finally, some good news...

[texan]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/...ast/index.html

How long will it last, do you think? Will this bring other small militant groups out in attack against Israel to disrupt the talks, or could this finally be a huge step in the right direction? Man how I hope that the violence between Israeli's and Palestinians would stop forever, but judging by history this will not be an end to anything. What's your opinion?

Ps- The crap Bush spouted out regarding Hamas is exactly the sort of rhetoric that will perpetuate this cycle of violence. I honestly can't believe he'd go so far as to expect the terrorists to disarm themselves against what they see as an armed agressor.

[NSX-R-SSJ20K]

he says that sort of thing just to cover his ass

[YogsVR4]

How many have we heard of a cease fire that was broken (by either side). I fear it will not hold.

[taranaki]

Palestinian officials said Wednesday that Hamas, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a three-month suspension of attacks against Israelis, but a Hamas spokesman said no such agreement had been reached.

And therein lies the heart of any problem.Total lack of communication.Aceasefire is as fragile as eggshells.It only takes one disaffected militant with a gun to ignore an instruction,and it's all off again.In any clash of cultures such as this,there will always be extremists who believe that ceasefires are an offence against their cause,and will continue to murder in the name of their view of justice until they themselves get murdered. Guerilla warfare,terrorism, and suicide bombings are all ultimately foolhardy.It's very rare that you see them actually achieve their stated objectives.

[Jimster]

I sure as hell hope that the Palestinians and Israelis can come to a ceasefire agreement- this has been going on far too long- Sharons attitude has not helped the process, but Hamas are just as bad- the fact they are attacknig Jewish civillians (including children) is sick- it's a messed up world out there

[texan]

Jimster- Agreed. There are no innocent parties in this dispute, that's for sure. People get into never ending arguments about how and why things have gotten as bad as they are in Israel, but the simple truth is that it's people not willing to get along with one another that's built things up to this point.

Personally I don't think there will be peace in the region anytime soon. Even if a Palestinian state were to be created, that would not diffuse the underlying problem. Intolerance and fuedal history is the fuel which this fire consumes, and it seems that there is more than enough of both to keep it burning well into the foreseeable future. Throw in a good helping of religious differences and you have the perfect recipe for mayhem; which is exactly what we see and IMHO will continue to see for decades to come.

[Pick]

Originally posted by texan


Ps- The crap Bush spouted out regarding Hamas is exactly the sort of rhetoric that will perpetuate this cycle of violence. I honestly can't believe he'd go so far as to expect the terrorists to disarm themselves against what they see as an armed agressor.

You can't?? Did you watch the war in Afghanistan?? HAve you watched TV lately. Many terrorists are turning themselves in or being turned in by other fearful terrorists.