Jun 25 2014
The kidnapping of three Israelis has brought attention back to Palestinian conflict
By Daoud Kuttab
The kidnapping of three Israeli religious settlers in an area under the total administrative and security control of the Israeli army has partially brought back attention to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but for the wrong reasons.
While it is natural that the phone calls by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu focused on ways to help find the missing settlers, both Israeli and US officials must understand the context of the case and their own responsibilities for the way things ended up.
It is a basic strategic recipe. If you take away hope for a political solution, you have to expect a spike in violence. Add to this formula a hunger strike by over 100 Palestinians imprisoned without charge or trial, that has lasted almost two months without a single attempt to negotiate or hear the prisoners’ demands and you have trouble.
If the above is not enough consider downtown Hebron, Palestine’s second most populated city, where settlers run amok and a major commercial street (Shuhada) is blocked since 1994 (after 29 worshiping Palestinians were gunned down) for no reason.
Furthermore, there is documented daily harassment of Palestinians by settlers, which goes without punishment by the ruling Israeli power.
The absurdity of the situation allowed to fester in Hebron has led a major pacifist Christian organisation (Christian peace makers team) to send volunteers to help Palestinian children cross the street to go to school.
