Over the weekend, terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa left 25 dead.
On Saturday, two suicide bombers strolled onto a crowded pedestrian mall in Jerusalem and blew themselves up, taking the lives of 10 bystanders and injuring more than 100.
Just over 12 hours later, on Sunday morning, another suicide bomber boarded a bus in Haifa. Moments later, he detonated his bomb, killing 15 more.
The rapidity of the attacks and the number of casualties took Israeli and Palestinian leaders by surprise. Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Authority, moved quickly to have suspects arrested, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut short his visit to Washington to contemplate his nation's response.
That response came yesterday in the form of Israeli strikes near Arafat's home in Gaza City and on Palestinian Authority buildings in the city of Jenin in the West Bank.
What makes these recent events even more disturbing is the unusually strong rhetoric surrounding them. Sharon declared the sucide bombings a "war of terror." Arafat's chief negotiator, the usually restrained Saeb Erekat, called the Israeli actions "full-out, full-scale war." And the White House, which normally encourages caution, said bluntly, "Israel has a right to defend herself."
These are stunning developments, and compound the international tension brought on by the current war in Afghanistan. Any conflagration in the Middle East is likely to have a significant effect on how the United States prosecutes its war on terrorism.
And for this reason, we as members of the University community must educate ourselves about the recent happenings in Israel and their potential effects on the Middle East as a whole and the war in Afghanistan in particular.
Fortunately, the University abounds with resources that can help put these recents events in Israel in perspective. Last night's Israel 101 lecture and workshop and November's Islam Awareness Week have provided just two of the many opportunities for members of the community to gather information and insight.
Only with a thorough examination can we begin to understand the implications these events have for the region and the world. We strongly encourage the University community to engage in respectful debate and fruitful, open-minded discussion toward that end.
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