coffee growers. >> you can get more on that and the other stories that we have been covering here in al jazeera on our website. that's the www.aljazeera.com address, www.aljazeera.com an ancient city sacred to three different faiths. for jews, the sight of they're fist holy temple. for christians, the seen of jesus christ's death and resurrection. and for muslims the location of the prophet mohammed's ascent to heaven. this could only be one place... jerusalem. the visitor to jerusalem can not

help but to be overwhelmed by the city's history and it's religious significance to muslims, christians, and jews. but this beautiful city is also a tragic one, fought over for centuries and coveted by millions who've never set foot in it. jerusalem is the focus of an ongoing and seemingly irresolvable conflict. everything here is overshadowed by politics. even the most basic of things... food. it maybe at the heart of the israeli-palestinian conflict but it's easy to be inthralled by the old city of jerusalem. it's bustling markets and vibrant street life. but inside it's walls, tensions

are never far from the surface. and history is a dimension of the present. and in the struggle for the sole of the city, even food has it's part. food is an important marker of identity in all countries, what we eat expresses our history, culture & values. for the palestinians, denied the states, and with the national identity constantly undermined, food plays an even greater role in defining who they are. the food on sale here, snacks such as falafel, as well as olives, nuts, and sweets, will be familiar to anyone who has visited arab cities like damascus, amman, or cairo. but the appearance of uniformity

can be deceptive. the palestinian's have put they're own distinct mark on many dishes. i arranged to meet anthropologist, and local food expert ali qleibo to find out more. >> this is my favorite place, it's 50 years old at least. uh they used to sell may foods before lunch 22 meals, and hummus for the morning. but after the infra they stopped the other meals, and only keep the hummus. >> business at abu ali restaurant suffered as a result of the first palestinian uprising, or intifada of 1987. and the restaurant today, focuses on the one dish it's become famous for... hummus. the recipe is simple. boiled chickpeas are ground to a paste, this is then mixed with flavorings...salt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and tahini sauce, made from ground sesame.

and it's in the precise mix of these flavorings that abu ali's art shines though. >> so this hummus is extremely special because of the amount of lemon. just taste it, and you'll see that the first taste that comes through is the amount of lemon. this particular basic recipe exists from iraq, all along the fertile crescent, lebanon, syria, jordan, palestine and we all use it, but in different combinations. the palestinians favor the lemony taste. of course in egypt, tahini sauce dominates over the hummus, so we don't like it, because in syria they don't put the lemon the way we do, they put more hummus. different countries have there own dialects. >> across the city, arab snacks are eaten not only by palestinians; they've also become extremely popular among

israeli jews - leading to claims that some dishes have been "appropriated". >> now hummus has been taken over by the israelis... because i guess it doesn't threaten their laws of "kashrut": it's chickpeas, tahina... it can be part of any meal without ruining their dietary laws. >> this is one of jerusalem's most popular hummus & falafel restaurants, but it's in predominantly jewish west jerusalem. its intriguing name - "from gaza to berlin" - has a double meaning: it's located on the corner of gaza & berlin streets, but it also points to the fact that the food served here - like israel itself - is somewhere between east and west. restaurant-worker nir - an israeli jew - has no qualms about admitting the heritage of the food he serves. >> it is arab food, but this is israel! there is no israeli food... all our food is like from neighbours and people that

came: jewish people that came to israel and the arab people that were here. >> nir rejects palestinian claims that their traditional food has been "appropriated" by the israelis. >> nobody steals from from no-body... you know it moves around, it's a combination on the same dish. even the hummus in england, you'll make it according to the english taste... >> in a city in which over the centuries so much has been disputed and claimed by one side or another - it's perhaps no surprise to find that even food is a subject of contention. everything here seems to be loaded with a symbolism - and with a significance - that many outsiders fail to fully appreciate. and food is no exception. >> ...you have for example

hummus & falafel. and to see them declare it as a national dish, it is so outrageous for us! it is as outrageous to us as to see the villages that are destroyed or that are left apart and abandoned...! >> there was one more jerusalem delicacy which ali qleibo wanted to show me before we parted: a special bread known as "kaek" >> kaek in jerusalem, this is it. it has a very special shape. in lebanon it comes more like a crescent shape. in jordan, it's different. but the best thing about the jerusalem kaek, it's hard, crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside. the way we like to eat it is with za'atar... >> the herb za'atar - or thyme in english - has been picked by the arabs of palestine & the levant for centuries - and used as a condiment for bread and other snacks. and palestinians are certainly proud of it!

