"The Holocaust Is Over, We Must Rise From Its Ashes,"

"If you are a bad person, a whining enemy or a strong-arm occupier, you are not my brother, even if you are circumcised, observe the Sabbath, and do mitzvahs. If your scarf covers every hair on your head for modesty, you give alms and do charity, but what is under your scarf is dedicated to the sanctity of Jewish land, taking precedence over the sanctity of human life, whosever life that is, then you are not my sister. You might be my enemy. A good Arab or a righteous gentile will be a brother or sister to me. A wicked man, even of Jewish descent, is my adversary, and I would stand on the other side of the barricade and fight him to the end."
-former Israeli Knesset speaker and ex-Jewish National Fund chairman Avraham Burg

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict polarises opinion. Friends of mine, normally rational and reserved, metamorphose into rabid dogs as soon as the topic is broached. Behind this transformation lies a number of reasons. Often people feel an ethnic or religious affinity with one of the two groups, and they feel questioning the actions of either side is an attack on their identity. Some identify with an underdog they see as the victim of Israeli US backed neo-imperialism, while yet others see only a people who after more than two thousand years of persecution remain surrounded by people who deny their state’s right to existence.

Each can back his or her point of view by pointing to atrocities perpetrated by the “others”, by opportunities for peace snubbed or ceasefires violated. Some, wary of over-simplification recognise that often amidst the debate the plight of simple humanity lies forgotten, of Israeli or Palestinian children who will never be adults, of houses lost and businesses ruined.

Reject temptation, do not be drawn in by what Oscar Wilde termed the “common catch cry of the clown”, the accusations of terrorism or imperialism belie a more complex reality. Recognise this, embrace the fact that this conflict finds its roots in the annals of history and that few if any summaries can capture its true nature. However, don’t shy away from the challenge. Form an informed opinion. Read beyond glib commentaries of current events for this conflict is and will remain a central issue on the world stage.

If you are aware of any links to good writers, sites or articles who deal with this conflict please post a link or reference to them in the comments section.