Jews and Arabs
Two children, two Peoples, two (really free and independent) States. Twitter (@luigidegennar)

A selfie showing an Orthodox Jewish man kissing an Arab woman has gone viral, sparking a global surge of goodwill while conflict continues to rage in Gaza.

The image, which is the centrepiece of a Twitter campaign entitled #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies, features a half-Lebanese woman named Sulome Anderson and her Jewish boyfriend, Jeremy.

The image is captioned "he calls me neshama, I call him habibi. Love doesn't speak the language of occupation #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies".

Speaking about her selfie, Sulome told NYMag."In the days leading up to the war, mounting tension between Israel and Hamas was a frequent topic of discussion between Jeremy and me.

"These discussions often turned into arguments and sometimes flat-out fights. As the region exploded into war, we started to come closer together in our opinions given the fact that we both share critical values: respect and concern for human life.

"I'm not saying we reach a consensus on everything now. But we do agree on something: This isn't just about politics. This is about people."

Social media phenomenon

The #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies campaign was started by Abraham Gutman, an Israeli student in New York, and his Syrian friend Dania Darwish.

Images of Jews and Arabs holding peace signs and kissing have since sprung up all over Twitter and Facebook.

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