Mideast crisis continues

Violence between Israel and Palestine escalated Thursday as a Palestinian mob killed three Israeli soldiers and Israel retaliated with rocket attacks on Yasser Arafat\'s residential compound. \nU.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and CIA chief George Tenet met with both parties Thursday to hammer out peace talks, but both sides aired pent up rage and the situation continues to worsen, according to the Associated Press. \nBoth President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have denounced the violence and called for renewed peace talks. "I call on both sides to undertake a cease-fire immediately, and immediately to condemn all acts of violence," Clinton said.\nExperts say violence in the Middle East isn't new, but added the current situation is setting a new precedent, and are likening the violence to acts of war. \nLaw professor John Fidler, who works as a consultant for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, was in Ramallah -- a city in central Palestine -- when the peace talks in the summer folded. He said an armed conflict was inevitable, following the failure of the latest attempt at peace between the two countries.\n"I thought this would happen two weeks ago," Fidler said. "The place is a tinder box. I was fully anticipating some unrest. This is full scale war, it seems to me."\nThe fighting began Sept. 28 when Israel\'s hard-line opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited a Jerusalem shrine holy to Jews and Muslims. Angered by the visit, Palestinians rioted. So far, 95 people are dead -- including 77 Palestinians, 10 Israeli-Arabs, eight other Israelis and four soldiers.\nFor those who have personal ties to the Middle East, it's an emotional time.\nRabbi Sue Shifron, director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, 730 E. Third St., was in the Middle East over the summer and is disappointed with the turn of events. She said she was worried because she has family members in the Middle East.\nShifron watches the news to keep up with the unfolding events and sees the neighborhoods she visited in Israel demolished. \nFor that, she said she holds Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat responsible and said Israel had been willing to compromise.\n"I believe that Israel has been negotiating in good faith and given a lot of concessions in an area that is very volatile," Shifron said. "Most Americans can\'t understand what it\'s like to live with hostile neighbors. I don\'t think we can begin to comprehend that. Israel has tried in very good faith to do that and bring peace about.\n"I believe the amount of violence by Palestinian authorities is really a call to violence … I hope that doesn\'t happen."\nPhil Metres, director of the Committee for Peace in the Middle East, empathizes with the Palestinian position. The committee is a campus organization which works to raise awareness of peace process issues. \n"(The reason) Palestinians are on the street is because the situation they live under is violent," he said, referring to the occupation of former Palestinian lands in Israel. "That's what sociologists call structural violence. They have torture legalized in the state of Israel. There is a whole litany of humiliation that these people live under."\nMetres said Americans should support any peace negotiations. \n"As a peace activist, all the killings make me incredibly sad," he said. \nThe peace process has seemingly turned to ashes, but Fidler said Israel and Palestine are both responsible for the peace process' failure.\n"I think the U.S. and (Europe) need to act immediately, and the finger of blame can be pointed in both directions," Fidler said. "Both sides are very responsible and will have to be held accountable."\nIliya Harik, professor in the political science department who specializes in Middle Eastern comparative politics, said the political ramifications of the violence are unknown.\n"It\'s very difficult to see any immediate improvement bringing the two sides together," he said. "The level of violence with which the Israelis responded with was horrendous. \n"Over 90 people were killed. The ramifications go much beyond Israel and Palestine." \nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.