Introduction

Hello! My name is Yasmine Khoury, and I am a senior this year majoring in NELC and History, with a minor in Psychology. I am half Palestinian, half American, and spent my childhood in Amman. I came to the States for my senior year of High School, and aside from a year abroad in the UK, have been here ever since. My father's side of the family is from Beit Sahour, and I go back every summer to visit my Taita and Sedo. Generally speaking, my family and I do not discuss politics very often so what I know of the region is limited to the culture and language, so I am hoping that this class will allow me to learn things from different angles and to hopefully allow me an Israeli perspective of the conflict.

I have only been to Jerusalem a couple times, mainly because I have my Palestinian hawiya (ID) from Beit Sahour so it's very difficult for me to get into the city without special permission. That being said, I absolutely love the city and would love to go back if it were possible. My stepmother is from Jerusalem, so she brings back goodies like cakes and breads that are a little different from what we usually get. I named my blog for my half brother, Zeid, who is nearly two and absolutely loves to eat zayt o za3tar, which is a thyme and olive oil dish.