I hate to get into this is we are concerned to avoid list disruption, and I suspect what I say will be suspect (my last name is Friedman), but I concur with John Johnson that the facts/issues in the recent actions in Israel were not simply armed police vs. rock-throwers, at least in the sense that there were factions BOTH Israeli and Palestinian seeking to sabotage the peace negotiations. Remember that there are many more attitudes and political parties among Israel's Jews--and among Palestinian Arabs--than there are (significantly widely expressed) views on the issue among Americans. Among many Arab and Israeli persons, there is agreement on the one point that Americans and Europeans were quite happy to make gains (military bases, cheap labor, cheap guilt-placation, whatever) on the "never-ending [oh those hot-tempered Semites!] Arab-Israeli squabbles". --This is hardly to excuse the Israeli forces for killing that one boy or any other civilians.-- I have some acquaintances who are what Bill terms "professional Jews," by the way, and from them have heard various comments on Ariel Sharon--none repeatable on a family listserve. Incidentally, is Menachem who recently discussed his struggle between his nonviolence living in the Mideast around?--it would be interesting to hear his comments (and to know if he is alright). Paula
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