If Israel and the Palestinians get back on track toward peace and the resolution of this round of their on-going conflict, we may look back on a simple lunch meeting as the crucial beginning point of the process. Obviously, the complexity of the political realities driving events in the Middle East defy any single-page analysis by someone as unschooled as I am.

    Still, no matter what I have read or heard during the last tension-filled week, I can’t seem to erase from my memory the picture of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat preparing to share a meal in the library at the White House. The two men dined alone and talked for about three hours. Their aides negotiated through the night before the unrehearsed summit ended with plans to continue high level talks elsewhere. The New York Times compared this meeting to Ronald Reagan’s surprise meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev ten years ago in Iceland which resulted in a significant breakthrough on nuclear disarmament.

    Netanyahu and Arafat disagree on most issues affecting life and community in Israel and the entire region. Because of their conflicting views, getting the parties back to work on fulfilling the Oslo Accords seemed impossible before last week's meeting. Chances of a new agreement remain slim to most observers.

    One simple fact remains. These two powerful men don’t like each other. The fact made their willingness to meet even more significant. Reports following their historic luncheon indicated they at least got better acquainted. They shared personal memories of their own experiences in the bloody conflict that bitterly divides them and their people. They spent time alone over a meal. They left knowing each other better.

    Call me simple-minded and naive, if you will. I plead guilty on both counts. Nevertheless, I believe the meeting did no harm and may mark the beginning of something very positive. Even if my hopeful point of view proves terribly wrong headed an important lesson remains. Powerful things transpire when people agree to invest the time necessary to talk over a meal.

    You name the context: business, school, neighborhood, church, family, international diplomacy, or politics. When people decide to drop their defenses and “come to the table” to talk, positive things often result. The fact is, there can be real power in a lunch!

    So, don’t take your social capital for granted! Nurture friendships you count dear. Extend yourself to an advisory, a competitor or someone with whom you’ve experienced conflict. Learn the real benefits of sitting down to talk, no matter how difficult or absurd it seems. The level of your discomfort may indicate the potential power of your next lunch meeting and its possibilities.