I could not read the interview that David suggested because that website is blocked by Syrian filters. So I can not speak to the interview directly. But I do agree, tribalism is ingrained in the psyche, not just in Israel-- it is universal, existing beyond the Middle East and it most likely will not go away for a very long time. It is the nature of our humanity.

Arabs do not trust the Israelis. Israelis do not trust the Arabs. This fact has long been a given in this formula called Middle East peace. But there is a greater problem at hand, at least in the Arab world: Arabs do not trust themselves. This lack of inter-Arab trust and unity has caused a total breakdown in any sort of peace process or prospect for negotiations with the Israelis. It has prevented Arabs from joining the global community and being an effective diplomatic bloc in international affairs.

Palestinians continue to bicker and fight among themselves. There are skirmishes between varying camps but they continue to appeal for so-called National Unity. In Lebanon, Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shia Arabs are in conflict. Within the Christian community in the country, there is no agreement and no trust. Just last week, two armed men shot a driver of car in the the neck. They pulled him out of his car and dumped him in the trunk of their own car, speeding off to a destination unknown. In Syria, where I am now, people have no trust in anyone, not the taxi driver, not the store owner, not even ordinary people on the street. I recently heard about a Syrian blogger, who was arrested and has disappeared. His whereabouts unknown. Let's hope my blogging does not lead to such fate. These may be small, singular incidents, but they symbolize a larger, more complicated dilemma.

How can Arabs expect to make peace with their so-called enemies, when they have not yet made peace with themselves, their tribes and their governments?

Well, I have arrived to Syria safely. Thank God. Spent some time in Dubai, where the weather is suffocatingly hot and humid but the ornate malls serve as a cool refuge with full-blown aquariums and ice skating rinks!

I am currently in Lebanon. Yesterday I ate fresh fish at a delicious restaurant in the small town of Amsheet called Mhanna. The restaurant is perched on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Local Lebanese tell me that the fish in the area has gone bad due to pollution and Israel's bombing during the recent Israel-Lebanon war. The restaurant was packed and the food was delicious.

Syria is a funny place. There is so much change taking place here and yet things don't change at all, including opinions. Unfortunately, there is little optimism in this country about coexistence. Golan is still under Israeli occupation, and until an agreement is reached on that, my guess is that hope will remain low.

Also, there have been two confirmed cases of swine flu in the country. I think many are preparing for the worst here. But hospitals are understaffed and overworked. Go to hospital here and you will see lines of people waiting to be seen.

Today I head to the Middle East for an extended stay. David, we have worked together for the past six years and only blogging together for the past few months. But I look forward to continuing my dialogue with you from the region. I hope to gain different perspectives on life and culture in the Middle East as well as the political landscape in the region. Adieu!

The recent re-election of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has resulted in mass protests throughout Iran. Many Iranian protesters believe that the elections were rigged and that their reform candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi didn't get a fair play. Much of the news out of Iran has been focused on the clashes between police and protestors.

Although the Iranian regime has banned foreign coverage of these protests, Iranian citizens have quickly filled the void by providing some dramatic images of these protests. I commend the Iranian people's determination to tell their stories through new media. Iranians are blogging, tweeting and uploading videos of these protests. These citizen semi-journalists are serving as part advocate for their cause and part journalist to tell a wider public about their story. This may be the future of journalism as we know it.

Much like the American public wanted change in the 2008 elections, Iranian people wanted change in these elections. Americans got the change they demanded. Iranians didn't. Let's hope that these protests and the efforts of citizen semi-journalists can at least pressure the regime to become more accountable (and perhaps more democratic) to an increasingly frustrated public.

Well, it has been a week since Obama gave his historical speech to the Muslim world in the Mother of the World (Um Al Dunya) in Egypt. Now that the sand has settled and reactions have tempered, it is fair to say that although there was alot of optimism and hype surrounding his landmark speech, not much is going to change. While Muslims can appreciate President Obama for recognizing Islamic achievement throughout history and the need to re-engage based on mutual respect, it will be his actions that will ultimately be judged--particularly concerning the Arab-Israeli/Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

Israel is continuing its settlements and its policy of displacement. On today's Mosaic, Syria TV reports that a Palestinian man was forced to demolish his home with his own hands so that he would be spared the cost of having to pay for an Israeli bulldozer to do it. Israeli settlers are erecting Obama huts to protest President Obama's calling for a two-state solution and a halt to settlement building. Meanwhile, the Palestinians continue to bicker among themselves over who has the right to represent a people who are becoming more impoverished and more hopeless with every passing day. Arab leaders continue to prove their ineffectiveness as they watch from the sidelines waiting for their cue from Washington, or better yet, Tel Aviv.

