Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Palestinian uprising shows no signs of abating, despite being the target of an all-out Israeli war. Over 3,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in Israel's ruthless clampdown. Thousands of others have been injured. Israeli bulldozers ... have pulled down scores of Palestinians' houses.

A key casualty of this open war is the hope for peace. which has been relentlessly crushed. The Palestinians' dream of an independent state is far from attainable.

Regional and international circumstances are stacked up against the Palestinians. Washington's woolly "war on terrorism" has proved a windfall to incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He tries to portray his atrocious crackdown on the Palestinians and their leaders as part of the global war on terrorism.

The Palestinians are not blameless, however. They have abysmally failed to forge a uniform agenda in fighting their battle. Palestinian authorities have not been immune to petty wrangles, occasionally developing into open struggles over power. Militarizing the Intifada has been a contentious issue, with some believing taking up arms against Israeli civilians has done the Palestinian question more harm. -- The Egyptian Gazette, Cairo, Egypt