How the Middle East Conflict Could Look Like “Seinfeld”

By Karl Vick | @karl_vick | October 25, 2011 | +

Some days reality defies improvement. Tuesday may have been such a day in Jerusalem, where the actor Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” fame paid a call on Shimon Peres, the president of Israel. Alexander was visiting the Holy Land as part of a pro-peace delegation from a grassroots group called OneVoice, dedicated to finding a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It’s a well-worn topic to be sure, but Peres managed to cast it in a fresh new light with a distinctly Constanzian riff that actually went something like this:

President of Israel Peres: We were destined to live here as two peoples – Palestinians and Israelis, side by side. And if we abandon the option of peace we will leave one alternative for our children – war, violence and bloodshed. Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad are serious leaders that want peace and are working to prevent violence and extremism in our region. We must continue to negotiate peace with them in order to achieve full peace that will end this long conflict.

Jason Alexander: ….

Peres: Please allow me to call you ‘George.’

Alexander: ….

Peres: George, on the show you and Jerry Seinfeld conduct yourselves like two different states – each of you has a differing world view and creative thoughts. What is your advice to advance the peace process in the Middle East?

Alexander: It’s true that Jerry Seinfeld and I represent two different worlds and it is extremely difficult to have a relationship like this, but my advice to you is not to give up. Even with the disappointments it is important to continue in the difficult effort of advancing peace which is so important. I too, through comedy and humor, try to contribute my part by advancing the idea of two states for two peoples.

peres - alexander

And on the subject of state actors, here’s a proposed cast list:

Israel …………………………….. Jerry Seinfeld

Palestinian Territories ………… George Costanza

Egypt ………………………………. Elaine Benes

Iran ………………………………… Kramer

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