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Middle East conflict used to seem so far away but now more than ever the conflict is affecting Pittsburgh. Next on cue local people with family members caught up on both sides of the conflict. Also tonight a local designer whose holiday designs are now featured in the prestigious Nieman Marcus catalog. Holiday stockings. Good evening and welcome to On Q magazine. I'm Stacey Smith with the United States so focused on the events of September the 11th events in the Middle East have certainly received less attention in the media. Still there are many local people who are very concerned and with good reason. They

have family members in their unit in that troubled region. Now in the past two weeks there has been a resurgence of suicide bombings. Israeli retaliation and many deaths and injuries. In a moment we will talk live with an expert on the Middle East and its politics there and about the long struggle and the chances for peace. But first on cue correspondent Michael Barkley talks with local people worried about loved ones on both sides. It is tonight's cover story. A friendly game of pool on international students at the Rose college. This place though is more of an educational experience for 20 year old Palestinian high thumb a model a four o student on scholarship here studying computer science and engineering high thumb says it's a safe place to study and make friends. But deep down he says he worries every day about what's happening near his

home in the Middle East a suburb between Bethlehem and Jerusalem where it's been anything but safe recently with Hamas suicide bombings and Israeli military retaliation. The first thing I thought about is call my family first and you know see if I'm ok. They live in the worst area in Bethlehem. Well I've actually in the borders were all the conflict happened as a 14 year old sister runs up on the left his mother modeller in the middle and his father. If a deal has been at Laroche for two and a half years now. So he hasn't even met his new baby brother Nay dear. Just seven months old. I haven't met him yet but I can. I mean what I call my family. Just tell me he is really kind of quiet maybe and he's going to say he looks like he is going to be smart. They say it's really bad. So it's it's getting much worse than before. They said they can't leave the house and you know they have. Stay around the house most of the time. Now they can't leave out of the city and they're all so close you can go to another city

is actually that isolated basically from other cities and it's it's really getting really scary. That's what we're about. I take it you're just scared for them. Yeah I don't want this whole than this but I have. How often do you call them call them almost every week is a member of the student group called the Peace Builders Association. The main idea of the program is you know that gets us together to let them know you know other to get to know other people from different nations. Because I think probably the main reason of conflict is that you don't know the other people who are dealing with and probably win by knowing them by living with them you don't you know have relations with them will make things more clear and make things you know making friendships you want to go fight your friend if you know you know my friends. Both because I want to borrow what perils with World War II 74 year old monk a baron and her 81 year old husband Moshe of Squirrel Hill can

be dissolved in peaceful ways. They too are deeply worried because they too have loved ones in the unstable Middle East. The Baron's daughter Bella and husband Amos and their two daughters 12 year old Maya and 10 year old a V-A live in a suburb of Jerusalem not far from the Hamas suicide bombings that killed 25 young people I talk to him almost daily. But the interesting part is in a body that's when children they don't talk about events you talk about the day in school you talk about your friends and people with DID LAST NIGHT. I scored in some strange way they accept it as a way of life. I am terribly worried because I don't want seen. The delight to the end of the tunnel. I mean we're locked in a struggle now that that's all the efforts

of outside parties try to get at the two sides together. I just just you know Moshe and Malcolm are Holocaust survivors. The subjects of a television documentary called a look in the eyes of resistance. They live in Israel three months out of the year. And when trouble starts they fear for their daughter and her family yet wish they were there with her or wish to be with them. It's difficult to be more worried than ever but I was raised in danger when I was little. Well all good things about you and just so much. I'm part of all of this. When their self dies it's very very close and I also suffer because other children post

that very very I love children. There is said that people killing each other and commits that growers. There is some more stuff and there are no witnesses and they work to get it going to paradise and that simply is bottling me to know and why I would always have to settle at getting thought conflicts spill blood. So there is some common ground among those who live here and that is they're worried about loved ones living there and unfortunately they also have doubts together doubts that there will be a lasting peace any time soon. Do you suppose in our lifetime we'll have achieved a lasting peace in the Middle East in my lifetime. I'm really worried about it so I just hope for steps.

