Hatred may surround them, but Ravikovitch and her young friend, a Muslim butcher's son, are at peace. With the breakdown of formal peace talks, most Israelis and Palestinians seem frozen in apprehension, waiting to see if their political leaders will come to terms before violence convulses the region. Just last week in Hebron, more than 100 rioting Palestinians were wounded by Israeli soldiers firing rubber bullets. But through it all, a significant minority has been doggedly trying to build peace from the ground up, devising ways to break through decades of enmity and suspicion that separate two peoples who have shared the same land through hot war and cold peace. There are probably at least as many peace activists as militants on both sides.
Critics call the peace groups naive or, worse, collaborators.
Two Capitals for Two States. She decided to make her own contribution last fall, as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was negotiating the handover of Hebron to the Palestinian Authority and shooting racked the city almost every day. In Hebron, Ravikovitch befriended Zidan and also linked up with a local Boy Scout troop. Such meetings are the staple of grass-roots peace work. But fewer than 1 percent of Israeli students take part in such sessions each year.