THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN RADICAL A YEAR AGO: Thomas Friedman believes that U.S. troops need to be on the ground in the West Bank to make and keep peace there. The theme of his column is that "this is a shocking recommendation," but it is a statement about how horrific the situation has become that if you've been following developments closely, it isn't crzay at all.
Also, Friedman makes the following point:
What the hawks don't understand is that the escalating friction between the Israeli and Palestinian forces is enabling Palestinians to steadily improve their military skills. This is a natural phenomenon seen in many prolonged wars between a more sophisticated and less sophisticated army. It was the long friction between Hezbollah, a ragtag Lebanese militia, and Israel that eventually improved Hezbollah's skills to the point where it was able to force Israel to withdraw unilaterally from Lebanon, without any agreement, by lowering the casualty ratio between Hezbollah and Israel from 10 to 1 down to 1 to 1.
He's absolutely right, and it points out something that the U.S. learned in Vietnam: the folly of gradual escalation. Part of the effectiveness of force is in its shock value, which is greatly reduced in a situation of gradual escalation. Something to keep in mind for when the next cease-fire fails.