, which has been erupting for half a century now, shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Even though there have been countless negotiations, then outbursts and vice versa, since the Middle East Peace Talks in Oslo of 1993, there is evidence that recent riots and flare-ups show tensions are mounting high, (Hockstader, October 2nd 2000). Some progress was made from those peace accords in Oslo concerning the leadership of the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The establishment of the Palestinian Authority at that time, and its right to rule over the Gaza Strip and some cities in the West Bank was a major step in the direction of peace (de Blij and Miller, 2000, pp. 312-313). But, nonetheless, Israeli influence and control has been a major obstacle in the Palestinians becoming a sovereign people, especially in the West Bank territory. “Although Israel began a staged withdrawal from most Palestinian towns and cities in 1994, troops and border police remain on patrol or at fixed checkpoints on about 80 percent of West Bank territory” (Hockstader, September 19th 2000). Not only has the Israeli military presence over the Palestinian cities been a big issue, but the calculated and deliberate immigration of Jewish people into the West Bank, have proved that any future of a Palestine state would be difficult. According to de Blij and Miller (2000), there were only 5,000 Jews in the West Bank in 1977, but by 2000, there were about 200,000,making up about 10 percent of the population. They go on to say that this landscape of dotted Israeli and Palestinian settlements create a jigsaw of sorts that is seemingly chaotic (pp 313-314). And the Jewish settlers do not stop, they feel it is their duty to move and spread throughout these lands, to secure what is theirs and has always been theirs. In an article entitled “Jewish Settlers Refuse to Leave,” published in the Houston Chronicle on November 21st, 2...
