Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak

Another book by Deborah Ellis!

I've read many books she's written (you'll have to click through the books tag to see them all.....maybe I should make a Deborah Ellis tag actually!) and I'm becoming rather obsessed with the lives of children in war. I can see how people become peace advocates and fight against any wars.

In this book every story had something that amazed and saddened me. To get it all into one post would be impossible.

This book was made up from interviews she had with Palestian and Israeli children. Their parents and ancestors have fought for years over a very small piece of land. As a result, the children's lives have been hugely impacted.

One of the most memorable chapters for me was one from an interview with a girl whose sister was a suicide bomber. I never thought about what it must be like for the families of people who decide to do something like that!

The end of almost every chapter the children share what they'd wish for if they could have three wishes. One chapter is about an Israeli child, and the next is about a Palestinian child. In the quotes below I took out any reference to whether or not they're Israeli or Palestinian. I don't think it matters. I have just replaced the word with enemies.

• I would become a doctor and I would be famous, maybe as a writer. And I would be able to walk.


• I have just one. I want the war to end, so I can keep living in Israel and raise my children here.


• I have only one wish. That is to go back to America and live with my father. I don't know what I'd do there, but I'd be with him, and it's a better place than here.


• A volunteer who came here from Canada to help teach us told me therea re no checkpoints in Canada. People who live there can start to go somewhere, without soldiers stopping them and asking them a lot of questions, and keep them from going where they want to. That must be very nice. I would like to be able to do that and one day, just go and go and go and go.


• I wish the fighting would end, so that we can just make music and have fun and not hate each other. Maybe we could even make music with the enemies one day.


• I have only one wish. I would like to go to heaven. Maybe in heaven there is happiness, after we die. Maybe then.


• If I had three wishes, I would walk again, I would play soccer, and I would go to see beautiful places.


• I only have one wish. To get well soon so I can go back to fighting the enemies.


• I would want all the enemies who are trying to take our land to be killed. I want to be a success in my studies. This will make the enemies nervous. They don't want us to study, and they often close our schools. And I want to build a family home that the soldiers can't destroy, and live in it with my family.

I'm stunned at the things these children have to deal with. The hopelessness that results from the war is heart breaking.

Surely something can be done.

I just wish I knew what. I guess just being aware is the first step. Listening to these children speak though makes it impossible to not do something.

Everyone definitely should read this book.