Ch 8

Chapter 9

Ahmed:I want you to imagine the situation. My people are behind me with their flags; to my left is a dead end. In front of me is a march like ours but with opposite flags. We both stop, leaving space between us, and if we continue, we should turn to the right, A lot of days have passed, and they closed off that route so no one can move to the right to avoid a conflict if the two sides fight for passage. We felt trapped, not daring to step into the empty space. The air was filled with tension, making it heavy to breathe. So what should we do?

Levi:Back again to us before the right turn was closed. I asked him what he meant. Ahmed, who I thought was Medo at that time, told me I was on the wrong side. He said I should be on his side because "they did this, they did that," and we talked for a little while. For the first time, I looked into Ahmed's eyes and said, "I am Israeli."

Ahmed: I was shocked to my core. One of my best friends, who when I first met him spoke a little Arabic, and I thought he was one of us, looked at him and said, "I am a Palestinian, and your country is killing my people."

Levi:I said, "But you did it first."

Ahmed:"Did what? You were forced on our land."

Levi:"I said you started this war, so bear the consequences."

Ahmed: "Why is it always us bearing the consequences? Why aren't you bearing them? Why do you want to commit genocide against my people?"

Levi: "Now you want to compare it to the Holocaust? No, what happened to us was more horrible."

Ahmed:I shouted at him, "It's not like the Holocaust happened overnight. Didn't your people get pushed, treated like animals, and blamed for everything that led to that? Isn't that what happening right now?"

Levi:I got convinced, and a lot of people from my side who heard what Ahmed said left. So I asked him, "What should we do? It's ours or yours?"

He said neither. I understand what he said that day, but my family hated me for what I did. They wondered how I could betray my kind and talk to a terrorist, and I became an outcast in my family and my people.

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Ahmed:The same happened to me. How could I speak to the enemy? How could I befriend him in the first place? I brought shame to my family, and even the Egyptians and other Arabs said I betrayed them. I felt disgusting and ashamed for all Arabs around the world.I became an outcast from my family, my people, and my culture. I found myself in a corner and saw Levi there. I talked to him, heard his point of view, and he heard mine. We watched videos; he cried for me, and I cried for him. He apologized for everything that happened until I said, "It's not your fault. I didn't blame you for it."

Levi: I said to him, "Remember when you said neither? Maybe you were right." And that's when we decided to climb up until you found us on the seventh floor.

To be continued...