"An eye for an eye" hurts Israeli-Palestinian talks: Chinese paper

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-03/17/content_1370671.htm

<BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese leading English newspaper, China Daily, said in an editorial Wednesday that "an eye for an eye" mentality between Palestinian radicals and Israel will do nothing but hurt the Palestinian-Israel peace process.

The "an eye for an eye" mentality will only contribute to further hostility and hamper international efforts to revive the peace process in the region, the editorial said.>


<The editorial also criticized Sharon's decision to cancel the meeting and his controversial, go-it-alone "Disengagement Plan."

The paper stressed that an independent, self-governing Palestine is key to stabilizing the Middle East.>

sad and true. the extremists on both sides need to be marginalized. there are steps that can be taken if people around the world, (particularly in israel, palistine, and the us) actually want peace. unfortunately it does not look like people want peace.

The US can modify Israeli policies but what can outsiders do to marginalize extremists on the Palestinian side?

will keep it civilized. i have my own opinions and philosophies about this complicated situation. please do not jump the gun and assume i support one 'side' or the other.

to marginalize the extremists on the Palestinian side, we need to provide an alternative set of circumstances for potently/non radical Palestinians to live their lives in. it would be beneficial to allow the Palestinians to have a legitimate state, one that is made up of a whole piece of land or two. health care, jobs, schools, ex cetera. as it stands now, those things are provided by groups who do have ties to violence. if these things can be set up in a legit manner, people will have another option, a non violent option.

the illegal Israeli occupation reinforces to the younger generation of Palestinians that Israeli Jews are their enemy. not all Israeli Jews (not all Jews period) support the occupation. we can help these youngsters realize this by ending the occupation.

there will be no peace through war. we had better start working on a compromise before this tinder box goes up in flames. the Geneva accord released last year was a great example of a workable plan. compromises will have to be made on both sides. that plan dropped like a rock in the lake, the extremists on both sides control the dialog, we must marginalize them.