Fox News aired a commercial promoting Israel a few months ago. It was a commercial fraught with propaganda comparing the situation in the Middle East to the United States’ war on terror. Basically, the makers of the commercial want the American people to believe Israel’s problems with terrorism parallel our own. People who have neglected learning about the half-century war between the people of Israel and the Palestinians can be easily swayed by such propaganda. However, a quick analysis of the events that have marked the last 50-some years of this conflict yields a remarkably different conclusion.

Israel has been repeating a malicious pattern over the course of their war with the Palestinians. Israel attacks Palestinians either by taking their land or assassinating their leaders. Israel comes under minimal international scrutiny. Israel hides behind its “war on terrorism” long enough for Palestinian terror acts to take their toll and rally support for Israel. Israel ends its measly efforts to promote peace and begins fueling hatred once again.

Currently, the situation has again come full circle, and Israel’s rhetoric is dominating the situation. Ariel Sharon won’t follow the peace plan unless terror attacks stop. It would be great if we could snap our fingers and all terror attacks would cease. Unfortunately, this will never happen and Sharon knows it. Only one question remains — how long will we allow Sharon’s administration to play us for fools? If you thought Saddam was the king of playing games, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

President Bush is caught between a rock and a hard place. Condemning Sharon’s actions to “combat terrorism” would be met with harsh criticism. This course of action could easily be misconstrued to be an act of hypocrisy. People who chose to spin it that way would be ignoring the fact that Israel’s leaders have been nothing but militants with an agenda, hiding behind a war against terrorism. Sadly, their agenda undoubtedly is to annex as much real estate as possible, disregarding any group of people currently occupying the land. After all, Israel has fought and stolen land from most of its neighbors.

Why is it that a 19-year-old Palestinian girl blows herself up in a cafe and we call it evil, but we supply an endless list of scapegoats for our own youth’s terror attacks? Two persecuted kids shoot up a school in Colorado and Marilyn Manson gets blamed. That 19-year-old girl took the lives of others in protest for her brothers being killed by Israelis before her very eyes and she is labeled evil.

This line of thought is very dangerous to the Palestinians’ cause for freedom. Isn’t it possible the Palestinians have a valid reason for hating Israelis? I’m not trying to justify the attacks, but there is good reason for hatred to exist. One side in the Arab conflict is getting screwed, and the worst part is that no one cares. The problem in this region is not terrorism — it is hatred.

The new Palestinian leader is pleading for compromise despite the terror attacks. What else can we expect from him? By attacking his own people, terrorists or not, he will certainly cause a civil war. Assuming Israel will not give in at all, it is up to the United States to step in and set things right. We can make a first step by discontinuing monetary resources to the country. Doing so would send a clear message that we mean business.

Israel has constructed a large wall purportedly for protection, but serious doubt has been cast on the ability of the barrier to deter terrorism. This barrier cuts into Palestinian land, which Israel has set its sights on for housing development. More than 500 houses are planned to be built on Palestinian land, a contravention of international law. Where is the public outcry?

Israel has tossed the peace plan to the curb once again. It has opted to instead pursue goals counter to achieving peace. A three-day raid in the Gaza Strip has left 1,200 Palestinians homeless.

It seems strange the largest raid in three years would coincide with the current effort to provide the Palestinians with unoccupied land. Sharon knows this will incite more terrorism and consequently, more Israeli support.

It’s time for the world to stop looking the other way. It’s time for the United States to discontinue its monetary and moral support for Israel. It’s time to see Israel’s leaders for what they are — land-hungry, militant propagandists.

Most importantly, it’s time to give Palestinians their land back. We must support the Palestinians, a group of people forgotten and neglected by the world.