This story hit very close to home for me. I have a jordanian friend who visited israel for the first time a few years ago. he had grown up his whole life believing it was a place full of colonialists, arab-haters and oppressors. He visited the country and fell in love with it (and with the beautiful israeli women, I think!) He was in beirut at the time of the bombing, working there, and wrote an email to a group of friends about his experience. The vitriol, anger and -- who knows? -- apparent hatred felt like a personal assault. I didn't feel angry at him, but just deeply weary. I haven't been able to bring myself to email him back yet -- I dont know what to say. Hope slowly slips away when we, who have first hand experience on both sides, can't maintain our empathy during times like these