The State of Israel has rejected an offer by Palestinian militant organizations to halt bombings in Israel for one week. The statement came from organizations that included Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as others.

“We are giving the enemy a period to stop its assassinations, destruction, killings and bombardments, and we will stop our martyrdom attacks and armed attacks,” the statement said. Israeli Defense Department officials rejected the offer, stating that they do not deal with “terrorist organizations” and have a right to defend themselves.

The rejection bears a striking resemblance to the rejection by President Bush when the Taliban offered to turn Osama bin Laden over to a third party. On Sept. 19, Afghan clerics ruled that bin Laden should be extradited from the country. President Bush rejected the offer, stating that it did not go far enough. According to the BBC, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised that Israel would continue to act against Palestinian militants.

“Our operations are yielding impressive results, but we have not finished our actions,” Sharon said.

Less than 24 hours after Israel’s rejection, it fired missiles on a car on a crowded street in the West Bank town of Hebron, killing two boys – aged 3 and 13 years old – and injuring seven others. The botched attack was an attempt to assassinate an Islamic Jihad leader. By no means are the actions of these militant organizations excusable, but talking must start somewhere. The longer dialogue is delayed, the more innocent people on both sides will die.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell