As we know from the Danish cartoon controversy of 2005 and The New Yorker’s Obama fist-bump cover, editorial illustrations can cause quite a stir. But as with anything that has the power to provoke, cartoons can also be wielded in the name of peace and reconciliation. Such is the aim of the “Cartoons in Conflict” exhibition, popping up tonight in a vacant storefront in Chelsea (6 W 26th St between Fifth Ave and Broadway. 212-593-6400, ext. 1579; nolongerempty.com).

More than 40 international artists are featured the exhibition, which explores the absurdity of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Among the contributors are Pat Oliphant, who has been called “the most influential cartoonist now working” by The New York Times, and Pulitzer Prize–winning Miami Herald editorialist Jim Morin.

Tonight’s free reception runs from 6 to 8pm. At 7pm, attendees can hear remarks from two members of Parents Circle Families Forum (PCFF), a grassroots organization of Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in the region’s conflict. Robi Damelin is an Israeli who lost her son to a Palestinian sniper, and Mazan Faraj is a Palestinian who participated in the uprising but joined PCFF after his father was misidentified and shot by an Israeli soldier.

If you can’t make the  opening, you still have time to see the cartoons up close. The show will remain in the space until December 23, and there will be a special interfaith evening on Monday, December 14.