The Lemon Tree
The title refers to a tree that Bashir's family planted in their backyard as a blessing of sorts. As the years come and go, lemon trees continue giving fruit, so it was supposed to be a symbol for longevity and blessing, and when they are evicted in the Israeli coup, they have to abandon the tree. Over the years, Bashir slowly watches the tree die. As it dies, so does his hope for ever living in the house. The tree represents Bashir's hope for justice for the Palestinian people.
The integrated school
That doesn't mean that the novel ends without hope. But instead of the lemon tree, which was planted only by the Palestinian family, the new sign for hope is the school, founded by one Arab Palestinian Muslim, and one Jewish woman from Bulgaria. Their hope is that kids will make friends with people from the other group, so that the future can be more naturally peaceful. It's also a symbol for education itself, which is what Dalia and Bashir provide each other through their friendship, educating each other about their points of view.
Terrorism
Bashir is convicted for a series of terrorist acts throughout his adult life. His motive is clear: The Israelite government and army are a terrorist organization, and his disobedience feels justified. But it is not justified. The violence represents zeal. Because Bashir's passion and advocacy have been tinged by his hatred and anger, his sense of justice leads him to continue harming the state, preventing future peace, and continuing the unfair characterization of his people as terrorists. Both sides of the conflict have historically used terrorism as a way to harass the 'opponents.' Yet, the friendship between Dalia and Bashir is far more successful than Bashir's independent, lonely violence.
Al-Ramla
The town Al-Ramla is itself a metaphor for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When Bashir visits, he cannot help but mourn the losses suffered by his family, and also, the Israelites expect that would be the case, so they are hostile toward any Arab Palestinians. Although Bashir's experience of Al-Ramla is shaped by paranoia and tragedy, the truth is that the Jews are probably rightfully scared, because Arabs have been intentionally terrifying them through terrorist strategies. Everyone is just scared that the other side is going to attack first, so no one ever moves toward peace. Bashir senses this, but when he meets Dalia, he realizes that on an individual level, the conflict feels different. Al-Ramla ends up representing the past and the future. For Bashir, it represents the horror and trauma of the past, but to Dalia, it is her home, and she will stay.
The cinema
Through a presentation of a symbol for what kind of a person Bashir's father was, we learn that he owned and operated a cinema. This might be a clue into Bashir's anger. His father was passionate about community and joy, and for that to be taken from them is hard to face. The cinema represents the way life could have been, both because it shows stories, and also because it was the excellent childhood that Bashir almost received.
