Sirens wailing, rockets falling; jets screaming, bombs falling; explosions, many explosions; and death, many are dead. It’s an old, familiar story. BBC‘s Middle East correspondent, Jeremy Bowen, writes:
“The fundamental reason for the renewed violence does not change. It is the open wound of the unresolved conflict between Jews and Arabs that has blighted and ended Palestinian and Israeli lives for generations. This latest episode has happened because of tension in Jerusalem ….”
“The fate of Jerusalem, with its deep religious and national significance to both sides, lies at the heart of the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel in effect annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 and considers the entire city its capital, though this is not recognised by the vast majority of other countries. Palestinians claim the eastern half of Jerusalem as the capital of a hoped-for state of their own. The fighting … was triggered by days of escalating clashes … in East Jerusalem ….”
“The triggers … include heavy-handed Israeli policing of Palestinians … and controversial efforts in the Israeli courts to evict Palestinians from their homes. But other events could have had the same effect. This was a crisis waiting to happen, in a conflict that, once again, has been left to fester. Leaders on both sides have concentrated on safeguarding their own positions. The biggest challenge, of making peace, has not been addressed seriously for years.”
Read the entire essay here.