Earthfriend wrote:Does anybody have any clue to what is happening between the Israelis and the Palenstinians at the moment?
Same thing that's been happening since at least '95 (as long as I've been following the area). There are deals and agreements, then one party doesn't live up to its side so the other party backs out of the agreement. This is generally followed by a whole lot of finger-pointing and namecalling. Things quiet down, agreements are made... wash, rinse, repeat. Oh yeah, and a liberal dose of bombings, riots, retaliatory strikes, etc. in between and during all phases.
I still think things are looking a little bit better now that Arafat's being shoved out. If only Abbas had enough clout to control Hamas and the other militants and the Israelis could elect a decent peace-oriented leader (yeah, I'm hawkish, but I can also see there are times when it just doesn't work. not that I don't agree with the retaliatory strikes somewhat, but... blah, not gonna get into that) who didn't have to pander to the orthodox to keep his coalition together...
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and
active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner