If you want to know what the mindset of the Israeli government is, you need to read this interview. Mr. Arad is the chief security advisor of Mr. Netanyahu.

It is very clear that we are going back one full decade in the mindset of the Israelis. There is a total breakdown of any faith that the Middle East might change. Threats and suspicion are the most popular currency, feeding the tunnel vision of non-dialog. As you might say, not much has changed, and the Tribal and Identity politics continue being the trend.

The tribalism of the Middle East is so deeply ingrained, that it is practically part of the landscape. The Chamula (extended family) comes first, then the religion, and then the territory.

There is no wish to join the global community, or the global commons. Arabs and Jews alike find in the tribal fire a warm secluded place to get cozy. The world out there is too edgy and technical, and fraught with unknown dangers. No positive value in the all-embracing view of interdependence.

The Middle East needs to break out of this biblical mentality, that the world is only as important as the next water well, or the honor of your tribe.

I think 5000 years is enough…. ?

Souheila: I hope you landed in the arms of your family.

I really do not know Syria as a civilian -- I observed it through the crosshairs of the Israeli army. During my service in the seventies, I had to count traffic of the Syrian army, but this is the past as far as I am concerned.

So from my perspective, you landed on the other side of the moon. What do your relatives and friends tell you? Is coexistence possible? And what windows are there for the Syrians to dialogue with Israelis, as people? Not as representatives of governments, but face to face with citizens who have different points of view.

Once in the nineties, I produced a dialogue between a Syrian member of parliament and an Israeli minister -- live on TV.

A lot has changed since than. As a thaw might be possible between the USA and Syria, maybe another thaw is possible?

I am not optimistic about all this.

The unique character of the revolt in Iran has been the power of the fast SMS/Twitter tools and the younger age group that used it. Those who grew up using their thumb as a main tool of communication  also know that they are breaking new grounds. There are no rules for this political game, and the modes of expression and their strategic models are written while hitting the ground.

The Iranian crowds are living through the "largest increase in expressive capability in human history," as defined by Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody.

Iranian youth know that the authorities can try to follow them, but they also know that fast and furious is the way to go. The authorities will always be a step behind.

The greatest effect of the whole phenomenon is that Iran has gained a new face. Instead of relating to Ahmadinejad as the only face of Iran, we now see a multitude of younger people. We have human rights movements that will make a difference for the future. The USA and Israel, which have often held a one-dimensional view of Iran, will have a new challenging set of questions to answer.

I disagree with your assessment that Obama just talked. At least in Israel there are political ramifications, as his speech is seen as a signal of a new approach to USA-Israel relations. The government is already changing their tone about the two state solutions. The settlement movement declared Obama public enemy number one. They relate to him as "nigger" – "Koshon" in Hebrew.

His speech is seen as a marker of a new attitude that will be followed by action, including freezing of the settlements and giving a real chance for the Palestinians to voice their view on the solution. Obama found the soft belly of Bibi Netanyahu’s government. Most Jews in the USA, and the Obama administration, do not have any understanding of the messianic dreams of the settlers.

However, it could be that I am too optimistic, as I believe that you should watch what politicians do and not what they say. Still, I think that your judgment does not give a reasonable time span or perspective for a new policy to happen.

I think that not only are the settlers afraid of him, but so are Al Qaeda. They notice that Obama presents the Muslim world with new options. He ruins the one-dimensional Bush view of the "axis of evil." Bush made Al Qaeda's work very easy as a recruiting tool. Obama challenges all of us, Jews, Muslims and Christians, to listen to the "other" point of view.

The reaction to the recent nationalist trend in the Israeli parliament has been very negative. As a result, the initiative to make life harder for the Palestinian–Israeli citizens was canceled.

See this YNetnews update for more details.

Still, the undercurrent of total polarization between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Israeli citizens will get stronger. Unless President Obama will signal a new beginning in his speech on the 4th of June, the peace process is frozen.

Polarization will get worse.