Israel 1: Hezbollah 0

It means that two generations, and that now growing up, have known nothing but conflict. For the Israelis, this experience follows hot on the heels of the ghastly Nazi Holocaust. For both sides, it means societies, economies and governments distorted by ceaseless pressure with no end in sight. Generations of Palestinian children have been denied access to a secure and stable learning and developmental environment; instead, 14-year-olds toting AK47s is not an uncommon image. Conflict has become the regular way of life for all involved.

Nor, given both the intractability of the issues and the lack of any real will to permanent peace in hawks on either side, can one honestly say that there is any real prospect of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement as the keystone of a stable Middle East. This conflict is the 20th century’s greatest long-term failure of diplomacy, a poisonous legacy handed down to us.

Until some way is found to cut the Gordian knots of Jerusalem, refugee return and the Golan heights (and solutions require more than just goodwill, something really creative is needed) there can be no peace. In the meantime, the people of the region will continue to suffer, and the Middle East will remain one of the world’s most dangerous regions.

Unfortunately, it appears that this conflict is not going to be resolved any time soon, so participants and allies of either of either side had best recognise that they are caught up in what appears to be a semi-permanent state of armed confrontation.