Loss of Hope in Israel

Though neither side will admit that it's dead, little remains of the month-old cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians. A surge in violence over the past few days has left several people dead and more wounded, and each side is pointing the finger at the other. TIME correspondent Jamil Hamad discussed the situation Friday from Bethlehem.

TIME.com: What is the current state of affairs in Jerusalem and the West Bank?

Jamil Hamad: The situation is getting worse. You can see that what is left from the cease-fire is the name only. Today two Palestinians were shot. I think the Hamas is accusing Israel of killing one by putting bombs in his car. The other guy was shot in the north of Gaza — the Israeli army accused him of trying to throw a hand grenade. An Israeli settler died an hour ago; he was wounded yesterday in Hebron. And another settler was killed last night in a shooting. Palestinian armed people shot them.

So you can see that the violence is on both sides, and the violence is making every side angry. Hamas issued a statement in which they accused Israel of shooting their man in Tulkarem, and they're threatening revenge. And the Israeli settlers are also angry — in Hebron they are taking the law into their own hands, attacking Arabs and their property. Today the Israeli police clashed with Israeli settlers and five police were wounded because the police were trying to keep them away from the Arabs.

The tension on both sides is very high.

Is one side more to blame for the disintegration of the cease-fire?

In this current situation, one needs not to play the role of the judge, because both sides are involved in making mistakes. There is no guilty and there is no innocent. I think this cycle of violence is creating a situation in which people are always expecting the worst. Not only the cease-fire is over, the hope is over. People are no longer hopeful for an end of this continuing exchange of accusations, mistrust and shooting.

What needs to happen to defuse the situation at this point?

First of all, the US is not playing an active role in this.

Would that help?

Look, you need to twist the arms of both sides. Lectures and preaching will not stop it. You need to act strongly and firmly. But it seems that the American administration is I don't know, I'm not the one to judge the behavior of the administration, but I think every day they are showing less interest in involvement in the Middle East. The level of interest they are paying is Powell calling Sharon and Arafat on the phone. I hate to say it, but when their interest is not touched the American foreign policy is based on preaching. Unfortunately we don't have oil in Palestine and Israel.

You think America would be more involved if we did?

Of course! The Marines would be moving around and they'd be landing on the beaches of Tel Aviv. We have holy places — who's interested in holy places? It doesn't interest the American administration.

Could anything make a difference at this point, or is the tension just too high?

It's too high. And the leaders — Sharon is under pressure. The rightists are saying 'we're burying our people every day and you're doing nothing.' Arafat is also under pressure, because there are voices within Palestinian society calling for no end to this intifada. So it's not easy for either of them.

What's next?

More violence. Violence breeds violence. When the Israelis fire tank bombs at the Palestinians, the Palestinian have to respond. When the Palestinian kill an Israeli citizen, the Israeli army has to react — it's their job to protect their citizens. People are squeezed in a situation where everybody is blaming the other, and there's no space for one side to understand the other. Not to agree — to understand.