New York radio station WBAI perhaps put is best when they commented that whenever an Israeli is killed in any conflict they are, "butchered, murdered, and slaughtered" but whenever a Palestinian is killed they were simply "caught in the crossfire." There were protests in front of the U.N. building by people asking the Palestinians to stop the slaughter and for the U.N. to step in if they won't. This may be a silly question, but who is really getting hurt over there? Is it the Israelis? Or could it be the Palestinians?

An Associated Press article dated December 15th said, "...325 people have been killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians." The New York Times on December 10th wrote an article entitled In Battling the Gazans, Israelis Sow Hate in which it detailed the way the Israeli Army handled a Palestinian farmer who owned land where they wanted to build a road for increased security. His house was bulldozed in the middle of the night without warning leaving him with only enough to time to escape the destruction of his home and two acre farm. He was not reimbursed, and the article states that they have no intention of doing so. The U.N. reports that more than 600 acres of similar land has been bulldozed.

There is a great groundswell of support in this country because of the perception that Israel is a victim state. This undoubtedly stems from the fact that the national religion in Israel is Judaism, that it was formed after the Holocaust as a form of reparation, and that it is in the best interests of the nations defense contractors to continue that perception as they are the largest foreign buyer of American arms. All of this is, to say, very sad.

Israel is a state like any other. The fact that it is a Jewish and Islamic population should also remain a foot note but were it not for the fact the Palestinians are being relegated to a second class status ,and perhaps even lower, because of it.

No one of sound mind and reason would say that the Holocaust was not thoroughly tragic event. No one would deny that some form of reparation need continue, but turning a blind eye as the Israelis murder and force people off their land like they did the Palestinian farmer helps no one but hurts many.

The same New York Times article said that the real statistics break down something like this: 10,000 Palestinians have been injured, and of those 900 will require long term care because of "serious physical or neurological trauma." The United Nations reports that because of the road blocks and the prohibition of movement for Palestinians under 35 about 190,000 of them lost their jobs which effects about 760,000 dependents.

The U.N. with the support of the United States needs to put strict sanctions on the state of Israel and send a team of inspectors to report on any potential human rights violations that could be taking place. If Israel can not find a peaceful way to end the current violence than, again with the support of the U.S., the U.N. needs to dispatch a force of peacekeepers to bring the region under control.

No one denies that the Palestinians may also be responsible for what is happening, but when the vast majority of them is who are dying, the matter needs to be probed deeper.