> > I know the current events fairly well, can anyone enlighten me as to what the deep roots are?
>
> Sure. Link below.
>
> Nyperold

This thread comes at a time when I am also beginning to wonder what is really going on in the Middle East. I grew up hearing about it but never realized there were opinions other than the ones I heard. I only briefly looked at the link Nyperold posted, but I have a feeling it's similar to the opinions I heard all my life. Don't take that the wrong way; I've never been ashamed to say that I'm half Jewish (on my mom's side, which is the side that counts), and I do certainly believe that the Jews have been fighting to have a homeland for thousands of years. I also believe they deserve one.

But I'm also the type who likes to see both sides, and I've recently begun to see the other side of this Middle East situation. I think one problem is that Americans just don't know what's really going on. Yes, Israelis die at the hands of Palestinians every day, but the reverse is also true. Israel actually has a strong military and a good supply of weapons, and it certainly uses them, too. I've found that if I completely ignore the headlines when I read news stories about the events in the Middle East, I get a much better idea of the whole story. A headline might say that five Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber, but if you read the whole story, Israel most likely retaliated by killing and wounding at least as many Palestinians, if not more.

I don't have the answers, but I do know that there are innocent people involved in all sides of the issue. I've recently talked to people who side with the Palestinians because they have friends who live there. These friends of theirs are doing nothing wrong, and they simply want to have a home. The same is true for the Israelis.

Will this situation ever be resolved? I don't know. But I do know that we need to look at both sides. Eugene, you said that you want to pick a side, but sometimes it's not as easy as that. There are so many cases where it's nearly impossible to choose between black and white, because there are also so many different shades of gray. Don't feel that you have to come to a strong, solid conclusion; some things just don't work that way. And for those who do have very strong opinions on the matter, try to look at the other side. I did that, and I found a side I never knew.

Ellmyruh