THE MOOD IN THE CABINET ROOM was so tense that the air seemed almost inflammable. A few hours earlier, another Palestinian suicide bomber had blown himself up, this time in downtown Tel Aviv amid a crowd of schoolchildren, killing 13 people. After the fourth such atrocity in little more than a week, even the most liberal leaders within the Israeli government sought vengeance. With a mob outside screaming for blood, ministers advocated sending Israeli troops to reoccupy the Gaza Strip. Others prescribed mass deportations of Palestinians. One even urged razing the villages from which the bombers came.
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
