PROFILE
FROM Said Arikat
Jewish Terrorism and Israeli Security Last Thursday, six people were stabbed at a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem. One victim has died. The suspect is an orthodox Jew, who had just completed a 10-year sentence for a similar crime. Friday morning, in the remote West Bank town of Duma, the home of a Palestinian family was set on fire, killing an 18-month old boy and leaving his parents in critical condition. Jewish extremists are suspected. The Netanyahu government now says Jewish suspects will get the same, tough treatment given Palestinians. But that will be easier said than done , and some Israelis are warning that right-wing extremism is almost out of control. They claim government support of settlements in the West Bank has backfired, corrupting the justice system and posing a risk to democracy.
The Pope, the Palestinians and Middle-East Peace Pope Francis has recognized a Palestinian State , but it's not clear if he means Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank or both. And he may or may not have called PA President Mahmoud Abbas "an angel of peace." Vatican diplomacy is full of uncertainties. One hundred thirty-five members of the United Nations have recognized a Palestinian State, but the US and Europe say there can't be one until Israel and the Palestinians settle their differences. Israel is not happy about it — or the prospects that Europe may be following suit. Nevertheless, with the US-backed "peace process" dead in the water, some Palestinians call the Pope's action "a flicker of light in a sea of darkness."
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