Hello and welcome again to rewind im Richelle Carey and there since Al Jazeera English launched back in 2006 built a huge library of insightful and entertaining documentaries and here on rewind we are revisiting some of the best of them well the most Popular Series over the last decade was street food which traveled the world in search of culture and history of cities old and new so their unique cuisine is just a small taste this is street food and this is a great place. This is street group and this is cairo. Street and that. Viewpoint is one of the best to live in america which makes me an argentinian a little bit jealous. Runs a bar has one of the richest spirits cultures in east africa. Based in st louis. And this is. One of the most interesting things about my repeat is that diversity that more than 42 different ethnic communities living here from all over kenya im with them they all bring unique dishes traditions and flavors. Today were rewinding to 2008 when street food travel to the holy city of jerusalem where for centuries people of different cultures and religions have lived worked and eaten side by side but after years of rising tension in recent months have seen a huge escalation of palestinian protests against the jewish Settlement Program exacerbated of course our president Donald Trumps controversial decision to move the u. S. Embassy to the holy city of jerusalem all of which makes it hard to imagine that today they can make a film using true slims food culture to show how muslims Jews Christians and armenians and managed to list side by side in the holy city for so long from 2008 a decade ago here a street food jerusalem an ancient city sacred to 3 different feeds. The jews the size of the 1st holy temple. For christians the scene of jesus christ death and resurrection. And for muslims cation of the prophet muhammads ascent to have been. This could only be one place jerusalem. The visitor to jerusalem cannot help but be overwhelmed by the citys history and its religious significance to muslims christians and jews but this beautiful city is also a tragic one fought over for centuries and coveted by millions whove never set foot in it jerusalem is the focus of an ongoing and seemingly irresolvable conflict. Everything here is overshadowed by politics even that most basic of things food. That. It may be at the heart of the Israeli Palestinian conflict but its easy to be influenced by the old city of jerusalem its bustling markets and vibrant street in life. But inside its walls tensions are never far from the surface. And history is a dimension of the present. Youll see his sign such as this commemorating the recent anniversary of the 6 day war of 1967. When israel gained control over all of jerusalem. Claiming to have reunited the ancient jewish city. But there is little unity to be found in a city which palestinian arabs regard as their occupied capital. And in the struggle for the soul of this city even food has its parts through it is an important marker by density in all countries what we each express is our history culture and values the palestinian was United States and with a National Identity constantly undermined food place and even greater role in defining who they are. The food on sale here snacks such as the left and as well as olives nuts and sweets will be familiar to any. One whos visited arab cities like damascus a man who kyra. With the appearance of uniformity can be deceptive the palestinians have put their own distinct mark on many dishes. I arranged to meet anthropologists and local food experts. To find out more. This is my favorite place its 50 years old at least they used to said many kinds of for the 4 of us but it will be those from us for the morning but our 7th of days from the from the other 3 years and only kill the hamas. Business that abu ali restaurant suffered as a result of the 1st Palestinian Uprising the intifada of 987. 00 and the restaurant today focuses on the one dish its become famous for some months. The recipe is simple boil chickpeas or ground to a paste this is then mixed with flavor and so Olive Oil Lemon juice gone and tina so its made from ground sesame and its in the precise mix of the spade brings that i want to use it shines through so this one was is simply special because of that model for them and just taste it and you see that the 1st is that comes to mind is that both of them and. This. Particular basic recipe exists from iraq or that on the 1st tile question 11 on the syria jordan i list. And we all use it but in a different combinations the palestinians favor the let me taste of course and egypt. Team that source dominates over the hamas so we dont like it because its syria they dont put them in the way we do they put more of a mosque at a different places Different Countries have their own dialect. Across the city arab snacks that you to not only by palestinians theyve also become extremely popular amongst israeli jews leading to claims that some dishes have been appropriated Michael Moores has been taken all that by this a list favorite because i guess its set doesnt threaten their last question with this chick peas its a pain that it can make a pretty good enemy in without ruining their lives. This is one of jerusalems most popular homeless and falafel restaurants but its in predominantly jewish western rusinow. Its intriguing name from gaza to men has a double meaning. Its located on the corner of gaza and burnin streets but it also points to the fact that the food served here like israel itself is somewhere between east and west. Restaurant work and near an israeli jew has no qualms about admitting the heritage of the food he serves like there is no israeli food all our food is from Like Neighbors and people that can we gratian jewish immigration thats going to israel and our people that its a. Neighbor ejects palestinian claims that the traditional food has been appropriated by the israelis nobodys discords from nobody knows its its moved there out its that combination on the same dish its like in the or even the homeless in england you learn to host stood in english so its. Far and the city in which over the centuries so much has been disputed and cleans by one side or another its perhaps no surprise to find that even food is a subject of contention. Everything his seems to be loaded with the symbolism and with the significance that many outsiders fail to fully appreciate. And food is no exception. So you have for example from us and to see them declare it as a national