Karl "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace" Vick Is Back

Karl Vick of the Times writes about the real victims of the impasse between Israel and the Palestinians--the next generation:

Palestinian terrorism has done more than destroy lives and hopes for peace. No less important, it has created a separation of the mind. Israelis say they simply think much less about Palestinians. Meanwhile, the West Bank regularly witnesses government-sponsored incitement of hatred towards Israelis, where honoring Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis has led to a generation of Palestinians coming of age without wanting to know what Israelis look like, much less the land both sides claim as their own. The absence of familiarity, names, basic knowing - the absence of the foundations of empathy - does not bode well for the chances of the two peoples one day living as neighbors in peace.

Actually, truth be told, Karl Vick does not blame the shrinking chances for peace on the incitement of hate in the West Bank--he makes no mention of it. For that matter, Vick mentions terrorism only once in passing.

No, according to Vick, it is not terrorism that does not bode well for the chances of living in peace--no, it is Israel's separation barrier that stands in the way.

Here is that paragraph the way Vick actually wrote it:

The separation barrier - the seldom-used formal name for the Wall - turns out to be a label lush with meaning. Israelis credit the serpentine, 400-mile (640 km)system of fences, barricades and checkpoints with reducing terrorist attacks to almost nil since construction began in earnest seven years ago. But the Wall has done more than keep out suicide bombers. No less important, it has created a separation of the mind. Israelis say they simply think much less about Palestinians. And a generation of Palestinians is coming of age without even knowing what Israelis look like, much less the land both sides claim as their own. The absence of familiarity, names, basic knowing - the absence of the foundations of empathy - does not bode well for the chances of the two peoples one day living as neighbors in peace.

Maybe you'll recall that Karl Vick is the one who wrote the famous Time article

Looks like nothing's changed.

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