Reply #11: It's a shame that the ordinary people are just pawns in all of this. [View All]

[sabrina 1]

The sad thing is that when situations are as volatile as this one, those who rise to the top are often the most extreme elements of society. And ordinary people who feel threatened look to them for protection.

I think if a peace agreement, by some miracle, succeeds, over time that will change as people then become more concerned about maintaining the peace.

In the N. Ireland Ireland situation people looked to the IRA for protection, but as peace seemed to finally be a real possibility, support for violence diminshed. And many of the leaders of the IRA turned to politics to resolve the issues.

The question is, had there not been those who were unwilling to accept oppressive situations would there ever been any attention paid to the plight of the oppressed.

We eg, call our 'terrorists' heroes, like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Had America lost the revolution, all those who were a part of it would have gone down in history the way Benedict Arnold has.

But human beings never learn. Taking people's land and reducing them to second class citizens in their own countries has and will always produce those who will resist.

Netanyahu has said he is very committed to peace. This is a beginning and I hope it succeeds.