After a celebrated Christmas day in Bethlehem, where Palestinian security forces were credited for providing a safe environment for a record number of tourists visiting the historical city, and days after a six month cease-fire came to an end with Hamas, Israeli Air Force swooped into the Gaza Strip like the Santa Ana winds. The air strike took out over 50 Hamas strongholds, killing around 200 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more. This came after days of warnings and threats following a series of rocket attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilian targets.

The Gaza Strip, an area of strife for Egyptians, Palestinians, and Israeli’s alike, has been the focus of conflict for decades. Though a Palestinian population center located on the Mediterranean Sea, the Israeli government controls the coastal front, air space, and the Northern/Eastern borders, while Egypt maintains the Southern Border. It has never identified as a sovereign nation, though the Israeli government gave up administrative control of the land in 2005 to Hamas following open elections.

The Roadmap to Peace, a four-party project between the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations, has struggled over the past six years to bring about a two-state solution in the region. They made a significant milestone in 2005 with the first democratic elections in the Palestinian controlled territories, but with Hamas (a terrorist organization in the eyes of the United States and Israel) winning the popular election, all progress in the Roadmap has come to a halt. Like with most global problems, it isn’t the civilians that are causing the tension between the nations but rather the government leadership. Hamas will not recognize the right for Israel to exist, and Israel is hesitant to deal with a terrorist organization.

I don’t see where anything will change in the next few years until one of the two sides has a fundamental change in philosophy. The Hamas founding chapter calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, so any meaningful change needs to start there. Until then, there will continue to be attacks by both sides. To date, Israel has shown real restraint, since they could easily roll through the territory with superior numbers and weapons, but that would be certain to trigger another regional war, and that is the last thing anyone needs at the moment.

Related articles:
Catholic News Service – “Bethlehem tourism is good, but some feel Christmas spirit is missing”
Energy Publisher – “Sabres rattle as Christians celebrate in Bethlehem”
Reuters – “Israel attacks Gaza, more than 155 reported killed”
CNN – “At least 170 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza”
FOX News – “Israel Vows to Expand Gaza Airstrikes as Death Toll Passes 200″

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