<Impact of Israeli offensive in doubt

Continuing to do what doesn’t work, only harder, doesn’t seem to work, either, most of the time.

I’m assuming the Palestinians resent the indignities heaped upon them to the point of engaging in suicide bombing. Those indignities include the settlements and restrictions on travel, work, and so on.

I’m also assuming that a suicide bomber believes there isn’t anything more to lose. (I’m thinking if the idea of “heaven” were so good, a lot of Christians should be willing to die for the cause, too. Not suicide for the sake of suicide, but for a cause.) But whatever, from the outside it looks as if the reasons for the suicide bombing, in their minds, have been increased 5- or 10-fold.

Where is the logic in heaping massive amounts of more indignity upon them? Wouldn’t the Israelis suspect that the one thing they could do which would make the situation worse in the long run would be to do what they’ve been doing, only harder?

And can anyone, Israel, Palestine, the US, completely control the religious and political extremes in their countries? (Remembering Oklahoma City.) Can the Israelis stop the invasion of Palestine by their right-wing which is the building of settlements? Assuming 95% of them wanted to, could the Palestinians stop the suicide bombing, especially now, without an infrastructure?

I wonder what the Israelis expected to come out of this in the longer run, in 2003, and 2004.

Arf