It's now clear that fencing in the Palestinians is the only option available to the Israelis. Maybe after Arafat and most of Hamas is dead then negotiations can be restarted. I suspect an entire generation will have to pass before the Palestinians and Israelis can establish a civilized relationship. Most of the blame for this stupid situation rests upon Arafat who refused to negotiate in good faith even after Ehud Baraq put Jerusalem on the bargaining table. Arafat sold his own people down the river. If the Israelis don't assassinate Arafat then the Palestinians should.

Unfortunately Israel's problems will take on an unchangable long term nature. The Palestinians now have no option but continued violence (their economy is almost zeroed out). Katyusha rockets will be regularly launched from Palestinian territory into Israel (it'll be low level but never ending). The Palestinians can tunnel under the fence. Consequently, suicide bombing will continue but at a lower rate. Nuclear terrorism will remain an option against Israel for the rest of this century. Obviously the Israelis know all of this and accept it as unavoidable (what alternative do they have?). The Middle East is a really crappy place to live. It was an error to have re-established the state of Israel. I don't understand why people live there.

Gary