Whatever dispute they have why it can't be dissolved in peaceful ways. I mean the level where you know combat combatants like each other but nothing involving the main thing is to get people together to know each other and to make relationships to promote peace. By the way part of heightism scholarship requires him to go back to the Middle East after graduating to serve in a peacekeeping role. He knows it won't be easy. He hopes to find his family safe when he returns and the barons will go back soon very soon as they do every year to Israel hoping to find their loved ones safe and a peaceful resolve. But as anyone close to the struggle will tell you Stacey and you know this is well as anybody. It is not easy to report almost weekly on new developments and a lot of it is not approving at all right. Not at all indeed. You know the killing continues in the past few days going back and forth.

Attempts at peace talks this week have so far been failures. However U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni has made it clear he will stay in the region hoping for results despite warning both Israelis and Palestinians that he would leave if no progress was made by today. We'll have to wait and see if his peacekeeping mission works there or at least bring some progress. You know about to 10 years ago or so I made a trip to Israel and I had the opportunity to interview a lot of leaders and a lot of people we went into the Gaza Strip and there are a lot of people over there who really do want this peace process to work on both sides but there's just tons of hope. But I just can't seem to get those angers Iran and things just fall apart. All right thank you Michael. Well our discussion on the Middle East conflict continues in just a moment with a look at why after hundreds of years the two sides still cannot come together. Chris Moore has that next. And

you're watching on Q magazine because these foundations care enough about local television to help pay for it. The Everly foundation the Richard King Mellon Foundation the McEwen foundation the Pittsburgh foundation hillmen foundation the Jewish Health Care Foundation and the Foundation corporate

funding is provided by UPMC UPMC health system differ. It's in communities throughout western Pennsylvania. Each and every day we go beyond our walls and reach out to the neighborhoods we serve UPMC Health System 1 8 8 8 3 8 3. You see and see and we couldn't do it without you. The members again welcome back on Q magazine I'm Chris Moore. If you've just joined us we've already met local people worried about relatives caught up in the Middle East conflict right now. A look at the past and the future of the region. Back to Paula Blanc is a professor of history at Laroche college Welcome to our program sir. Thank you. You've studied this and the history is long and difficult. First of all do you see any options for peace in the near-term future. No no I think it's a very difficult situation right now. In the past year about a thousand people have been killed 800 Palestinians

close to 200 Israelis. Most of these are noncombatants. And there is a rising crescendo of violence right now. The the Arab governments the Palestinian Authority seems unable to control the situation there's a tremendous amount of anger among many Palestinians who are inclined to follow extremist elements around Hamas on the other hand you have the Israeli government under under Ariel Sharon that seems inclined at this point to undermine and bring down the IRA fots. So that sounds like an upward spiral of violence you know it's you know it's about a thousand people killed probably about 800 Palestinians maybe upwards of 200 or so Israelis. And each retaliation brings another recrimination and another retaliation and each side seems to lust for blood more.

Despite the talk of peace I think that's true I think that there are many people and we heard the interviews with some of them who want peace very much on the other hand there are extremists on both sides that are pushing in a very very different direction. Is there anything that the people who truly want peace can do to make both sides actually sit down and and stop fighting and actually work toward peace. Well the kinds of attitudes that we heard from the people who were interviewed I think are important and when they're not the power they are not the power brokers and at this point it seems to me that the United States may have a role to play. A few weeks ago President Bush was talking about the importance of a independent Palestine. This may be a important first step. At this point however the violence going back and forth is resulting in a shift shifts in popular opinion so you have polls in among

