Margaret Warner on PBS just did the most intelligent report on the Middle East I have seen ever. 

She says that know the Israeli's and Palestinians don't even know each other - they have ZERO contact. 

No wonder why there are problems there! You can't improve relations when there is no contact and dialogue. Just look at the U.S. Congress - that is our problem as well. R's won't get personal with D's and vice versa. We have lost our sensible center in politics because of partisan districts, which aren't like the normal Americans in the real world - 70-80% of whom are fairly centrist.

One Israeli described how he used to have trade with a Palestinian business man - but that ended when the wall was built to separate the two areas. Palestinians lost business and the Israeli lost contact with his Palestinian small business friend.

Even the old South black and whites had contact - not much -but more than what Israel and the Palestinians have now. Like our Congress, you can't solve national or international issues when people isolate from each other...

I'd like to see if I could go to ISRAEL - AND to the West Bank and perhaps Gaza at the same time -- just like I have been able to do from the U.S. to Mexico - by car.