Movie: Lemon Tree

The movie Lemon Tree tries to show the conflict between Israel and its occupied territories that are: Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the West Bank. The movie starts when Salma Zidane, a Palestinian that lives in the West Bank, is ordered to cut her lemon trees. She feels really sad because her ancestor owned that trees so it was the only memory she had from them. For Salma the trees were like persons, so she tries to fight against the Jews by going to court. The only problem is that she is alone because her husband died and her son lived in the United States. This trouble with the tree started when the Defense Minister of Israel moves to a house near to Salma’s home; the minister believed that these trees were dangerous to him, because they affected his security. At the end Salma Zidane “wins” the case with the help of her lawyer, but the decision was to cut the trees up to 30 cm; so they were not able to produce lemons any more.

This movie reflects the conflict between these territories because it shows the power Israelites had over Palestinians. It is represented in the movie when the government of Israel is trying to take the lemon trees from Salma Zidane. This shows how a woman has few support and rights in the Middle East; especially if it is a Palestinian. Also the movie Lemon Tree represents successfully how the power is divided in Israel because of their government, culture, language, and religion. It’s now fair for a human being to take the things they have work or created for many years because they are different, inferior, and weak. I believe that Palestinians should be treated equally because the also live in that territory for a long time. Both cultures should share the country and leave peacefully in order to stop suffering. 

Photo Credit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/movies/17lemo.html?_r=0