Israelis favoring violent action against the Palestinians you have polls among the Palestinians indicating that a majority of Palestinians at this point are supporting suicide bombers and the polls also indicate on both sides that none of the supporters of the escalating violence believe that the violence will bring anything positive so that's a very very scary situation. There are also concerns about land issues and right of return for Palestinians these are tough almost non-negotiable issues when it comes to occupied settlements more Israelis moving into the areas that the Palestinians consider their own. And that whole issue of right of return to some of the original parts of Israel for the Palestinians any chance of negotiation on either of those two fronts it seems to me the key will be the creation of an independent Palestine. At this point there are certain portions of Israel

that Palestinians may not be able to return to as first class citizens but if they have a country of their own then there may be hope for building some kind of peace. But I don't see that happening in the immediate future. I think it's a very scary situation now. I wonder what you think of the US media's coverage of the issues there. A lot of times you can read in foreign press like the independent articles by Robert Fisk who's devoted his life to covering the issue of the Palestinians that there are bypass roads that the Israelis created that are only for Israeli citizens that the Palestinians can't travel on. They say that this kind of it breeds the kind of hopeless act of a suicide bomber when they don't see any other way to respond. But with that violence are there any things that can be done on either side to stop that. I think that there are things that can be done. I don't think that enough can be done in the immediate future. I think there's a danger right now that the

Sharon government is going to carry out policies that will bring down Arafat's Palestinian Authority and what's the alternative am I and that will be yes Hamas Islamic Jihad and further escalation of violence. There may be hope for the future in the kinds of attitudes that we saw today that are going to be perhaps overwhelmed in the immediate period but that will be something to build on in future years it's a hard situation. Let's talk about the U.S. role former General Anthony Zinni is over there now and he landed in the midst of suicide attacks and killings of Israelis. Is there any chance for a brokered role that the U.S. might play in creating peace. You mention the fact that the president and the secretary of state have both made calls for a Palestinian state. You know I would I would hope so. I mean the United States government is paying about three billion dollars in military aid to Israel I would think that it would have a certain amount of

influence on Israel. There are some political forces in Israel that are in disagreement with Sharon. Shimon Peres and others walked out of the cabinet meeting where Sharon was outlining the hard line that he was planning to take against against Arafat. So I think that the United States may have some leverage. I hope so. But it's it's a tough situation right now and it's a scary situation. Does the United States have any leverage with the Palestinians. I read reports in The Independent about people seeing their homes rocketed and attacked by Apache helicopters U.S. made helicopters U.S. made f 16s. They can read the shell fragments that say Made in the USA and that might have is the is the State Department says some blowback terms in terms of the current war on terrorism and things that may happen in this country including September 11.

Yes I think that that's right. I think the. Position that the administration took in favor of an independent Palestine that was a shift. I think it's important I think that lends some credibility to the United States as some kind of peace broker. But at the same time that's being undermined by the present situation extremists on both sides. I think sure Iran and Hamas would be happy to see the the Palestinian Authority collapse. So the United States representatives there have a very tough situation that they're facing it's not going to be easy. I don't know that peace is going to be achieved in the immediate future I share the I share the concern of the people living there who we saw interviewed and in the meantime unfortunately people on both sides died. That's right. It is unfortunate. Professor LeBlanc really appreciate your being

here with us and giving us some insight into the history of the region. Thank you very much for to be here thanks. All right. Next our segment about people places and products with that local connection. Tonight Sheikh holiday designs featured in a prestigious catalog and they're made in Brownsville. You'll see them when you can think. Of course viewer feedback. It's all on our website. Just follow the links to the program.

