While talking about children throwing stones at soldiers, Daoud Nasser and I thought how good it would be to offer them to the soldiers as gifts, painted stones with a message of peace. But this was possibly too much of a political gesture which could upset the legal issues over the family land- making such gestures could cause unwanted attention from the Israeli military who would like to own the Nasser family land.

making such gestures could cause unwanted attention from the Israeli military who would like to own the Nasser family land

We decided that instead we could send the stones to England as part of a cultural exchange between children. Jackie Farnell, priciple of Hope Hamilton School in Leicester, was very enthusiastic to take part and came to the Nasser family land to work with the children.

60 children from the Bethlehem area came to the land to paint stones, and select pen friends from a school photo that Jackie had brought with her.