Too much is uncertain, not enough is secured. After 50 years, this still cannot be called a normal country. The Palestinian peace process that once seemed to hold such hope, almost within the grasp of reasonable men and women, now is dribbling away. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues that he is holding out for an agreement that guards Israel's security while ensuring that the Palestinians fulfill their promises. Palestinian leaders and some Israelis accuse him of dragging his feet in trading land for peace.
Religious divisions are harsher, more implacable, uglier in rhetoric and action.
They don't want to keep sending their sons and daughters into harm's way. They yearn for normal lives, untouched by history. We thought by now there would be peace with the Arabs, that they would be won over by a higher standard of living that we could bring them. Their generation never believed that Jews could be secure anywhere. I didn't agree with them, and I thought we could win our security by being stronger than everybody else.