Quote:

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A seven-year-old Jewish girl was murdered, her five-year-old sister seriously injured, and their grandfather wounded as well, as they were attacked while driving on the Trans-Israel highway. The shooting attack took place near the Kibbutz Eyal interchange, which is within the pre-1967 borders of Israel.

The driver and his grandchildren were driving to the town of Kochav Yair when they were fired upon from the direction of the Arab city of Kalkilya, causing the car to crash into a second vehicle.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=45189

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I live in Kochav-Yair. I drive on that road almost every day of my life and so does my whole family. It's a small town and that is the only road out of here (unless you want to drive through two Arab towns). I want to make this clear- I live very much inside the Green Line, but Kalkilya is right on the border. I drove past the point of the shooting less than half an hour ago, without having heard about the shooting, yet I was wondering what I would do if I was shot at, since everyone knew it was just a matter of time until something like this happened.

Anyone want to explain this "roadmap to peace" rubbish to me?

It took me a while to respond...after realising that continual swearing is not only incoherent, it's also counter-productive....

That news article is very disturbing, on so many levels. It's awful to think that there are people in the world who would actually take the life of another, especially a child, simply because of their culture.

I know it's naive to think it doesn't happen. It happens all the time, I mean look at places like Ireland, or even here. I don't think either of them really compare to what's going on in Israel at the moment, or indeed what's been going on in Israel for a significant proportion of it's history....

It's terrifying to think that there's so much hatred and senseless acts of violence taking place in this day and age, and it must be especially terrifying for you, with yourself and your loved ones living so near it all...

I think the whole "roadmap to peace" deal is a little naive. Although it's a great sign that the leaders are so willing to put everything behind them (in front of the cameras, at least), it's a bit much to expect peoples who have hated each other for so long to just start singing in the streets or anything like that.

I'd like to think that in time we'll all be able to live together peacfully and without any racial or cultural hatreds or prejudices. Unfortunately, with the way things are at the moment, I can't see it happening any time soon...

snm

That's terrible news. I remember the 80's and early 90's, when innocents, including children, were killed by terrorists in the UK, and the sense of despair it brings is almost unbearable. A car bomb exploded right down our road. It's a terrible feeling.

All I'd say about the roadmap for peace is that (and this is only my opinion) this type of approach is the only thing that has any chance of bringing these sort of dreadful atrocities to an end. The consensus approach we tried in the UK was very hard for many people (it involved convicted terrorists being released onto the streets, and supporters of terrorism being elected to positions of power) but it worked - the levels of terrorism now are miniscule, at least comparatively. At times, the urge to abandon it has been almost irresistible, but I for one am glad that hasn't happened. The prospects for the roadmap may seem bleak (and may indeed be so) but they're probably the only thing that stands any chance of saving future lives, and I very much hope it succeeds.