The dire consequences of revenge and retribution

However, by no means can this justify the horrifying murder of three Israelis in Tel Aviv in January 2016 by an Israeli Arab, Nashat Melhem from the Arab town of Arara in Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is correct to say: "We will demand loyalty to the laws of the state from everyone. One cannot say 'I am Israeli in my rights and Palestinian in my responsibilities.' Whoever wants to be Israeli, must be Israeli all the way, with rights and responsibilities, and the first and foremost responsibility is to follow the laws of the state."

Having said that, Netanyahu must also recognize that there is rampant discrimination against Israeli Arabs. Netanyahu and his followers cannot have it both ways. If he wants Israeli Arabs to assume their responsibility and adhere to the laws of the land, then he must also grant them equal rights not only by law but in their day to day encounters.

Any Israeli Jew or Palestinian, regardless of their place of residence (be that in the West Bank or in Israel proper) who wants to prevent this vicious cycle of revenge, must stop and think-where will all this lead to? Anyone who claims to seek a solution to the conflict must denounce in the strongest terms the cycle of revenge and retribution.

There is plenty of blame and counter-blame to go around. Both sides need to mutually understand the other's pain, suffering, fear, and uncertainty, which is rooted in the accumulative agonizing experiences that both sides have endured and contributed to over the years, and continues to be inflamed by the naked, inhuman, and blind cruelty against one another in acts of revenge against innocent people.

When will ordinary Israelis and Palestinians realize that revenge does not offer a cure to the endemic conflict, but is a curse that will continue to haunt both sides from which only the gravediggers benefit?