The Crux of the Middle East Conflict

Jonathan Tobin says that the crux of the Middle East conflict is the value placed on human life by each side.

Why are Israelis so willing to trade so much for a single life when the Palestinians are willing to expend their own so needlessly? I suspect that it may be not so much a matter of devaluing life as it is the greater value they place on the ultimate victory they seek.

This is more than a philosophical question, because if we think that Israel's foes share our horror at the conflict, then we will always try to appease them with concessions. If their goals are different from those of the Jews, then a change in long-term strategy may be in order.

We may not understand why Arabs honor murder and Jews don't, but at this point in history, we're forced to at least pose the question. If, rather than a dispute about territory, something darker within Palestinian society is driving t his terrible war, then every debate about the peace process is ultimately moot. And that is a possibility very few of us wish to acknowledge.