When I went to Israel in the summer of 1979, I saw and heard many interesting things.

The Israeli also have a mediterranean temperament, like the arabs; I remember a girl being chased after (literally harassed) by two Israeli boys. This was probably quite innocent but she was very upset. I was told girls shouldn't walk alone on the beach and the Israeli are a lot more rude than what we're used to in northen Europe (or I hope in the US).
I remember an Israeli and an arab Israeli fighting (with arms and hands) for a very little argument about providing a job to someone. One of the persons I befriended witnessed a few weeks earlier a bomb explosion near where she stood.
There were, at the time, frequent and friendly contacts between liberal iIsraelis and liberal Palestinians (and I'm sure they go on today).
An Israeli air force officer told us (in the youth hostel where I stayed) his country wasn't respecting human rights towards arabs the way any civilized country should.
I especially remember seing the Israeli army, at the border with the Gaza strip (I went to Gaza one afternoon, must have been june 24th), ordering an arab fruit merchant to empty his truck full of fruits. This happened on a dayly basis, even when there were no particular threats (In all six weeks I spent in Israel, mostly Tel Aviv, I didn't hear any bomb or heard about it).
My brother has a jewish friend who has recently been in Israel and he noticed how hard and tense the mood has become.
The promised land for jews...."Next year to Jerusalem" as they say....and here we are with an "unsovable" issue.
(I find all the praise towards Israel from americans quite fascinating, even though they haven't been themselves in that country).

Raoul