By Eyad El sarraj

It is not just a new wave of violence. It is not rioting. It is not young Palestinians throwing stones and get killed by Israeli gunfire. It is much more than all that. And it has to do with a message.

The message was on the board, but they had no desire for reading. Israelis never wanted to know. To them Palestinians are far away, may be living on a different globe, but certainly not here. For a long time, Palestinians did not exist. Now that they do, they are and should be distant.

There was a rare chance for Israel to look deep into its soul when the Intifada rocked the area ten years ago. Then, Palestinian leader Arafat extended his hand for peace by offering recognition of Israel. Palestinians were asking in return for the end of the military occupation and to have their own state in the West bank and Gaza, less than a third of their country, Palestine. Shamir, then Israel’s prime minister, flatly rejected Arafat’s offer. Israel continued to shelter itself inside a shell refusing to acknowledge the Palestinians or its responsibility of their uprooting and destruction of their life.

There was a second chance for Israel with the Madrid peace process to recognize that it can no longer keep the occupied land of the West bank and Gaza. The opportunity was real and historic with a presence of Palestinian leadership who was ready and able to sign a peace treaty. The world was waiting, the Arabs were ready, and the American Jewish leaders and the American president were pressing. And when Rabin elevated himself to seize the rare moment, he was instantly killed. Israel chose Netanyahu instead.

The peace process went limping, but continued.

Yet Israel could not face the moral questions on who is responsible for the Palestinian refugees and how can she implement the United Nations resolutions on their right of return. Neither she could conceive of relinquishing the Palestinian land.

So in the final hour Israel unleashed its political instruments backed by its military machine in order to extract itself from the possible peace. First Sharon, the war criminal of Sabra and Shatila was allowed to force himself into the Muslim holy mosque.

Did the Israeli establishment not consider the Arab and Muslim reaction? Sure they did, and sure they knew what exactly would happen in the streets of Jerusalem, Gaza and Hebron. Sure they issued orders to the highly acclaimed disciplined army of the "brave" to shoot and kill. They wanted violence in order to kill the peace process as they could not kill another Israeli leader.

Israel is sick, terrified of peace, terrified of looking inside, terrified of recognizing the monster within. Unless Israel sees it self, it is doomed.