Peace group plasters separation fence with faces

Source: AP/Haaretz, 9-3-2007
For his giant-sized portrait plastered on the imposing concrete barrier separating Jerusalem (al-Quds), Ayman made a funny face by pulling down the skin underneath his eyes. Ronen decided to squish his face together with both hands, and Muna made bug eyes.
The posters pair up Palestinians and "Israelis" who have signed petitions for peace to show the humor and humanity the two groups share. Face 2 Face, a group of artists and activists from Paris and Geneva who have been working on the project for a year, put up posters on the separation fence in Jerusalem (al-Quds) as a testimony to dialogue. The huge black and white portraits led a bus of Scottish tourists to stop and inspect. But local Palestinians were skeptical.
"The pictures are beautiful," said Khalil Khamis of Jerusalem (al-Quds), "But I don`t see them. I see all the problems the Palestinians are facing. There is no peace with this wall."
"Israel" began building the fence in 2002, saying the complex of concrete walls, razor wire and trenches is intended to keep Palestinian self-sacrifice bombers out of "Israel". The Palestinians say the barrier, which dips into the West Bank in many areas, is a land grab.
Face 2 Face has plastered nearly 30 posters around "Israel" and the West Bank and hopes eventually to have many more on each side. The participants declined to give their last names because the project is technically illegal.