
A Visit Back to Israel
Israeli-German writer and educator Meron Mendel travels through a divided Israel and the occupied West Bank as the Gaza war continues, asking whether Jews and Arabs can still build a shared future. Part of the trip is made with his Muslim wife, Saba-Nur Cheema, and their children, including a stop at one of the few Israeli schools where Jewish and Arab children are taught together. Mendel, who once served part of his military duty in Hebron, meets the grandfather of Naama Levy, a soldier held by Hamas for 477 days, and later sits down with settlers in the West Bank who openly call for annexing the territory. He also talks with Israeli activists working against the seizure of Palestinian land. Interviews and on-location footage move between hardened positions on both sides, from families demanding security to those documenting land grabs, without settling on easy answers. The film closes on Mendel's own unresolved question: what kind of country emerges from this war, and who gets to decide.