but even this simple herb has found itself drawn into the ongoing israeli-palestinian conflict. for israel has outlawed the traditional practice of picking wild za'atar - in order it's claimed - to protect the species of plant. but in a land disputed by two peoples, even a simple conservation measure can have consequences... as i was to find out the following day, when i travelled north to the galilee region, to meet with an arab who's been caught out by the law... >> each year on independence day, i take my mother to collect za'atar near her old village. on this occasion i was gathering a small amount for her, when a guard came up to me and told me what i was doing was against the law. he took me to his car where another man had already filled in some papers. he told me to sign them, and said i had a fine for 660 shekels. my mother is 86 years old. when

she realised what was going on, she got very angry: why should we pay 660 shekels for picking za'atar on our own ancestors' land? she told the guard that in that case she was going to go and pick 660 shekels worth of za'atar herself; but he told her he'd get the police on her if she did... >> despite the israeli prohibition of picking wild za'atar, a group of arab women have found a way of preserving the palestinian tradition of za'atar cultivation. >> this is the za'atar plant, well-known to all arabs... we used to pick it up once a year either in april or may from the mountains. however, 3 years ago, we started a project to plant it down here now, so now we have za'atar all year. at the beginning we were 11 women, but now there are fewer. we didn't expect it to be such hard work, and some of the women couldn't take it physically. >> the group was formed to provide the women with an independent means of income - an

aim which has had only limited success. the money the women make from selling the za'atar allows them to rent the land on which it grows; but there is little left over for future investment, or for them. >> ...we only benefit in that it allows us to put food on the table, >> one day the women would like to expand their business and open a factory. but for now the za'atar production takes place in the home. first it's left to dry out. the leaves are then removed, sieved and mixed with salt, sesame seeds and sumac. this fragrant powder is used to prepare a quintessentially arab snack: man'aesh: bread toasted with za'atar and olive oil. al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere.

more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america.

>> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

>> back in jerusalem, i began to learn that the issue of the israeli appropriation of palestinian food is more complex than it first appears. for almost half of israelis come from middle eastern backgrounds - their parents or grandparents having lived alongside arabs in countries such as iraq, morocco & yemen until the turmoil of the 20th century and the creation of the state of israel. and to this day, many "mizrahim" - as these 'oriental' jews are known - continue the habits and customs which they know from having lived in arab lands. but it's in the food they eat that we can find the biggest clue to the oriental origins of so many contemporary israelis.

this jewish restaurant specialises in iraqi-kurdish cuisine. the stews, soups & salads on offer are typically middle eastern. the dishes are a reminder of the shared history and culture of arabs and jews - something easily forgotten in today's divided politics. modern israel is a synthesis of different cultures: middle eastern, north african, europian, even ethiopian. and you really get that feeling here in jerusalem's main jewish market "mahane yehuda". israel is a country founded on immigration. and many israeli jews continue to identify with the flavours of the lands from which they - or

their ancestors - came. local chef, hemdat goldberg, showed me some of the diverse influences at play in the israeli kitchen. >> we have a lot of new people coming to israel... russians, germans, moroccans, ethiopians, tunisians, syrians, egyptians... every place in the world, you name it, and we have jews over there! and they are coming here, so... it's like one big mish-mash of things...! >> what hemdat showed me in the market made me realise that food knows no borders. >> mona: so i noticed that a lot of these spices are very familiar to me? do both israelis and arabs use the same spices? yes, of course. we use actually the same flavours, in different ways, a lot of time. this is za'atar, used a lot in arab

kitchen, and in the israeli kitchen, it is used a lot as a kind of fusion. mona: so what type of fish do we have here? we have pickled and salted fish here. we have from all kinds of countries; we have from eastern europeans, the russian type, we have the turkish, we have salmon from norway, now popular because of russian immigration. so mona, also we have here an ethiopian shop. mona: are there a lot of ethiopians here in jerusalem? there is a big ethiopian community here in jerusalem. >> for all the enticing range of produce on sale here, there is one unifying feature.

everything in this market is strictly kosher: that's to say, it conforms to jewish dietary laws forbidding certain foods. and so you'll find no shrimps at the fishmonger, and no pork at the butcher... now i'm familiar with the muslim idea of "halal" - that is, food that is permitted according to islamic law. but i don't know as much about the jewish system of dietary laws - or the "kashrut" as they're known. i visited an orthodox jewish family to find out more. it's friday afternoon and the ben hurs are preparing a meal for the coming sabbath - on which work of any kind - including cooking - is strictly forbidden. >> by sunset our sabbath has begun. we have to finish all the work, all the food preparation, anthing that we're doing, we have to finish by sabbath, by the beginning of sabbath. so everything is a cazy mad rush to get

it done before hand. everything we do in our religion has guidelines set for us. and that is basically what happens when we talk about kosher food... there are meats we are not allowed, there are fishwe are not allowed to eat, fish for instance has to have fins and scales, if they don't have one, it is not considered kosher. for meat, an animal has to have split hooves, and chewed cuds, or again would be not allowed... >> most jews in israel may choose to eat kosher; but jody admits that the reasons behind the dietary laws are obscure. >> ...we really do not know the reasons for that, and judaism has many laws and regulations for which we really have no

understanding of why god handed down these laws, but we are commanded to observe them despite the fact that we really have no understanding of what they are. consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

