Op-Ed: Israeli-Gaza conflict; the eternal problem?

There have been many views and opinions expressed with regards to the recent Israeli actions towards Hamas in the Gaza strip and, as usual, tempers flare easily.

I do think that the Israeli nation has the right to defend itself and I noticed that no one was protesting in the streets of Western cities when Hamas pelted Israel with rockets for years on end. Also, it doesn’t help that the brave Hamas warriors hide behind women and children. A cynical take on the propaganda value of certain news footage would seem to be a factor. Having said that, I think that Israel’s response seems to be grossly disproportionate and razing Gaza to the ground is only going to yield further future martyrs and suicide bombers. It’s a hornet’s nest where both sides have a case but one side seems to have all the power to throw around its weight. I hate seeing the images of yet another instalment of this war on the television screen. Perhaps the Palestinian cause would have been better served had its leaders accepted the two-state solution when it was offered as an option to them. Choosing instead to follow the path of Intifada resulted in incessant bloodshed on both sides. I wonder how the US President Elect intends to handle the situation when he takes office. It’s a sad and sorry state of affairs and I honestly wonder whether we’ll see peace in the Middle East.