Contaminated water flowing from Hebron, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and a Canadian artist’s work with wounded Israeli soldiers reveal the forces dividing communities—and those working to heal them
This edition of Facing the Middle East examines the forces pulling Israelis and Palestinians apart—and the people searching for practical cooperation, personal responsibility and hope.
I open with the story of George Deek, a Christian Arab diplomat whose grandparents fled Jaffa during Israel’s War of Independence but later returned. Deek went on to become Israel’s first Christian Arab ambassador, serving in Azerbaijan before representing the country to the Christian world. I contrast his message of responsibility and shared civilization with the positions of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose opposition to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has generated concern among many Jewish New Yorkers.
The program then travels to the Judean Hills, where The Media Line’s Gabriel Colodro investigates untreated sewage and industrial waste flowing from the Hebron area through Palestinian and Israeli communities. A 2024 report estimates that the West Bank produces about 90 million cubic meters of sewage annually, including 38 million cubic meters from Palestinian communities that receive no treatment. Stone-cutting waste makes the water especially difficult to process.
Israeli environmental groups have petitioned the High Court of Justice, seeking action against factories accused of discharging stone residue without adequate safeguards. Local officials and environmental advocates say the solution requires separating industrial waste at its source, treating the remaining water at the existing plant near Yatta and reusing it for irrigation.
Inside Gaza, residents describe shortages of water and fuel, restricted movement, medical emergencies and fear in displacement camps. Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Israel Defense Forces spokesman, acknowledges the severe humanitarian conditions but attributes the political deadlock to Hamas’ refusal to disarm and surrender power. He also argues that Egypt should face greater scrutiny for restrictions at the Rafah crossing.
I close the episode in conversation with Canadian artist and former competitive cyclist Cydney Mariel Galbraith. Drawing on her Christian faith and attachment to Israel, Galbraith creates colorful silk scarves inspired by Jerusalem and has played her harp for wounded Israeli soldiers recovering in hospitals.
Our conversation turns from environmental neglect and wartime suffering toward creativity as an instrument of healing. Watch the full episode for firsthand reporting from Hebron and Gaza, competing views of responsibility and a final story built around music, faith and color.