In an alternate universe, Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez don’t just get along — they make out, as do Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Pope Benedict XVI is about as anti-gay as it gets, here he is, locking lips with Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayed, one of Sunni Islam’s most important leaders. Hell, even Kim Jong-Il and his South Korean sworn enemy are getting in on the action. These are the bold and potentially controversial photo manipulations that make up the UNHATE Campaign, a Benetton-sponsored project that kicks off today and seeks to replace the “culture of hatred” with a vision of love between the world’s nations, cultures, and religions. Read more about UNHATE at its website, and check out its first, arresting images after the jump.
Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Pope Benedict XVI and Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayed, Imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar mosque
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Il and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
Chinese Supreme Leader Hu Jintao and Barack Obama
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
[via BLDGWLF]