Why should the artist be accused of being an extreme utopian? Let us imagine the confusion created by such a situation: a traditionalist Jew in love with a Palestinian woman. Their supreme judgement should condemn them either to being separated or to being executed. Tell me, in whose name? What political or religious ideal will issue such a sentence?

• Let the extremist and fanatic Jews go to hell!
• Let the extremist and fanatic Arabs go to hell!
• Let the Protestants who beat up Catholics, and the Catholics who beat up Protestants go to hell (Hi, Ireland!)!

Yes, I am a Utopian and I believe that if there were a little bit of love between people all the ethnic problems would be forgotten: just look at the growing passion between my two characters.

Ps: I wrote these lines and I painted the picture three months before the attacks on New York and Washington on September the eleventh.
Since then, I could not help seeing the confirmation of man's continuing madness.