Once again, Israelis are burying their dead.
And they are crying out for protection from suicidal zealots intent on feeding the maw of vicious political terrorism with the bodies and body parts of innocent civilians.
“How much can we take?” someone screamed in the aftermath of the Tel Aviv bus bombing that killed more than 20 people and injured almost 50.
Israelis have taken a lot more than their share over the years. The hearts of sympathetic Americans go out to them on this latest tragic occasion.
The conviction that age-old hatreds had caused enough suffering in the Mideast impelled peace-seekers to change the course of history in the region by promoting reconciliation among all its peoples.
But the bus attack Wednesday, the worst in a series of bloody outrages this month, is a cruelly dispiriting reminder that the impulse to reconcile has yet to drive out the impulse to kill for political purposes.
So enhanced security measures, justifiable under these circumstances, are re-erecting walls that had begun to fall-Israel closed off the West Bank and Gaza, for example. And pleasure in sealing peace with Jordan has gone by the boards for the moment.
Hamas, a militant Islamic organization opposed to peace, claimed responsibility for the bus bombing. Ironically, Israeli leaders saw a possible benefit in Hamas when it was founded in late 1987 as the Palestinian uprising was starting. The Israelis thought it might dilute the strength of the Palestine Liberation Organization and provide a counter force to it.
But Hamas grew increasingly radical and violent while the PLO and Israel became partners in an effort to live as neighbors. Working together and/or separately, the partners now must root out Hamas terrorists or say goodbye to any hopes for peace.
For peace has to be all-sided, not one- or two-sided. Otherwise, what passes for it will be nothing better than a respite between terrorist attacks, a break between funerals.
