Peace in the Middle East?
By Sheldon Yoder

Ever since its inception, the state of Israel has been embroiled in wave after wave of violence-riots, suicide attacks, bombings, missile strikes, militant fighting and civilian attacks. There has been little hope of a lasting peace as the fighting has escalated in the last several months.

The current Intifadeh, or popular uprising, stems from events late in 2000. As Israel withdrew from the southern portion of Lebanon after nearly 20 years of occupation, the Israeli Defense Force was harried by guerillas, and the withdrawal turned into chaos. Then in October, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a controversial visit to the Haram al-Sharif compound, also known as the Temple Mount.

In a three-day period alone, more than 50 people died from a series of suicide attacks and air strikes. Between Feb. 10 and 12 the Palestinians launched three attacks against Israel, which retaliated with strikes against Palestinian installations. Many people were killed and injured.

A Feb. 14 attack on an Israeli Merkava Mark 3 tank has raised the tensions even higher. Three soldiers were killed in the explosion when the tank was bombed with high-density plastic explosive C-4. The attack raises new fears that more of the explosive is being smuggled into Gaza through underground tunnels. "It's frightening to think that the next suicide bomber will have C-4 in his belt," a senior Israeli security official said.

Sharon is currently under a lot of pressure. His "eye-for-eye" stance toward the Palestinian attacks which initially gave the Israeli people hope has added to the violence plaguing the region. The same Israelis who elected him have now besieged the prime minister. Hard-liners want him to attack the PLO and retake Palestinian controlled land, and the opposition wants a unilateral pull-out from occupied territories and a resumption of peace talks.

Sharon has done neither.

As a result of the escalation, Sharon has stated his desire to create a "buffer-zone" between Palestinian and Israeli territory. What exactly that entails, only he and his advisors know, but it does promise a continuation of the conflict.

Sharon recently admitted that he wished he had "liquidated" PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat when he had the chance 20 years ago. This was at the time Israel invaded Lebanon in an effort to dislodge terrorists working within its borders against Israel. Instead of stopping inside the borders, the IDF pushed on to the capital city of Beirut. But the orders were explicit-do not harm Arafat.

Feb. 21 the Israeli army loosened up on some of the travel restrictions in the West Bank. This came after Israeli and Palestinian officials met to discuss a cease-fire under the direction of the CIA. Secretary of State Colin Powell has said there are some signs for hope such as the security meetings and a proposed Saudi peace initiative.

The Saudi Crown Prince, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Saud, recently launched the initiative. The proposal was originally reported in the New York Times.

The proposal calls for Arab countries' recognition of the Israeli state, currently recognized only by Jordan and Egypt. In exchange Israel will withdraw from territories seized in the 1967 war called the Six Day War.

The Six Day War is so named because of a pre-emptive strike Israel staged against Arab troops amassed along its border in 1967. At the end of the conflict Israel had greatly enlarged its territory. Much of the peace-talks have centered around a return to pre-1967 borders.

Leaders are crossing their fingers in the hope both sides will return to the negotiation table and attempt to hammer out a lasting peace. The Saudi initiative has promise, and even Sharon is showing an interest in it.

The U.S. government is undecided about which course to pursue: engagement as proposed by Powell or allowing a "freer rein" for Sharon as put forth by Vice President Dick Cheney.

Nearly every U.S. president for the last few decades has made it part of his agenda to bring peace to the Middle-East. Notable among them is President Bill Clinton's late-term attempt to bring an end to the violence. But, as with all others of its kind, the effort was wasted.

"Peace in the Middle East" has been the slogan of many peace-makers throughout the years. Unfortunately, this has proven to be an unattainable goal. Both sides' uncompromising stand on these issues promises to continue the cycle of violence.

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