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The New West Side Story

© lawhawk

The Jets and the Sharks. Two gangs that always seemed to get into a rumble when they were around each other. Why do I bring up this Broadway musical here in an area devoted to the Middle East? Simple. It is easy to equate the conflict between the two gangs with the current problems between the Palestinians and Israelis. Both Palestinians and Israelis love the Holy Land and both share an almost fanatical desire to have the same piece of land to rule as their own. Hard-liners on both sides refuse to give the other side any room to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the 50+ years of conflict.

While Israelis and Palestinians both suggest they have valid claims on the West Bank and Jerusalem, under current international law doctrine Israel has decided to give up its sovereignty over the West Bank in favor of creating a Palestinian Homeland. This homeland would essentially be a Palestinian State, something that hard-line Israelis, many of whom are ultra religious Jews, refuse to allow. This vocal group, a minority among the Israeli population, sees any agreement giving away lands to the Palestinians as an affront to God who gave Jews the lands through war. Palestinians similarly see the land as theirs and it was taken away by Westerners working in the United Nations who did not consider their interests when determining the status of Palestine in 1947.

Moderates among the Palestinians and Israelis have to struggle against a very vocal group of people who are opposed to the peace process. Looking at the events of the last two days in Hebron, it is easy to see how both sides can be deterred from reaching a final agreement. Not enough is being done to prevent aggression against the other side. Prior agreements are not being enforced. Such statements are not productive and only lead individuals to take aggressive actions to derail the peace process. The Palestinian Authority was correct to say that the man accused of shooting 15-20 people in Hebron was a terrorist. Any armed individual who willingly goes and harms other innocent people for a political goal is a terrorist. There is no way for anyone to condone that action. The IDF will have to undergo a serious evaluation to review psychological profiles of its soldiers to prevent radicals from serving in areas most likely to have direct interaction with Palestinians. As for the Palestinians, they too will have to go further in preventing terrorist activities against Israel and provide adequate security for the Israeli citizens who will choose to remain in Hebron and the West Bank when Israel finally gives the Palestinian Authority control.

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