ABSTRACT
The problem of polluting the spiritual and intellectual environment is no less serious than the physical one. It is hard to imagine how all these weighty issues can be debated, let alone resolved amiably, if the ambience around is polluted environmentally and poisoned spiritually. In fact, not only are there hostile positions taken by Palestinians as regards Israel's security, Jewish identity, settlement patterns, massive absorption in Israel of Palestinian refugees, and the centrality of Jerusalem in the national Israeli ethos. But there exists also a barrage of hostile propaganda, spread by the Palestinian media and educational system, which is geared to perpetuate the conflict, to deepen the hatred, to delegitimize Israel, to denigrate and dehumanize its society. The other aspect of preparing an environment for peace, regards the spiritual and emotional atmosphere which is conducive to reconciliation, acceptance, and tolerance of the other, self-restraint in proffering stereotypes and negative descriptions of the other.
