1. Good Neighbors: Implementing the Contact Hypothesis on the Internet Dr. Yael Kaynan (aka Katelyn Y.A. McKenna) Many thanks for the generous grant from the Hubert Burda Center for Technological Advancement

2. The Contact Hypothesis Face-to- Face: A difficult proposition Equal status Equal status Intimate contact Intimate contact Institutional support Institutional support Willingness to participate Willingness to participate Ability to participate in the same physical locale Ability to participate in the same physical locale

3. So you people should talk Oh yeah? So which of “ us ” people do you mean? In the Middle East there is the “ us and them ” and the “ us and the other them ” and the “ them and them ” and the … and that ’ s within any given country In other words, there are even more “ internal borders ” than borders and conflicts between the various countries and these internal tensions and conflicts are often invisible to those outside the culture.

4. The Good Neighbors Website This site is dedicated to increasing dialogue and understanding between Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Saudis, Iranians, Iraqis, Libians, Sudanese, and Syrians on a cross-country level, as well as to increase understanding, respect and dialogue among the various strata of society within our individual countries.

5. The Good Neighbors Website It is a 3-year longitudinal study It is a 3-year longitudinal study Conducted in the “ natural ” environment of the Internet Conducted in the “ natural ” environment of the Internet Methodologies being used to track progress include: Methodologies being used to track progress include: ethnographic study content analyses content analyses repeated-measures surveys repeated-measures surveys IATs (hopefully) IATs (hopefully) participant observation participant observation

6. Recruitment of Authors We ’ ve been most successful with recruiting a wide spectrum of Israelis: (religious) settler, (secular) Tel Avivians, right wing, left-wing, and centrists, males and females, followed by the Lebanese We ’ ve been most successful with recruiting a wide spectrum of Israelis: (religious) settler, (secular) Tel Avivians, right wing, left-wing, and centrists, males and females, followed by the Lebanese We completely failed to recruit Saudis, Gazans, West Bank muslims, Arab-Israelis (though we have Arab- Israeli commenters) and have managed to recruit only 1 Jordanian and 1 Syrian We completely failed to recruit Saudis, Gazans, West Bank muslims, Arab-Israelis (though we have Arab- Israeli commenters) and have managed to recruit only 1 Jordanian and 1 Syrian

8. Indications of some success Meetings (in person) have taken place between the Israeli and Palestinian bloggers Meetings (in person) have taken place between the Israeli and Palestinian bloggers One of the Lebanese bloggers took advantage of having a dual passport and came to visit the Israelis bloggers and then returned to spend a month traveling around Israel (and has since become more supportive of Israel than the Israelis) One of the Lebanese bloggers took advantage of having a dual passport and came to visit the Israelis bloggers and then returned to spend a month traveling around Israel (and has since become more supportive of Israel than the Israelis)

9. Indications of success The connections forged between the Lebanese and Israeli authors and commenters appear to be particularly strong and the greatest shifts in attitudes -- especially toward perceived commonly held values, goals, and worldviews – and in closeness seem to have occurred between these participants. The connections forged between the Lebanese and Israeli authors and commenters appear to be particularly strong and the greatest shifts in attitudes -- especially toward perceived commonly held values, goals, and worldviews – and in closeness seem to have occurred between these participants.

10. The case of Bad Vilbel In the beginning his posts were often highly critical of Israeli policy and government decisions, though not hostile to Israelis in general In the beginning his posts were often highly critical of Israeli policy and government decisions, though not hostile to Israelis in general Between November of 2006 and March 2008 his attitude, as exemplified by his posts and comments underwent a progressive shift Between November of 2006 and March 2008 his attitude, as exemplified by his posts and comments underwent a progressive shift

11. The case of Bad Vilbel Today, approximately eighteen months later, this author displays a heightened sense of identification with Israel and the Israeli bloggers. Indeed, his current posts and positions on the blog resemble those of the Israeli bloggers. Had the information about the author ’ s nationality not been known on the site, one could easily mistake him for an Israeli participant. Today, approximately eighteen months later, this author displays a heightened sense of identification with Israel and the Israeli bloggers. Indeed, his current posts and positions on the blog resemble those of the Israeli bloggers. Had the information about the author ’ s nationality not been known on the site, one could easily mistake him for an Israeli participant.

12. The case of Bad Vilbel It was not only the contact that caused this shift but rather the contact in conjunction with events outside of the blog – namely, after the Lebanese army invaded the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr El Bared, in June 2007. In the weeks following the events at Nahr El Bared the author demonstrated markedly greater sympathy in his comments for issues that many Israeli authors were facing, particularly those regarding the dilemma of appropriate responses to terrorist attacks and the rocket attacks on Israel's southern border with Gaza.

13. The case of Bad Vilbel On March 4, 2008 he commented that Israel ’ s founding fathers made a wise decision to maintain a secular state, “ from day 1, solid state institutions were put in place. Things like civic duties, respect for the law, the state and its institutions, etc. were pounded into people ’ s heads from day 1. ” On March 4, 2008 he commented that Israel ’ s founding fathers made a wise decision to maintain a secular state, “ from day 1, solid state institutions were put in place. Things like civic duties, respect for the law, the state and its institutions, etc. were pounded into people ’ s heads from day 1. ”

14. Well … Well … If nothing else, the project has shown thus far, in the words of one of the Palestinian authors, that: "As for the discussions, I believe that we proved on Gnblog that we were able to discuss everything without having to kill each other … " http://gnblog.com