On Thursday Palestinian extremists/freedom fighters carried out attacks against buses and private vehicles along Route 12 in southern Israel and fought brief gun battles with local military forces. By the end of the day 8 people were dead and 30 more wounded. The attack was the worst in recent times in Israel. The government responded strongly carrying out air attacks against Hamas installations in the Gaza Strip killing a number of people. Israeli military attacks along the shared border also mistakenly killed 5 Egyptian soldiers. If it wasn't clear before it should be crystal clear now. Israel remains in a permanent state of readiness for war. Talk of negotiations and of improving security are secondary to the realities the country faces. Along its western border an enclave packed with militants ready to take advantage of any perceived weakness to strike at Israel, further west an Egyptian state that is losing its ability to control Islamist militants in the Sinai and on its northern border - uncertainty in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon are weighing heavily on Israeli military planners and strategists. People who criticize Israel's disproportionate response to attacks on its soil should take these factors into account. On the other side of the coin, persons who back Israel should also consider the pain the Jewish state has inflicted on its Palestinian and Arab neighbours - settlement expansion in Palestinian areas, high level assassinations, mass arrests, sieges of communities etc etc. One only hopes that the current cycle of violence will be met at some point by statesmanship on both sides, perhaps even a willingness to negotiate a peaceful end to the madness of perpetual war. Yet, when both sides are committed to eradicating the other one can be forgiven for thinking negatively.
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