In 1966, I first came to Israel as a student at Hebrew University.  I had not particularly wanted to be in Israel, but once I arrived, every detail interested me.  

One day, I was on the 52 bus in Jerusalem with my friend Jamal, and we were sitting in front of two middle-aged ladies who were speaking in Arabic.  “What are they saying?” I asked Jamal when I saw he was grinning as he listened.  “One said, ‘Look at how the Jews are building and rebuilding the city!’  and the other replied, ‘Let them build, let them build.  It’s just a matter of time before it becomes ours.'”   Now I’ve been hearing that line from Palestinians again – that all they have to do is sit back and watch us destroy ourselves. 

The line frightened me, and I turned to Jamal and asked – “Is this true?” 

He answered, “Let’s try to make it a mutually creative experience, something good for all of us.”

When I came back to Israel, I looked for Jamal, but was told he was gone and I still don’t know if he is living somewhere else or he passed away. 

Perhaps the concept of which we spoke has remained.