A recipe for more death and destruction

A long-term solution must begin by calming the broiling atmosphere in the West Bank and the day-to-day oppression the Palestinians feel with no end in sight, while both moderate and extremist Palestinians must come to terms with Israel's right to exist.

To be sure, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be resolved by itself, nor by wishful thinking on either side, and certainly not by ignoring the fact that it exists, even during periods of calm. Indeed, mutual resentment, hatred, and mistrust continues to simmer beneath the surface, lending itself to spontaneous acts of violence, often without any provocation.

This sad situation has become embedded in the psyche of both peoples, and the killing spree of the last two weeks and Israeli retaliations only reinforces this mindset.

Both Israelis and Palestinians who seek a peaceful solution must become increasingly vociferous and consistently hammer on the need to end the conflict, even in times of calm where there seems to be no urgency to take any action to maintain an amicable relationship.

If the Bennett government and the Palestinian Authority want to put the lid on this wave of violence, they must beseech their people and instruct their security apparatuses that they must do everything they can to prevent further violence, which can only exacerbate the situation and lead to more death and dread for what might follow.

It will be tragic that if instead of celebrating the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian holidays, and showing amity and brotherhood, we end up mourning even more deaths from this horrific violence that should not have occurred and certainly not continue unabated.

If they only will it, Israelis and Palestinians of all faiths can still celebrate their holidays and together come to realize anew that to be worthy of living in the holy land, it is incumbent upon them not to desecrate it with wanton violence and bloodshed.