All we are saying...

...is give peace a chance. We all recognize John Lennon's lyrics. Here's my favorite rendition:

My entry entitled A Provocative Defense followed by Outfoxed have sparked debate, and with good reason - it's about a seemingly endless fight between two communities separated by religion but united in so many ways.

The first time I flew to Tel Aviv, I was coming from Dubai, but had to fly via London. Not only was it not possible to fly directly, but if my passport were stamped by Israeli immigration, I would not be allowed entry into most Arab nations. When I got on the British Airways flight at London Gatwick Airport, I was surprised (and a bit worried) when I saw that about a third of the plane was Muslim/Arabs. After a peaceful flight, we landed in Tel Aviv, where I figured the Muslims would be separated out and "specially" dealt with. 

But that didn't happen, far from it. Arabs and Jews live together in Tel Aviv. They live in peace, they live without the acrimony and warlike sentiment that our media portrays. My favorite bakery in Jaffa is Abulafia which as you can see in this BBC report has been in business in since 1879 (that's 130 years!), and is owned by the Abulafia family who are Arabs. Abulafia is an institution, and if you visit Tel Aviv, you must go at least once - ask anyone.

So how is it that an Arab family and their business is so entrenched in Israeli life? The Israeli Jews I have met don't view all Arabs as terrorists. Rather they view terrorists as being evil criminals representing only hate, and all Arabs as people. The Arabs I've met don't view Jews as evil and needing to be eradicated from the face of the earth; they view those that wish them harm warily, and all Jews as people. Talk about enlightened.

Neither side bears anything like the animosity I read about in the news, or hear from select political figures. They're already peacefully coexisting. I felt/feel safer in Tel Aviv than most cities I've been to.

Imagine what it would be like if we could transcend our prejudices as well as the Israelis and Arabs that I've met are able to?