> It is very difficult to be even-handed in one's criticism of the
> respective parties in such a war. Both use repulsive methods, but one
> uses repulsive methods in pursuit of openly repulsive ends. The
> permanent domination (or ethnic cleansing) of the other side. If the
> world is forced to take sides, then there is only one moral choice.
> Nothing anti-semitic about that.
Not exactly taking sides, but the Palestinian choice of method was probably needlessly alienating to potential supporters outside the Islamic world. They seem to have gotten caught up in the idea that making what they call "martyrs" of themselves would make them heroes in the eyes of the world in general, not only the Islamic part of it. This, unfortunately, was a great miscalculation.
OTOH, the Israelis don't seem to give a s**t about what the rest of the world thinks about them, and their way of fighting, either. One gets the impression of a tragic conflict between two solipsists, each concentrated on its own feelings of rage and hurt, completely oblivious to anyone outside themselves. Rather than the world being forced to take sides, I think the world is increasingly washing its hands of this interminable blood-bath and turning its back on both of them, except of course for a few dead-end supporters in the U.S. government (funneling more and more cash to Israel) and in the Islamic world, on Palestine's side.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. -- Attr. to Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile