Diaries of Hope and Hate-Five days in the middle east

摘要

As the middle east ricocheted last week from dreams of peace to the possibility of renewed—and perhaps even more widespread—violence, TIME asked a number of people living amid the turmoil to keep daily diaries. The reports—gathered by TIME'S Jerusalem bureau chief Matt Rees and Jerusalem reporters Jamil Hamad and Aharon Klein—tell the tale of people struggling to adjust in the face of a collapsing world. Some greet the new chaos with resignation, others with a fervent, steely passion to win what they feel their people deserve. All the entries are tinged with sadness. The week began with a hurried summit in Egypt, at which President Clinton squeezed an oral cease-fire plan from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. On Friday, wild fighting in many of the disputed areas left nine Palestinians dead and at least 80 wounded on both sides. The sadness, it seems, may be with us a while longer.