at this so outrageous for us it is as out as for us as to see the villages that are destroyed the other villages that are left over fall apart and abandoned. There was one more jerusalem delicacy which i wanted to show me before we parted especially bread known as guy. In general some of this as it has a very special shape and liberal comes more like a cousin shape right jordans different but the best thing about the jerusalem guy its what you call it its crushing from the outside soft on the inside tasted a little at this very very good we did turns out that. The hubs not all time in english has been picked by the arabs of palestine and the levant for centuries and used as a condiment to bread and of the snacks. And palestinians are certainly proud of it. But even the simple herb has found itself drawn into the ongoing Israeli Palestinian conflict that israel has outlawed the traditional practice of picking wild in order its claimed to protect the species of plant. That in the land disputed by 2 peoples even a simple conservation measure can have consequences. As i was to find out the following day when i traveled north to the galilee region to me to the arab whos been caught out by the no consented to this to clearly do a little each year on Independence Day i take my mother to collect me her old village and on this occasion i was gathering a small amount for her when a guard came up to me and told me what i was doing was against the law he took me to his car where another man had already filled in some papers he told me to sign them and said i had a fine of a 660 shekels my mother is 86 years old when she realized what was going on she got very angry at her. Why should we pay 660. 00 shekels for picking zada on our own and sisters landlord. She told the guard that in that case she was going to go and pick 660 shekels worth of salt to herself but he told he get the police on her if she did. Despite the israeli prohibition of picking wildes out a group of arab women to found a way for preserving the palestinian tradition of daughter cultivation. Paying up to dissolve this is up a plan well known to all are we used to pick it up once a year either neighbor or me from the mountains and however 3 years ago we started a project and planted it down here after work so now we have that all year on the summit at the beginning middle of nowhere 11 a lot of new but now there are fewer would expect it to be having hard work and some of the women is that intake it physically feminine of. The group was formed to provide the women with an independent means of income and aim which has had only limited success. The money that women make from selling bizarre allows them to rent the land on which it grows but there is little left over for future investment or for them because they didnt know despite all the acts that we see ourselves doing in the only benefit from it is that allows us to put food on the table. To give it away at home one day the women would like to expand the business and open a factory before now theres not a production takes place in the home. First its left to dry out the leaves and then removed. And mixed with the old sesame seeds and similar to this fragrant powder is used to prepare a quintessentially arabs emasculate many east brits who stayed with it and or live or oil. Back in jerusalem i began to learn that the issue of the israeli appropriation of palestinian food is more complex than it 1st appears. Most tough of israelis come from middle eastern backgrounds their parents or grandparents having lived alongside arabs in countries such as iraq morocco and yemen until the turmoil of the 20th century and the creation of the state of israel. And to this day so many ms ryan as these oriental jews are known for continue to have it and customs which they knew from having lived in arab lands. But its in the food they eat that we can find the biggest clue to the oriental origins of so many contemporary israelis this jury stressed on specializes in iraq in kurdish craziness. The stews soups and salads and of a typically middle east and. Some just out altogether thinks of when i would see. What i am like a show the old chap choke up if the dishes are a reminder of the shed history culture of many arabs and jews something easily forgotten in todays divided politics of. Modern israel is a synthesis of different cultures in Eastern North Africa and european even if you can and you can really sense that head injury seems main markets my finances your view that. Israel is a country founded on immigration. And many israeli jews continue to identify with the flavors of the nouns from which they or their ancestors came. Local chef comes out to goldberg showed me some of the diverse influences that played in these radio kitchen. We have a lot of beautiful coming to russia and germany 50 up and marking so you dipshit just. Every fison the word united we and we have. Jewels of a bow and becoming. One big mishmash of things. Whats and showed in the markets made me very nice but who knows no borders ive notice a lot of the spices that vary from india to me. To post israelis and arabs is the same spices course. We are actually saying the same flavors defined in different ways a lot of times. You can see that exactly. Rides out of a. Kitchen used to lots. Of israel the kitchen also use it as it is a fuse a kind of a fusion. So whats up the system we have yes we have become old and salted fish. We have all kinds i was conscious we have a few no fish that rushed outside. We have to get the care that. We have. Some of which is. Going away and if not most probably because of all that russian immigration. So we also have many tio. Shop 50 of them products and there are a lot of if you can see here in jerusalem there is a Big Community of video visuals most. Through the enticing range of produce on sale here there is one unifying feature everything in this market is strictly kosher thats to see it conforms to jewish dietary laws forbidding certain things and suit youll find no shrimps at the fishmonger and no pool at the butcher. No one familiar with the muslim idea of hand then thats his food it is committed according to islamic rule you but i dont know as much about the jewish. System or die tree north or the course route as theyre known. I visit is an Orthodox Jewish families are far more by the. Hour its friday afternoon and the benhur theyre preparing the meal for the coming sabbath on which work of any kind including cooking is strictly forbidden by sunset