The tendency is to rationalize immoral behavior that they normally cannot accept. In the United States, many of Mr. Barak's admirers, impressed by his courage in moving beyond any other Israeli leader, find it hard to criticize the troubled prime minister for excessive use of force. Instead, they overlook the findings of credible human rights organizations and dismiss widespread international sentiments to pin the blame on the incredible hypothesis that Palestinians care about their children less than others. Mr. Arafat is certainly not an angel and neither is Mr. Barak. In their careers, they have both used violence for strategic and political ends.
War is ugly, and civil war is uglier.
The longer they go on, the uglier they get. It is understandable that, in the high-stakes information war, Israel and the Palestinian Authority will spin events to maximize international sympathy. But there is a responsibility among analysts who want to see a lasting peace in the region to avoid being drawn into the skewed and self-defeating interpretations of events that the combatants themselves cannot avoid. Despite its reduced clout in the Middle East, the United States remains best placed to help the parties break out of the cycle of violence. Its power does not derive from an ability to force a solution on either side but from an ability to persuade.