Diplomacy, Thy Name Is... Grover?

After decades of misconceptions concerning Israeli-Palestinian relations and the whole Middle East conflict in general, the future of Israeli diplomacy apparently now rests on a certain Muppet's furry, blue, practically non-existent shoulders.

Look, I knew things were getting desperate here, but seriously...

Sesame Street's most recent production, "Shalom Sesame", will be hosted by the lovable, high-pitched Grover and is geared towards North American audiences in the hopes of narrowing the rift between North American kids and their Middle Eastern counterparts. A 12-part series, "Shalom Sesame" (not to be confused with Israel's long-running Sesame Street equivalent, "Rechov Sumsum") will take audiences on a tour of some of Israel's most famous landmarks and hotspots and will address some of the major issues facing the Israeli-Arab population that you won't see on CNN or Fox News, including intermarriage, differences in religious observance and immigration (all done in the traditional family-friendly Sesame Street style, of course).

A slew of A-list celeb guest stars is also slated for the show, including the likes of Ben Stiller, Debra Messing and Jake Gyllenhaal (yes, he's Jewish! Do a quick Google search, people!). Also featured on the program will be Disney starlet Annaliese van der Pol, an American actress/singer of Jewish/Dutch descent, who will be playing the lead character touring with Grover and providing the centrepiece for the narrative.

"Shalom Sesame" is scheduled to be aired December 2010, just in time for Chanukah, and will even feature a segment about an antique Menorah that has been passed down through a family's generations.

For a full version of the JTA story, you can find the link here.

Hey, it could work. Let's just pray, though, that the PLO doesn't get the greenlight for its upcoming project, "Jihad Me, Elmo", the furry red friend who explodes upon contact.