U.S. officials are considering the formation of a provisional Palestinian state, with temporary borders and limited sovereignty, as an interim step toward a final peace deal. Well, while the White House seems divided on the issue, Mr. Sharon has, predictably, rejected such proposals, and emphatically told his Cabinet that for now he opposes Palestinian statehood in any form. Media reports convey that the Palestinians have, on the other hand, agreed to provisionally accept and consider a proposal from Mr. Bush on the setting up of Palestinian homeland.

The irony of it all is that 54 years ago the Israelis jumped at the successful British initiative to build a homeland for the Jews. Not only a homeland, Israel turned out to become a virtual satellite state for Britain and America, who surrogated the birth and very development of Zionist Israel. Today, Mr. Sharon is not prepared to give his Arab cousins a similar chance to enjoy at least a semblance of the support and surrogacy of the West that Israel has enjoyed over the last five decades. Even America, as much as it feels committed to a peace plan in the region, will be ultra cautious in ‘concessions’ to the Palestinians. Israel need not have any misgivings in this regard. However, it appears that Israeli apathy, fear, suspicion, and God knows what, have combined to cloud the objectivity and boldness needed to deal with a situation of this nature.

Without sounding like a prophet of doom, the truth of the matter is that there is no end to conflict in sight. The conflagration of discord has gone on for too long to be doused by the granting of simple concessions and proposals spurned by the West, which itself is considered an enemy by hard-line Palestinians. There is no peace for Israel, and the Zionist State is itself largely to blame for the dire straights they find themselves in today. Israeli policies since its inception as a state, has caused a distinct division among Palestinians. There are those, like Mr. Arafaat and his supporters, who are game for any peace initiative provided they get their share of political ground. Then there are the hard-line, militant Palestinians, who want nothing short of a complete annihilation of Israel. The vicious circle of violence, the self-sacrificial attacks versus military incursions, is the effect of a much deeper, historical cause that has plunged Israel into the morass of conflict that it now experiences. The Palestinians waging this violent confrontation against the Israelis appear to have a set and determined goal: one suicidal Palestinian will take 20 Israelis with him.

It is argued that the draconian measures instituted by the Israeli government were in retaliation for the terrorists attacks of Palestinian militants. However, it must be clearly understood that these so-called suicidal attacks are the effects of the forceful and aggressive occupation of territory by Israel. They cannot be construed as causes of the raging conflict. The Palestinians resorted to these methods only after they saw an upsurge of Israeli aggression, and, what they perceive as subtle, illegal occupation of their lands; only when they saw the brutal Israeli reaction to their demands, and the oppression forced onto them. The following facts support this contention:

76,321Palestinian civilians killed (including men, women, and children) before the "suicide" bombings began.

6.3 million Palestinians became refugees since the Jews invaded their lands - before the "suicide" bombings began.