In June, 2056, I took a hike up Mount Used-to-be-a-wall, about halfway between Ramallah and Jerusalem. The base is made of the segments of the separation wall and checkpoints, the topsoil was donated by countries all around the world, and the cedars came, of course, from Lebanon. From the top I could see the Jordan River to the east and almost see the Mediterranean Sea to the west. There was Israel, finally at peace, and there was the crescent shape of New Palestine, the homeland that was created by the Palestinian people in the years following the appalling violence of 2026. The people who had climbed with me were looking down and murmuring, “Can you believe this mountain used to be a wall?” It still feels miraculous that such a mountain was built.
The idea of New Palestine was born in the very midst of the terrors of 30 years ago. By 2026, the conflicts had finally become so intense and violent that even the most extreme zealots on all sides finally had to admit that the region lay in a smoking ruin, that “total victory” was a cruel lie, and that most of their children just wanted to live somewhere safe and peaceful.
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