From the Quid Sit web site, a very simple way to understand the motivations of the Israelis and Palestinians:
I’m reminded of an old thought experiment a friend brought to my attention some years ago.
In the first scenario, Palestine dumps all its weapons into the ocean. What happens? Peace! The wall (which so many people love to complain about) comes down. There is no retaliation for acts of terrorism on Israel’s side, because there’s no more terrorism. No more women and children die because there are no more rockets to both hide and fire amongst the civilian population. The “humanitarian disaster” ends in Gaza.
In the second scenario, Israel dumps all its weapons into the ocean…………
It’s a useful exercise in terms of recognizing who the troublemakers really are, who resists peace, and who keeps the cycle of hatred and violence spinning.