Guatemala and Israel

So I'm reading this book called Arab and Jew. The guy that wrote it lived in Israel for a few years as a reporter. He's neither Jewish nor Arab. Well, all he does in this book is talk to people from both sides about certain topics (racism, religion, politics, etc.). It's been very illuminating and today it hit me: there are many similarities with the way society is in Guatemala.

Not only that, the way people are wary of certain groups of people happens today in the US.

There are perceptions of latinos, indigenous people, blacks, etc. that shape how we treat and feel towards them. But we never really interact with these people. It's the way some Arabs feel about Jews—all they think of when they hear the word "Jew" is of a soldier with a gun in his hand.

Why? Because it's all they know. It's why there are so many efforts to get these two groups together to interact, especially when they're young.