Middle kingdom
(thoughts from a trip to Israel in Jun'04) Even if it was planned, the outcome could not have been more favorable. Before setting off for Israel, a part of me wanted to use the trip to discover first-hand the issues behind the conflict but without knowing the region, not having "kept-up" with a situation that provides "newsbytes" almost daily (and yet, ironically, has remained stagnant for decades), I was going in there as a confused outsider. Not sure how well my hosts would open up to this very personal and seemingly touchy subject, I resolved to simply make the best of it. No expectations, no disappointments. But I was in for a surprise. Not only did I get to meet the major players, I got to engage in deep conversations that have led to this brief write-up. What follows is a small attempt at cataloging a series of interview styled discussions. The idea, of course, is to pen the thoughts before memory betrays me, so it is a bit personal – however, since the ...