I have devote a half century studying and teaching about the Middle East. In particular, my courses have focused on the Palestinian and Israel conflict which dates back over a hundred years. This conflict witnesses several stages:
1. A period in which either or both sides have groups that conduct low level violent operations against the enemy.
2. A period in which both sides claim the other is responsible for any violence and demand the outside world do something about it.
3. A period in which an incident or series of incidents leads the other side to insist its resort to violence is in response to what the other side has been doing.
4. The incidents increase in ferocity and size resulting in escalation of rhetoric by one side.
5. A period in which both sides escalate the rhetoric of violence.
6. A period in which talk shifts to actual use of violent means against the other side.
7. Eventually, Israel forces gain the upper hand, and crush, for the moment, violent Arab groups.”
8. A period of seeming quiet. In reality, Palestinians are preparing some form of violence.
9. An act of violence by a small group of Palestinians sets in motion a fierce outburst of action on the part of Israel.
10. Our present stage in which the death of three innocent children has set in motion violence that has cost the lives of dozens of innocent Palestinians.
There have to be other ways to handle this conflict, don’t you think?