An Arab guy named Haj Ibrahim Ahmad Abu el-Hawa, and an unnamed Jewish guy in a knitted yarmulke hold hands in front of the Old City walls of Jerusalem, during an event called The Big Hug, on June 24, 2013.
Hundreds of visitors walked hand in hand around the city walls, together with some locals. They stood “shoulder to shoulder, sharing our love for Jerusalem,” as their website indicates.
Here’s another sensible thing they’re saying:
“The belief in a political solution of the Middle East conflict has globally disintegrated to nothing. We need to find, as it seems, another way to achieve this. From our point of view, the only way is through our hearts. We believe that when we find peace in ourselves and when we are able to forgive, world peace will come closer.
“The Jerusalem Hug gives expression to this wish for change as a concrete statement. Jerusalem stands as a symbol for peace and forgiveness in the world. Let Jerusalem be a city of connection, the heart of the world where unity and peace will be a fact. This kind of change can only come from within; from the bottom of one’s own heart.”
Amen.