Cold-blooded murder

The abduction and killing in cold blood of an innocent Palestinian youth from Shuafat by Israeli settlers, condemned worldwide, is another odious act by extremists eager to shed blood under any pretext.

This time, it is said to be in revenge for the killing of three young Israeli settlers kidnapped three weeks ago by person/s yet to be identified.

The murder of the Palestinian boy does not serve justice. If anything, it will only further inflame spirits, starting a new cycle of violence that will wreak more havoc on the lives of Palestinians under decades of occupation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has long forsaken violence, but acts of gratuitous cruelty cannot be expected to be taken down.

The intensity of the Palestinian reaction to the murder of the youth should not surprise.

For decades, Israeli settlers from all corners of the world have lived on stolen Palestinian land, killed at will, uprooted centuries-old trees, have gone on rampage or sniggered at the people under their occupation, “safe” behind the barrels of their guns.

Embraced, spoiled or simply tolerated by one self-serving government after another, these lunatics bring divinity to their side, behaving with the “righteousness” of a “chosen” people that refuses to acknowledge any earthly power.

They, and Israeli governments, need to understand that no amount of violence and killing is going to ensure their security.

Only a just and durable peace will.

How many more innocent lives, on both sides, have to be lost before Israelis realise this simple fact?

There is no need for more roadmaps, for countless envoys on countless futile missions, or even for talks.

The formula for peace exists, it only needs to be applied: the UN resolution that gives the two peoples a country each.

Continuing to ignore the conflict means inviting more death and destruction, and not restricted to Palestine alone.

No parent accepts killing of children and no sane nation can condone that either.

Israel has to bring the perpetrators of this odious crime to justice as swiftly as it acts when it claims to exact justice from the Palestinians.