Most of the audience were associated with the Israeli peace movement and welcomed the opportunity to converse with representatives of the Palestinian community. However, some of the questions and discussions became relatively heated. What was overwhelmingly apparent was the similarity between the fears and contradictions on both sides. For the Palestinians, the conflict remains a David-Goliath struggle in which they are indisputably the victims. Taimor clarified that Palestinians believe their acceptance of the State of Israel within its 1948 borders was extremely generous.
Any further concessions are out of the picture.
Otherwise, the Palestinians fear they will end up dispersed and marginalised like the Gypsies. Similarly Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque was, he provocatively suggested, the equivalent of alleged Nazi war criminal Konrad Kalejs demanding the right to enter a Jewish synagogue in Melbourne. This steadfast position on territory extends to Palestinian claims for a Right of Return which is viewed by most Israelis as a code phase for the destruction of Israel. Taimor said that this was a non-negotiable position, but that the actual form of implementation would be determined by Palestinians. For example, his own father still holds the key of his former home in Jerusalem, and may wish to return.