Once again I will state that I do not condone or endorse the killing of innocents, either Isreaeli or Palestinian.

Having said that, it isn't too difficult to understand what's going on if people can allow their hatred of Palestinians to stop clouding their ability to see.

Associated Press

"The larger group Hamas has said it carried out four attacks over the weekend that killed 13 people, including four bombers, and it made clear today that it would not halt the violence.

"As long as the occupation remains on our land and as long as the occupation soldiers are breathing our air we will continue our resistance," Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi said."

Hammas, an organization that is considered to be radical, has stated quite clearly what they want. They want an end to the occupation. It's pretty simple. You can attribute all kinds of evil motives to these people, but they have been consistant with their demands. End the occupation. I don't know about the Islamic Jihad organization. Maybe they have more extremist views.

So why are people like Hammas, who have clearly stated that they want an end to the occupation, doing things that could gum up the works in the latest "peace process"? If you see what is actually being offered with this "Road Map" scenario, it's not too difficult to understand why Palestinians find it difficult to swallow.

The guaranteed failure of the road map to peace in the Middle East

By Tanya Reinhart (professor at Tel Aviv University and the University of Utrecht)

Excerpt:

Israel responded also to the Road Map with the same old objections. It further emphasized that a negotiated halt to terror is not sufficient and what is required is a visible clash between the new security forces and the opposition organizations (namely, a civil war). Israel even demands that a Palestinian declaration of end of conflict and renunciation of the right of return must be given as a precondition at the beginning of any process, and not at the end. Again, none of this undermines the US position that Israel is the side that is seeking peace, the side "whose security is the key to the security of the world", as Condoleezza Rice put it. The US is ruled today by hawks whose vision is an unending war. Israel, whose leaders are always eager to go on another war, is an asset in this vision. There is therefore no basis for the belief that the US will allow anyone to force Israel to make any concessions.

On 13 March 2002, on the eve of Zinni's peace visit in the previous round, the Israeli army welcomed him with an attack on the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, in which 24 Palestinians were killed in one night. Now it has welcomed Powell with a wave of arrests and deportation of international peace activists. In the Pax Americana, there is no room for peace activists. Peace will be brought by the tanks.

Don't envy Abu Mazen By Uri Avnery (Israeli journalist, writer and peace activist)

And another by Uri Avnery:

A Road Map to Nowhere

Excerpt:

"Third question: Is there any kind of balance between the obligations on the two parties? The answer must be "no".

In the first phase, the Palestinians must stop the armed Intifada, establish close security cooperation with the Israelis and recognize Israel's right to exist in peace and security. They must also appoint an "empowered" Prime Minister (meaning, in effect, the neutralization of the elected president, Yasser Arafat) and start the drafting of a constitution that will meet with the approval of the Quartet.

What must Israel do at the same time? It must enable Palestinian officials (note: officials. This does not apply to the rest of the population) to move from place to place, improve the humanitarian situation, stop attacks on civilians and the demolition of homes and pay the Palestinians the money due to them. Also, it will dismantle "settlement outposts" erected since Sharon came to power, in violation of the government's guidelines. Who will decide to whom this applies? There is also no mention of freezing settlement activity in this phase.

Does anyone believe that Prime Minister Abu Mazen could put an end to Hamas and Jihad attacks without any political quid pro quo at all, and while the settlements keep expanding?"

Here's the actual text of the Roadmap in the US Department of State website