Symposium on Jews and Arabs after the 1967 War:
Readings in Jasmine by Eli Amir

Meir Hatina (editor)

The novel Jasmine by Eli Amir (Tel Aviv 2005) deals with the complex Jewish-Arab reality in East Jerusalem following the 1967 war. The book revolves around a fragile and unfulfilled love story between Nuri, an Israeli government advisor on Arab affairs in Jerusalem, and Jasmine, a Palestinian graduate of the Sorbonne who arrives for a family visit. Their personal story constitutes a microcosm of the broader story of the Israeli-Arab conflict mired in the familiar patterns of hostility and bloodshed. In essence, Jasmine is an odyssey of getting to know the other – the rival, the outsider – and the fears and hopes involved. These themes were explored in a symposium held at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in March 2006 with the participation of the academic community and the author.