Thanks to Michael for his very personal perspective from a point of view none of us have--as a former IDF soldier and Israeli police officer. One one hand, it doesn't matter who started the conflict as long as we find a way to resolve it. But on the other hand, it is dangerous and immoral to rewrite history so that your side can "win" if not in reality then in the perceived histories written for those who don't know any better.

Bad information will inevitably lead to bad decisions. I refer to Illan Pappas, Edward Said, Uri Averny, and Benny Morris as four such culprits (although Morris has since recanted). Noam Chomsky is also a culprit despite his learned positions on other issues.

The reason the conflict cannot be solved (in the immediate future anyway) is that it is not about Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the security fence, or encroachment past the Green line. It is not even about Palestinian statehood. It is not even about land. The conflict continues because it is about whether the State of Israel has a right to exist as Jewish State. Israel's enemies are still hell-bent on bringing about the next Jewish holocaust and anyone who doesnt realize this is guilty of wishful thinking. Israel will NEVER stop defending itself. The Arabs, on the other hand, COULD grant that tiny piece of land with no oil or natural resources to the Jewish people. Those who long for peace should devote their resources on convincing the Arab population that peace with Israel will benefit them, their children, and the world in general.