Arab and Jew post picture kissing; prompts more pictures of Jews and Arabs together

UNDER normal circumstances a picture of a couple kissing wouldn’t get a mention. But these couples kissing have turned into a viral social movement.

Brave couples who refuse to hate

UNDER normal circumstances a picture of a girl kissing her boyfriend wouldn’t get a mention.

But when one half of a couple is Arab and the other a Jew it’s a big deal.

As Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip runs into its third week, Arab and Jewish youth are taking to social media to campaign for peace and love.

Under the #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies, photographs of Jews and Arabs together are plastering the walls of Twitter and Facebook.

@socialgood have you seen our campaign ? #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies Join the movement, help us spread our voice! pic.twitter.com/3lothR0zUf

— Abraham Gutman (@abgutman) July 21, 2014

The campaign was started by New York City Hunter College students Abraham Gutman and Dania Darwish earlier this month.

Gutman, who is from Tel Aviv, and Darwish, who is Syrian, wanted to fight the hate that resurfaces every time fighting between Israeli forces and hamas militants escalates.

New York-based freelance journalist Sulome Anderson’s contribution to the campaign went viral. Anderson, who is half Lebanese, posted a photo of a kiss with her Jewish boyfriend.

He calls me neshama, I call him habibi. Love doesn't speak the language of occupation #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies pic.twitter.com/CpqwxNM6ys

— Sulome Anderson (@SulomeAnderson) July 13, 2014

Since appearing online, it’s been re-tweeted nearly 1700 times and was favourited more than 1000 times.

“When we started dating we would argue a lot about politics and slowly but surely, we started coming to some consensus,” Anderson told the American daily news website ABC News.

#JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies Stop bombing! Stop the massacre! Stop walls! via @luigidegennar pic.twitter.com/ef8HJPNErG

— Fausto Pirìto (@Faustopirito) July 22, 2014

“We still argue sometimes, but we’re coming closer to understanding each other’s perspectives,” she added.

“When it comes down to it, we’re people and we love each other and that’s what matters most,” Anderson said.

The tweet that stopped me scrolling: MT @luigidegennar #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies 2 children, 2 People, 2 States pic.twitter.com/FXxKtmeUjG

— Femi Oke (@FemiOke) July 22, 2014

#JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies pic.twitter.com/qB1DlYrCbr

— Mary (@MaryTommo_1D) July 22, 2014