Lemon Tree

Salma, a Palestinian widow - living there for decades - has to stand up against her new neighbor, the Israeli Defence Minister, when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma's trees pose a threat to the Ministers safety and issue orders to uproot them. Together with Ziad Daud, a young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon, the Defence Minister's wife, trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life. Despite their differences, and the borders between them, the two women develop an invisible bond, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad. Salmas legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive. As usual, the Palestinian cause is dismissed, the movie ends with the Israeli wife moving out (obviously separating from her husband), a tall concrete wall has been built between the two properties and a final camera shot shows us half the trees have been cut right down.