Well so much for big talk and small action!

David, I agree with you it is a shame that such laws are being implemented in Israel. I share in your outrage. Consecutive Israeli governments have long been annexing Palestinian lands since 1948 and annexing Palestinian culture (i.e. Israeli hummus?) as well as re-writing  history. This is all part of Al Nakba of 1948 (The Catastrophe in Arabic), which Palestinians remember. Israel has been demolishing Palestinian homes for settlement building, razing graveyards, agricultural lands and historical sites. This, in addition to incursions, house invasions, assassinations and bombings, etc. Death and destruction on both sides, committed by both sides. All smaller Nakbas that are ultimately connected to Al Nakba. With this latest move, Israel attempts to further erase Palestinian identity in the country by not allowing the Palestinians to commemorate their own history as they see it.  I am comforted by the fact that Palestinians everywhere will never forget their history or their past. Many of them still hold the key to their homes, which have been either destroyed or taken over.  They dream of the day when they or their children will return to their homeland.

This is an Al Jazeera report that tells the story of the Nakba very well.  

The rhetoric will heat-up even more between Tehran and Tel Aviv in the coming months. But there will likely be no major actions taken. Israel has been simulating attacks on Iran for many years—war games. Although, the upcoming military exercise will be the biggest in its history. Likewise, Iranian President, Ahmadinejad, has, for too long, spewed his inflammatory rhetoric about Israel. But, most people understand that Ahmadinejad has little power in a country controlled primarily by the religious elite, who are much more rational and calculating.

All sides know that any military strike will be disastrous for the entire region, not just the two sides involved. So, I don’t share your doomsday scenario of war in the region. U.S. President Obama’s peacemaking efforts in the region will be critical in lowering the desert temperaments and bringing both sides down to earth, safely.

This report by Russia Today discusses the growing tension between Israel and Iran, highlighting that, ironically, the largest Jewish population outside of Israel is in Iran. 

David, it is clear that you have opposed all settlements on occupied Palestinian lands since 1968. If there were more people like you in Israel, perhaps a critical mass would compel consecutive Israeli governments to stop its settlement building, which continues until this very writing. Obviously, having a dialogue about what is happening there is not the same as affecting policy changes on the ground. But our positions on this issue are clear. Since 1967, the Israeli government has been slowly, illegally annexing Palestinian lands through its settlement and security policies--making it almost impossible for a Palestinian state to emerge.

This is a short video, which I believe shows how difficult it is for a two-state solution to succeed. 

Hi David, as you know we have been sending out information about our blog to various people and networks. I got a  very critical e-mail from a Palestinian man, who lives in Jordan and asked not to be identified. It is a very harsh, but we knew from the start that this dialogue would not be easy. I wondered how you would respond to his e-mail below:

Hi Souheila , Sounds interesting. When you say he has roots the Middle

East are you saying he is Israeli? Even if not the case, please make

sure you are not dealing with a Jewish supremacist by asking him a

direct question as to whether he openly endorses, unconditionally,

elemental human rights for Jews and non-Jews alike  especially the 4th

Geneva convention. If he does not or if he gives a wishy washy answer,

you are doing Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinains in particular a great

disservice by giving a platform to a Jewish supremacist under the

guise of dialog. It's not possible to separate Arab/Mulsim/jewish/israeli

dialog apart.. To do so is to attempt to legitimize Jewish racial and religious

supremacy for the sake of a cordial TV conversation.  The treatment of

Arabs/Muslims in the Holy Land is the white elephant that cannot be ignored.

One cannot be a liberal in the US and a KKK in Israel. I know some will say Palestine

is not everything.

To Blacks, Apartheid South Africa was everything and no

Black, American or others attempted to skip a discussion of apartheid

for the sake of  bogus black-white relations. If you attempt to

sidetrack Jewish supremacy in the Holy Land  you are only falling into

the same trap of those who attempted dialog before you. Only open and

unconditional endorsement of the 4th geneva convention is the

ultimate litmus test before opening a dialog with any Jew. It's

elemental human rights, not philosophy. 

http://www.cicr.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/380-600056?OpenDocument

Sorry is the email comes across too preachy. Best of luck.

What Rep. Ellison has done should be commended. Getting information from different sources is exactly what Link TV is all about. Particularly on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The American public needs to see the world from different perspectives. There are a plethora of news outlets that provide alternative information. Take Al Jazeera English. Watch this Al Jazeera report about Gaza after the recent war. This is an eye opening account of the suffering that continues after the war. You won't find this kind of reporting in the U.S.

I think that the Muslim community inside the Beltway is still wet behind the ears. It will take time, greater organization and political clout before it can have a stronger presence inside the beltway.