Talking goes on in the Middle East, even when they’re not talking

It always makes for sexier headlines to accentuate the negative when it comes to Middle East peace. After all, it doesn’t very well fit the “Israel is an apartheid state” meme if there isn’t any actual, you know, apartheid over there.

My experience in Israel and the territories, while limited, has always been that Arabs and Jews engage in constant conversation, both formally and informally. Whether its backchannel dialogue between Israeli and P.A. officials, or just merchants and customers on the streets, you see constant interchange between the two sides.

Does that mean everybody loves each other? Of course not, but the theatrics staged for world media do not always apply at ground level.

Here’s a curious example from today’s Jerusalem Post. Who knows whether the Palestinians would ultimately lease East Jerusalem land to Israel as part of a peace deal. They probably would not. But the fact that it was even under discussion shows what I mean: the two sides can talk, do talk, and have that Middle Eastern flair for haggling.

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