Palestinians, Israelis both to blame for
conflict
Israel and Palestine face many problems on the road to peace.
The deplorable terrorist acts often carried out by brain- washed
Palestinian schoolchildren and the merciless retaliations from the
high-powered Israeli military machine are, of course, the most
obvious and personally threatening problems facing the region
today.
There is, however, a much greater problem underlying all of
this. This problem was wonderfully portrayed, though perhaps not
intentionally, by David Keyes in his submission (“Israel
suffers while Palestinians reject peace,” Viewpoint, Sept.
30).
The problem is tunnel vision. The lack of open-mindedness in
this whole situation is as deplorable as any terrorist attack. The
very reason that attacks are still carried out by both sides is due
to an ever-resonant tribal mentality, in which each side is
concerned only for itself. Palestinians claim Israelis use AK-47s
and U.S.-funded jets, attack choppers, tanks and artillery to
oppress and eliminate them, often murdering young children in an
effort to suppress and destroy the will of the Palestinian
people.
Conversely, some Israelis claim Palestinians are heartless
terrorists with no other aim than to “destroy the Jewish
state” and everyone living in it. Many Israelis claim the
“murdered children” who die from artillery fire are
used by Palestinians as human shields, meant to gain ground for
Palestine in the war of public opinion. Many Palestinians claim
their suicide bombings are the only way they can put up a viable
defense against the ruthless and well-funded Israeli machine.
The bottom line is that no one is willing to say: “Yeah
they did bad stuff and what we did was probably just as bad.”
No one wants to admit there is another side to the story.
Each side refuses to admit that this war is going both ways. For
every suicide bombing, there is a jet fighter or attack chopper
killing as many people in a more concise attack.
Until people like Keyes are able to admit that neither side is
more to blame than the other, there will be no progress in the
Middle East.
William Newsom Senior, aerospace
engineering