Breakfast in the 'seam zone'

We made it through the agricultural gate into the Seam Zone to see for ourselves exactly which lands Jayyous has lost and which land is merely "isolated" and can still be accessed by the agricultural gates - sometimes.

It was shocking to see how quarry blasting had completely changed the landscape since it was "confiscated" for the nearby illegal settlement of Zufin. It was shocking to see rocks marked with blue for Zufin's planned expansion of 200 homes to 1,500 – has no one heard of the Road Map around here?

Our host Abu Azzam gave us chapter and verse on how Ottoman, British Mandate and Israeli law is used to take the land and water away – not to mention the simple expedient ignoring the Palestinian method of naming their sons. One name changes in each generation and now the Israelis insist that one of those names is the clan name. Within a few years the owner's name will bear no relation to that of his forbears and the Israelis use this to show that "they have no relationship to the land," said Abu Azzam.

One of the British laws states that if the land is more than 50 per cent rock it is not suitable for agriculture. When some of his land was threatened under this law Abu Azzam sold 43 sheep and goats while his wife Siham sacrificed her gold and jewellery to buy  a bulldozer to clear the rocks. "I was very proud when I saved my land," he said.

Stupidly we had brought food and water through the gate, forgetting the legendary Palestinian hospitality. We stopped at our host's "Buckingham Palace," an overgrown shed with all mod cons. Jamie chopped the salad, Jael the potatoes and Sharen made the "foul," heating the tin directly over the flame and grinding the beans with the bottom of a glass. Abu Azzam fixed the eggs and tea and nearly an hour later we were ready to drive to another plot to set to work.

Jamie climbed trees with the "shabab" while the women worked in the shed. Abu Azzam recited Arabic poetry to his workers - cheerful lads and hard workers - who put on a burst of speed so they could make it to a football match. Then he entertained us with quoting from Shakespeare's sonnets and plays as well as Jonson, Wordsworth and Keats.

As we drove through the fruit groves on our way home in the afternoon sum after a satisfying if tiring day, Jael remarked: "This could be such a peaceful place."