Barenboim's Orchestra for Peace

If Longfellow was right about music being humanity's universal language, the West-Eastern Divan is a very encouraging project.
Barenboim says he founded the extraordinary youth orchestra as a 'project against ignorance', 'a platform where the two sides [Israelis and Palestinians] can disagree and not resort to knives.' He believes, quite deeply, music can teach the two sides about compromise and working together.
A lot of the "music as a model for life" stuff may be waffly and too steeped in metaphor to have much meaningful impact in the hard real world of international conflict and geopolitics. But the opportunity afforded by the orchestra for the two sides to sit down and work together towards something peaceful, productive, and beautiful---that could help, slowly but surely, in building up relationships and trust between them. If only there were more such initiatives ...
On a separate note, isn't it supremely fitting for the orchestra to be based in Seville? The capital of Andalusia, once a bastion of tolerance for Muslims, Jews, Christians and all other peaceful comers.