French Big Brother seeks peace deal

A GROUP of young Israelis and Palestinians are to share a house together in a new French reality TV show that aims to show that a resolution can be found to the conflict in the Middle East.

Les Accords de Marseille will launch in September on France 5, set in a mansion near Marseille.

The 12 participants - six Israeli and six Palestinian - will be filmed as they negotiate their differences and attempt to find a roadmap to Middle East peace.

Director Mohamed Ulad said the programme would distance itself from the traditional Big Brother and Secret Story format. There would be no live footage from the house and no cameras in bedrooms.

Any cross-border romantic liaisons that arise during the three-week filming will not be shown on screen.

Instead, he said he wanted to show how 12 young people with political differences can co-habit, share their leisure time and socialise for the first time.

Each side will be accompanied in the house by a mentor who will help launch the discussions but has been instructed not to interfere in the talks.

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