>> oh my! >> during my time in jerusalem i've noticed that both israelis and palestinians attach great meaning and symbolism to food: that symbolism may be political, religious, or both. cuisine may be part of our culture & community, but it need not be divisive. this is jerusalem's eucalyptus

restaurant - a rarity in this divided city, in that it's owned jointly by an israeli and a palestinian. and i'm here to meet with four chefs - members of an initiative called "chefs for peace", a group which cooks together in order to bridge religious and political divides. >> this is a way to show the world that we can do peace; we can show the people that we are peaceful people. as you see we sit here all together, jewish, muslim, armenian, christian, we're together, we cook together, so it is fact! >> today the chefs are going to prepare me a truly multicultural lunch... first up on the menu is a jewish dish with an ancient story told by an israeli chef. >> i'm going to prepare lentil soup which comes from the bible, the story of isaac and jacob.

and isaac was asking jacob what are you doing, what are you preparing, give me from this red, red stuff so i'm preparing this red stuff which is a lentil soup... ... i'm not sure that jacob was doing the lentil soup the same way i'm doing it, but what it's important it will be tasty! >> convinced that ignorance of "the other" is at the heart of the conflict here, the chefs try to educate people about the other's history, traditions and culture... through the medium of food! as so palestinian chef suffian - one of the owners of the restaurant - is making a traditional palestinian dish rarely found outside the home. it's called "ma'alouba" - or "upside-down" in english, a reference to the distinct way in which it's served! >> many people come to visit jerusalem and many people think

jerusalem just has hummus and falafel and maybe shawarma but in this restaurant we make this special food, the public food and we say to the people here we have something more good to taste! >> and suffian's customers seem to agree...! sarkis is a member of jerusalem's small - but ancient -armenian community. >> i'm making the lavash... in our modern language it is the carpaccio, armenian carpaccio! >> the final dish is being prepared by a palestinian christian, nabile - with the help of a friend, odai. >> ...today we're going to make a traditional...but we're making in a classic way, not the old fashioned ... so we're going to prepare the bread what we call the. and we're going to stuff it with chicken and onion and sumac put it on a bed of tahina with some pomegranate, so it's in a fancy way!

>> it was time to sample the food: an eclectic lunch reflecting the diversity of this city, and its peoples. and whilst some may think that the idea of cooking can promote peace is a little naive the chefs them self had no such doubts >> ...we show our need for back-up to make peace in the middle east. so usually people use the knife. we use knife for making good things, as you see, food, not for killing people or butchering people. >> ... we have peace together, but the problem is the government, but we don't want to look to the government, and the government don't make nothing, but here we start to make things special for the peace and for the people and this is just the beginning and i think the idea to make this more big and more big and we just

start...! >> eucalyptus restaurant only uses organic vegetables sourced from local farmers. umm ala'a is one of the suppliers. yet despite living in bethlehem, just 5 miles away, the journey to deliver her home-grown vegetables to jerusalem can take umm ala'a 6 hours - a reminder that for all the talk of peace, political realities - such as walls and barriers - continue to divide people here. >> it's difficult because i don't have a permit to cross the checkpoints; i've tried to get one so many times, but they refuse. so what can i do? i have to take the risk of coming here for my children's sake. i have to sacrifice. >> the ancient city of jerusalem lies at the centre of a very modern conflict: a conflict over territory and identity. everything - including the food

people eat - can become part of this conflict. as i've seen here in jerusalem, food can be a point of contention and difference...or, it can hold the potential for cooperation and a coming together.

>> aljazeera america presents a break through television event borderland... >> are you tellin' me it's ok to just open the border, and let em' all run in? >> the teams live through the hardships that forced mira, omar and claudette into the desert. >> running away is not the

answer... >> is a chance at a better life worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. these are the stories we're following for you. a new cost analysis saying obamacare will be cheaper to americans than once thought. a kkk attack, police are saying it was a hate crime. >> this explosion killed dozens of nig nigerians just on