They have succeeded in creating conditions so that neither the Israeli nor Palestinian nations will ever accept a two-state solution. Both are now convinced the other is intolerable, that they must either leave or be exterminated. The brutalities and crimes committed by both sides now guarantee that only nationalist fanatics and religious zealots (on both sides) will dominate the dialog in each nation. Just when superpower politics appeared to be waning as a root cause of hostilities, a new irritant has been created.

In 1947, both Israel and Palestine were ready to kick out the Brits and begin their own state. The Jews had just emerged from the Holocaust, they were in no mood to go through another one, so they fought like demons to create their nation. The Palestinians, with the aid of the Arab League, attacked Israel, and lost. It was a humiliation no shame-driven culture could tolerate. The Jews, a classic guilt-driven culture, were not about to allow themselves to be victimized again.

For the next half-century this part of the world has been a center for super-power rivalry and religious conflict. The Palestinians have engaged in a policy of fanaticism brutality and treachery. The Israelis have responded with a religious theocracy and an imperialist, apartheid state. If you don’t agree with that assessment, then perhaps it was the Palestinians who responded to the Israelis. It really doesn’t matter. The Palestinians are the natives, the aborigines, the Indians, the Africans in this movie. The Israelis see themselves as the Europeans, the enlightened Westerners, the democratic and humanist voice of civilization. They are both right. The Palestinians have morphed into bloodthirsty savages, the Israelis into colonial oppressors.

No one can blame Israel for defending itself or for isolating and dividing its enemies, or even for fortifying their neighbors’ land. But they have wound up systematically occupying and annexing and settling the parts of Palestine that were never theirs, and politically and economically exploiting the wretched, stateless long-time inhabitants of that land. In spite of many enlightened and reasonable elements in Israeli society, the religious right and the biblical fundamentalists have always managed to control the dialog. They actually believe God gave them that land three thousand years ago, and now, after two millennia, they have the right to take it back again If you believe Israel’s own religious texts, this is the third time they have invaded Canaan and put the people living there to the sword: first Pharaoh, then Babylon, then the Nazis.

Meanwhile, in their frustration, the inhabitants of that land have increasingly relied on terrorism, hostage-taking, torture , rape and brutality (all captured on video) to seek their vengeance. And their vengeance now consists not of political or military victory, but the humiliation of their enemies, particularly the innocents. And now that they see that other Arab states wish to engage Israel peacefully, and that the Russians are losing influence in the area, they are becoming increasingly dependent on rogue states like Iran for support, and on vicious gangs of religious bigots like Hamas and Hezbollah for leadership.

Frankly, I don’t see any way out of this that will be reasonably fair to both sides. It is too late, both lost their opportunity to come up with some kind of compromise a long time ago. Its sad, I sympathize with the Jewish people, I admire their courage, determination and humanity, their democracy and their culture. But they have made many mistakes, as have the Palestinians, and I fear they are both about to pay the price for them. After 10/7 and the response in Gaza, neither community will ever seek peace again. As for the two-state solution, neither community will ever feel safe with the other right across the border. And that is exactly what Hamas wanted.

I will no longer be commenting on this issue, I find it both frustrating and painful. And I just don’t see any way out that doesn’t involve horrendous violence.