] Palestinian columnists have recently published articles
] assessing the four years of the Intifada, in which they
] admitted that the grave harm caused to the Palestinians
] stemmed from their choice of suicide/martyrdom operations
] as the primary method of struggle. In addition, the PA's
] status as the leader of the Palestinian people has been
] undermined, and signs of anarchy in Palestinian society
] have increased. Some of the accounts described the
] Palestinians as closer to defeat than to victory, and
] complained about the lack of political achievements, lack
] of goals, and lack of strategic planning. The following
] are excerpts from the columns:

Fascinating reading, and fills me with more hope about that area than I've had in awhile.

The multitude of writers seem to be agreeing that random acts of violence against Israeli civilians are *not* having the desired effect. That "courage and bravery" are not enough, but that they need to think more strategically, and work to end the violence first, and then address the refugees' problems second.

If they can do that, I can definitely see myself supporting their cause with more fervor. Before, every time I started agreeing with the Palestinians, then some suicide bomber would go blow himself up in a mall, killing a bunch of innocent civilians, and I would lose sympathy for Palestine again. So I'm fully in agreement here: Stop the violence, and then let's talk and make things happen.