A tweeted photograph of a Lebanese journalist kissing her Jewish boyfriend has inspired many to post similar photos on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #JewsandArabsRefuseToBeEnemies. In the photo shown here that started the trend, Sulome Anderson, daughter of former AP Middle East bureau chief Terry Anderson, smooches her American-Israeli boyfriend.
More in Sulome's NY Mag essay on the photo, or by searching the hashtag.
We wanted to spread an idea that wouldn’t polarize, something that would be heard not just by the people who agree with us, but by those who don’t. Militancy and anger haven’t helped bring this to an end. Maybe, we thought, it was time for a different approach.
What excites me most about this campaign is that I’ve been retweeted by people I know don’t share my politics; whom I’d ordinarily be getting into online bitch-fights with. But despite our differences, they saw something in that message they could connect with, and it gives me hope.
"I’m Arab-American. My Boyfriend Is Israeli. A Selfie of Us Kissing Has Become a Viral Symbol of Peace." [nymag.com]