New project winner outstanding documentary for quality programming. When it comes to Christmas there are some traditions that should never change. Baking cookies eating cookies exchanging gifts putting up Christmas trees and of course hanging stockings but the stockings were about to show you are anything but traditional In fact you probably haven't seen anything like these hanging from a mantle yet but they're already being showcased by one of the world's top retailers and they come from a little river town along the Mon. Tonight Christmas couture made in Brownsville. That's OK. Thank you. This

is Kim Patrick Nat's favorite time of the year during the holiday season. He really gets to show off its glare for interior design. He's adorned his Brownsville Fayette County with everything from brightly ornamented Christmas trees stately crackers decorating it seems isn't much and it only twenty one years of age. He's one of the hottest designers around. How did you learn to do these things. I didn't. I just know how to do the thing somehow. I just there's nothing that I like so I think I just look at things and I think I could do that and I can do that and I don't need anyone to show me because I'll just figure it out. Cameron's grandmother Millie Neff always knew he had a gift. He used to draw houses he always said he wanted to live in a castle. So he would draw castles a lot when he was young and he worked over at the NEMA calling castle for many years as a docent. And then for three years he decorated several rooms over there and I

helped him with a friend of mine. But now Cameron has taken his decorating skills one giant step further. Two years ago he came up with the idea to make elegant leather trimmed Christmas stockings. I have a client she would have these beautiful gifts these beautiful uber handbags and beautiful rings and I should say Oh that was one of my stocking stuffers. And I'm thinking what kind of stocking do we put these $100000 gifts then. The world clearly needed an upscale stocking. The stockings were hit with Neiman Marcus the Texas based retailer is selling them in its two thousand and one holiday gift catalog. He says Were you surprised at the end in the markets and honestly no I wasn't because that's what I wanted to do I wanted to be in that catalog and I've Ever since I was little I always said I'm not spoiled or anything it's just that I worked really hard. Cameron's clients also own some of his stockings. He named a stocking get me through it.

That's called masquerading Kate. So wonderful and I love it. How many of these do you. Is this going to be on TV because my husband doesn't know how many. How would you like to tell him on television or in person. I only have six seven eight seven and grandmother never has a stocking in her honor. Two we saw one that had me for Kathy and named after her and now I want to see them really. Well actually this is Carmel Bruce Da Kernal wings because Crimea and there's a funny story to this when he brought this material from New York it was quite expensive and I thought it was just beautiful. And I kept saying please don't cut that piece of material. I would like it to be a top for a very dressy dress. Please don't cut it. Well needless to say he did cut it and he made the stocking and I didn't know that he named it after me until it was already done. The stockings range and shades for me

to read. There's even a. Friend one of my favorite stock and I have this in my bedroom along with another purple one. And this is Snow Maiden swimming has pearls and a lot of pearl and broidery and sequins brewery and I just thought it looked like it caught the glisten of snow this winter. Awful very Christmasy Father Christmas. But even before Christmas arrives Cameron is thinking ahead to next year. I visited his workshop also located in Brownsville. I could put one that different I think you know what I think I should call this one of the curse Miss Carol. I'm really also when they wrote The Christmas Carol Carol Cameron is so busy these days that he rarely gets a day off but he still makes time for projects. What's next. Hopefully you are starting a betting on that should preview in January right. I just have to keep making unique

items that people like you said something about wanting to own a restaurant. Yes I would love to enter restaurants someday. I've always wanted a restaurant decorated and I don't think I would death rate it and I would probably plan my menu and everything but I let me be able to cook. Hopefully I'll have something else to do that I mean. Karen's holiday stocking start at about two hundred eighty dollars and it's all up hill from there. But this year he also created a less expensive line of patriotic red white and blue stockings. Guess what. All sold out last two and all in my lap. In the meantime the more ornate stockings in the Neiman Marcus catalog still available. And now here's a look at what's happening tomorrow on cue. Human cloning. You've heard the media reports. You've heard the controversy. You've heard the concerns. Tomorrow on cue an accurate look at human cloning

advance and what if anything we should be worried about. Also tomorrow after September 11 some people just can't warm up for the holidays welcome's want to talk about holiday normal and what's not. And a special report on training we followed their classes all year and you'll see the progress. Tough classes start to finish tomorrow and we do have to see you back here live at 7:30 tomorrow. Good night. You're watching on Q magazine because of these foundations care enough about local television to

help pay for the house we're calling the endowment.