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The main point of Oslo
author: Ben
The whole Oslo agreement is based on the land-for-peace formula. In other words, it is based on the idea that violence will no longer be used to solve the conflict, rather, it will be solved through peaceful negotiations.
The Palestinians didn't get what they want so they turned to violence - in violation of the central tenent of Oslo.
It can't be said that there was no peaceful option: Barak was offering more and more, and continued to offer more and more up until the week before he was tossed out of office.
During the build-up to the war in Iraq, I heard peace protesters saying over and over that war is the last last last option, if its an option at all.
That applies here too. The Palestinians were not "silly" to fail to make a counter-offer. Only a child would think in those terms. In reality, they never intended to make a peace deal and had already started planning for war. True peace workers would realize this.
One cannot expect that there will ever be peace as long as the Palestinians believe that killing innocent people is a legitimate way to get what they want from Israel. That is the real issue here.