A Tale of Two Cities....in the Middle East

Lisa from On the Face has an engaging story on the two editors of Time Out Tel Aviv and Time Out Beirut. They became friends at a conference in May but that relationship has since gone the way of so many Israeli-Arab relations since this war started. She highlights the latest cover of Time Out Tel Aviv, an illustration that is both imaginative and poignant:

This is the July 20 cover of Time Out Tel Aviv, published one week after the current conflict began. It is based on a famous 1970's New Yorker cover, A View of New York from Ninth Avenue. But whereas the world beyond New York's Hudson River is portrayed as a quiet, peaceful place, the world beyond Tel Aviv's Yarkon River is one of turmoil and violence. To the right are Baghdad and Tehran; on the left are Haifa, Tiberias, Carmiel, Acre and Kiryat Shmona - areas that have been under constant bombardment since July 12. The cluster of buildings at the top is Beirut.

The rest of the post goes on to explain how the two editors are no longer friends, mostly because the Beiruti editor has become disillusioned and vitriolic against Israel (and all Israelis, it seems). Sigh. Depressing. There's also a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the fragile friendships ( and disintegrating relationships) between bloggers from the two countries.