Lisa - thanks for this very nice post. Nir, Ruth and especially Zvi - I think your remarks are very insightful. Quite absurdly, this is actually the first time I get to hear the opinions of Israelis on my point of view regarding this matter :-) (The discussions on my blog have mostly been with Arabs). Having read what you said, I would like to offer a forth option: Option 4: Arabs think that they are warriors for justice, and that Israelis are evil. Arabs are convinced that Israelis have a plan to kill all the Arabs. Israelis think that they know everything, and that Arabs are ignorant fools who easily accept government propaganda as the truth. Israelis don't realize that the Arab media is not propaganda, but is a pretty accurate reflection of the Arab mindset. Arabs never listen to the Israelis, because "they are criminals, murderes and liers". Israelis never listen to the Arabs because "the Arabs are subject to propaganda and don't really know what they are saying". In essence, both societies are 100% sure that they are the victims in the conflict. It's still very rare to find people who are willing to actually listen to the other side, not to mention empathize. BTW, Zvi - I would suggest the term "Mental Model", rather than mental habit. (There's a short but informative article on this concept in wikipedia).