I’m sure it is a very complicated thing, this Israeli and Palestinian conflict. While I absolutely understand the Israeli’s right to self-defense and the obligation of the government to protect the citizenry, I think the way they are going about it is only causing problems rather then solving the over-all problem. What do you do with the few Palestinians who would rather die and in the process kill as many Jews as possible rather then see Israel as a state exist? No amount of negotiation is going to stop them. No amount of appeasement is going to keep them from killing until the Jewish state no longer exists. What do you do with these people?
Yet, I know that most Palestinians want to live in peace and are not terrorists. Most Palestinians are not out to be suicide bombers. The Israeli military’s current campaign is not going to lead to peaceful co-existence. All it is going to do is further Balkanize the region to the point where no one wins and everyone is involved in atrocities.
Arafat and Sharon need to step aside for the sake of their own people. Bush and the Americans need to be bold in condemn atrocities on both sides — forcibly and in a forthright manner. If Israel doesn’t move forward, threaten to end U.S. aid. If Arafat or another Palestinian Authority leader doesn’t stop the terrorist bombings, then make it clear to them that the U.S. will not interfere in Israel’s right to self-defense. I don’t know. As I said, it is a very complicated situation.
Listening: Natalie Imbruglia’s White Lilies Island & Lisa Loeb’s Cake and Pie — both for the first time. Doing: websites