Staff Writer

In Israel, politics is typical workday conversation, but when Dror Topf came to the United States about 3 1/2 years ago, he was advised that might not be a good idea.

Yet on the first day of his job at a consulting firm, he couldn't help himself. A French colleague started attacking Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and even though Topf calls himself a "Labor Party kind of guy," he responded in kind.

Later told he would be sitting side-by-side with a employee from Pakistan, Topf was a little worried. He'd never met anyone from Pakistan, and that country did not recognize Israel.

His new co-worker was not what he had expected.

Waleed Ziad "has more Jewish friends than I do," Topf quipped. And he was "kind of like my counterpart," said Topf, 29.

Just as Topf can sympathize with the average Palestinian trying to get to work, but held up by checkpoints, Ziad, 25, can understand the average Israeli's worry that a suicide bomb might go off at any minute.

"Waleed is able to look [an Israeli] in the eye and see we're not evil," Topf said.

More than two years after that initial April 2003 meeting, the two friends and District residents have joined together to form the Pakistan-Israel Peace Forum, an organization dedicated to promoting dialogue and establishing relations between Pakistan and Israel at the political, cultural, social and economic levels.

The organization's Web site (www.pakistanisraelpeace.org) contains a petition ‹ which has acquired 91 signatures since its posting in mid-September ‹ calling for "building of bridges and promotion of dialogue" between the two countries.

"Peace, reconciliation, and activism to benefit all humanity are hallmarks of the two great religions, Judaism and Islam," states the petition, which also emphasizes that the group "expresses no partiality for any political position."

The idea for the forum was sparked by the first meeting of the Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers on Sept. 1, said Ziad.

"Let's seize the day" and bring together those who "feel this way" in Pakistan and Israel," said Ziad.

"Our first goal is people will talk, people will meet," said Topf, adding that he hopes that through the Web site to create a "chat room" for Pakistanis and Israelis.

Ziad sees the group as perhaps sponsoring an exchange program that would bring Israelis to Pakistan and vice versa, and promoting economic and business ties between the two countries.

While Topf had never met a Pakistani before, Ziad was quite familiar with Israelis and Jews.

He was born in Pakistan and attended high school there, but has lived in a variety of other countries ‹ including Turkey, Romania and Uzbekistan in addition to the U.S.

And he has been friends with a number of Jews over the years as a result of his international travels; in fact, his first exposure to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was hearing an Israeli friend's opinion of it in the fourth grade.

Ziad also has been involved in interfaith work, helping to organize the first Muslim-Jewish event at his alma mater, Yale University, in the days after Sept. 11.

So when he was paired with Topf ‹ in their company's library during an office remodeling ‹ it was nothing unusual.

"We opened up to each other pretty quickly," said Ziad, who noted that not being afraid to "say what you feel" is one of a number of traits that Pakistanis and Israelis share.

Ziad said Pakistanis are also similar to Israelis in the "chutzpah in the way [they] approach a situation," their strong family bonds, and the "grand matriarch" that holds the greatest power in the family.

Topf said that Ziad would probably be a member of the Labor Party if he were in Israel.

Ziad demurred from outlining a specific position on the Israel-Palestinian issue, saying he has not "faced the fire" and lived there.

To him, the area's biggest problem is that "so often on both sides ... there is a refusal to acknowledge the reality" of the other side. But often "extremists have the loudest voices."

Ziad is optimistic that there are many more like him in Pakistan who are willing to reach out to Israel. He cited a trip he took with Jewish friends a few years ago to his home country, saying they got the "red-carpet treatment" from everyday Pakistanis who were intrigued by Jews and wanted to learn more about them.

He also noted that when he sent information about the new group to a Pakistani Yahoo listserv, the initial response was that such an initiative should not occur until there is a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But that was followed by a number of positive messages from people arguing, for example, that one cannot resolve the conflict without dialogue.

He called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's recent speech to Jewish leaders a hopeful sign, noting that coverage by the Pakistani media was generally positive.

Both Topf and Ziad point to ambivalence in their respective countries as an obstacle for their group. Ziad said that Pakistanis generally support the Palestinian cause, but see it as far away and not an important part of their life.

Topf said that Israelis would be happy to see improved relations with Pakistan, but are much more concerned about Palestinian terrorism.

But both emphasize the possible ramifications of this initiative. They believe that increased ties between the two countries could help Israel in dealing with Iran ‹ since Pakistan has ties to that country ‹ and possibly enable Israel to be a peace broker between Pakistan and India.

Topf and Ziad have already acquired one big-name (at least in Pakistan) supporter for their efforts: Salman Ahmad, a rock star so popular in Pakistan that the teachers in the country's madrassas, religious schools, are fans, according to Ziad.

And they have inspired at least one local pro-Israel activist to join their cause.

Michael Berenhaus of Potomac, who assisted Topf and Ziad in setting up the group and serves on its advisory committee, said he is excited by the group's goal of "understanding [each other] at a person-to-person level."

A founder of the media watch group Eye on the Post, which criticizes The Washington Post for what it believes is anti-Israel bias, Berenhaus sees the peace forum as "more productive."

"I've realized building bridges is more productive that breaking them down," he said.