our sabbath his book and we have to finish all the work all the food preparation anything that were doing to be finished by sabbath by the beginning of sabbath so everything is a crazy mad rush to get it done beforehand. But. Everything that we do in our religion has the guidelines set for us and thats basically what happens with when we talk about kosher food there are meats that are not allowed us there are fish that were not allowed to eat. Fish for instance us to have fins and scales if it has one of the 2 then its also not considered kosher for us meat animal has to have the split half and she gets cut or again were not allowed to eat that. Most jews in israel may choose to eat for judy admits that the reasons behind the di trade north are obscure the bottom line is we really dont know what the reasons for that are and judaism has a many laws and regulations for which we really have no understanding of why god. Handed down these laws to us and were commanded to observe them and despite the fact that we really have no understanding of what they are. During my time in jerusalem ive noticed that both israelis and palestinians attach great meaning and symbolism to food that. Symbolism maybe political or religious or both. Crazy maybe part of our culture and community but it need not be divisive. This is jerusalems you can at this restaurant a rarity in this divided city has its own jointly by an israeli and palestinian. And im here to meet with 0. 04 members of an initiative called chefs for peace a group which cooks together in order to bridge religious and political divides to this is a way to show the world that we can do peace we can show the people that we are. Peaceful people. As a series of city were together a jewish state of being able to shoot it together we did we cook together so it is fact. Today this shifts adjourned to prepare me a truly multicultural lunch the 1st step on the menu is a jewish state with an intern story told by an israeli shell. Im going to keep the. Lentil soup which comes from the bible the story of jacob. And as was asking jacob what are you all doing and what are you preparing to give me from this red red stuff so ill refer to this red stuff which is a lentil soup and im not sure that jacob was doing the lentil soup the same way im doing it but what is important with taste ok just. Convinced that ignorance of the other is at the heart of the conflict here the steps try to educate people about the others history traditions and culture through the medium of food and so palestinian chefs a few and one of the owners of the restaurant is making a traditional palestinian deaths rarely found. Outside the whom its cool maneuver or upside down in just a reference to the distinct way in which it sounds like if you think youll see them up just the most and fall off with them maybe show em up but in this resort we make the special fluid depict food and we say with all the people here we have something more good to the days. And the fans customers seem to agree. Said keith as a member of jerusalem small but decent only medium communities. Out there. Who love arsenal all morning long as it is the couple chill america watches the final dishes being prepared by Palestinian Christian newbie and with the help of a friend day to day were going to make the traditional stuff from before making him a classic in a way not too Old Fashioned of the stuff im sure you prefer the bread and butter for the sure they dont stuff it with chicken under one and so much only put a little bit of the scene on you know with some point the needs so its in a fancy way. 2 it was time to sample the food an eclectic lunch reflecting the diversity of the city and its peoples way through the way through the hour. And while some might think that the idea that cookie can promote peace is a little naive the chefs themselves had no such doubts if there was. Just the best life and the shore or. Need for backup to make the peace in the middle east so all usually. People use knife. Because live for making good seems as you see is food not for killing or butchering people we have pieced together but the problem is the government and we dont want to. The government going to look make nothings but he was tough to make me think especially for the piece and for the people this is just the beginning and i think a very idea of their dream to make some small be a more big and you just start. Eucalyptus restaurant only uses organic vegetable sauce from local farmers. From heiler is one of the suppliers. Yet despite living in bethlehem just 5 miles away the journey to deliver her home grown vegetables to jerusalem can take a man seeks out was a reminder that for the talk of peace political realities such as walls and barriers continue to divide people here side. Doesnt have a clue that its difficult because i dont have a permit to cross the checkpoints my of trying to get one so many times here but they refuse a behind the u. S. So what can i do that for but i have to take the risk of coming here for my children say that i have to sacrifice the ancient city of jerusalem nies at the center of a very modern conflict a conflict over territory and identity everything including the food people eat can become part of this conflict as i seen here in jerusalem fruit can be a point of contention and difference or it can hold the potential for cooperation and a coming together. And that was straight from back in 2008 decades in which life interests have more divided other than less but for now thanks for joining us to take out the rewind page at aljazeera dot com for more films from the series i hope to see you again soon. Rewind continues i can bring your people back to life im sorry with updates on the best of aljazeera as documentaries the struggle continues but from back the till now hes distanced revisiting our friends free press. And managing editor of the day to talk we know from the public of whats happening in the aggressor side there have been some changes over over the years in a rewind on aljazeera. The u. K. Government under fire for not doing enough to stop russian interference in its democratic institutions. The roman your jobs are alive my headquarters here in doha are coming up in the next 30 minutes after days of acrimonious negotiations european leaders come up with a coronavirus recovery deal worth nearly 860000000000 dollars. U. S. Secretary of state mike pompei i mean his british counterpart on calls for the building of a coalition that understands what he called