Where's the Sense?

Seeing dead children on the front page of the newspaper every morning is eating me up.

It seems to me that the Muslim world primarily focuses on the plight of the Palestinian people. While the West and in particular America seems to mainly focus on the Israel side.

Understandable perhaps, but people and children are dying needlessly on both sides - PLEASE STOP IT!

I've always held the view that to stop a conflict of any sort, one side or the other needs to be the bigger and better person. Stand back, even if it's your own loved ones that have died - hitting back will ultimately only mean more pain and misery for yourself, your people and possibly your loved ones...

Now it's more complicated, things have changed... I'm a dad now... just the thought of those pictures... They send horror and anguish to my very core. In the same situation how could I stand back and be the better man? My heart would be filled with the same feelings of rage, hatred and revenge. But something must be done... somehow sense, peace and sanity must prevail.

Hamas, (Iran, Syria and anyone else for that matter) accept that Israel is here to stay - they are just as passionate about their religion, their people and their families as you are. You think firing rockets at them and killing a few of them every few months is going to make them go away? I don't think so!

Israel, you have the might and the power to destroy and kill but you also have the power to bring this conflict to an end, give the Palestinian people their own homeland; it may not stop the extremists but their grass roots support would be gone - it shocks me after the holocaust that you choose violence over what is the right and honourable thing to do. Of course you have the right to defend yourselves but do you honestly believe that killing families and their children will stop them wanting to hit back? I don't think so!

I'm not a big fan of religion, its divisive and causes too much conflict but this conflict has gone way past just being a religious issue - it's become two feuding clans who have forgotten what the real issues are - they are blinded by their own hatred - THEIR 'TIT FOR TAT' VIOLENT ACTIONS ONLY REINFORCE THEIR COLLECTIVE BLIND RAGE AND INSANITY.

I believe that Bill Clinton was on the cusp of achieving something of a lasting understanding and peace between the two sides and I squarely blame George W(ar) Bush for the thing falling apart. Clearly the Israelis and the Palestinians aren't capable of sorting this out between themselves - let's hope Mr Obama can restore some sanity.