people and I don’t believe the “Roadmap” because the Israeli government doesn’t give the Palestinian people all their land and they don’t follow the “Roadmap” in the true way.

Majid - 15

My family is very big, my father is dead and I have three brothers and five sisters, my mother is responsible for me and looks after me and my sisters. I respect my mother because she has looked after me since I was born. I had three uncles and they died too.

The “Roadmap” isn’t to peace because we don’t have a balance between Israelis and Palestinians; it is for Israelis not Palestinians.

Dana - 15

Israel says the “Roadmap” is good for the Palestinians, but it is not, it is good for the Israelis, but they want to make co-operation and I am happy because that would be good for the Palestinians. I hate the politics that is why I don’t watch the news and I don’t like to talk about politics.

I respect my family and my best friend Raya because they love me very much and they are with me when I am happy and when I am sad.

At the end of the day you have the fourth largest army in the world with billions of $s worth of USA support yearly fighting a militia armed mostly with rifles, grenades and rockets.