One view, pushed relentlessly by CarolC and jack the Sailor, holds that IDF actions in the West Bank and Gaza create a desperate culture, incapable of positive development. The other, Israeli position has long been that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime perpetuates the suffering of his own people by continually deflecting all blame upon Israel and fomenting self-defeating Palestinian terrorism.

Though world media coverage has overwhelmingly adopted the blame-Israel approach, over the past few days the Palestinian people themselves have made it clear that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime lies at the heart of their problems. A wave of kidnappings, the resignation of Arafat's prime minister, and street violence targeting an Arafat crony drove much of the world press (including the Arab press!) to finally point the finger at Arafat:

Here's the flaw in your reasoning, GUEST, and it's big enough to drive an iceberg through...

When the Palestinians are showing their dissatisfaction with Arafat's regime, they commit these kinds of acts against other Palestinians within the Occupied Territories. When they are trying to effect change in the way they are treated by the government of Israel, they commit those kinds of acts against Israelis.