Abstract
The essay traces the history of Mizrahim becoming mediators who operated on the borderlines that emerged between Arabs and Jews and Hebrew and Arabic languages. From this liminal position on the national borderlines emerged a new role for the Mizrahi Jews—as translators, interpreters, and go-betweens bridging the two cultures and national identities while simultaneously maintaining the clear separation lines between them. The essay expands the scope of cultural and social activities that could be considered mediation, from actions that aim to bring people closer or reconcile them to other roles, such as a platform for spying, collaboration, and propaganda. A key “mediation zone” discussed in the essay is the Voice of Israel in Arabic.