I do agree with you on that. The people DO need to stop living in the past. That includes stopping the "blame game". Incidentally that also includes changing the archaic perspective that the jewish people and Israel are "victims". In TODAY'S world Israel is one of the foremost intelligence gathering countries in the WORLD. Israel has a stable economy. Israel has more military might than all the Arab nations put together. And most importantly, Israel has the ultimate defensive weapon in the shape of a nuke that GUARANTEES that ANY nation that threatens their survivial will pay DEARLY.

Israel is NO LONGER a VICTIM. And it is NO LONGER in danger of extinction. This must be accepted as reality. The paranoia that the arab nations, Iran or Palestine could threaten Israel's survival is ridiculous and completely unrealistic.

In fact the ABOVE is the PRIME reason for Hamas to recognize Israel. However as long as Israel continues to pretend that the Palestinians really are a threat to their survivial, do you think the phallic policies of Hamas are likely to change?

Anyhow you mention that the Palestinian people did a grievious wrong in electing Hamas and deserve the misery they are in. How can you say that? As far as i understand, DEMOCRACY is the ultimate ideal. Hamas won a FREE and FAIR election. The fact that it did so should be a reason for the world community to ENGAGE, rather than DISENGAGE. I say this because, whether you like it or not, the PEOPLE have chosen whom they wish to speak for them. If it had been a rigged election, it would be fair to not speak to Hamas. However they have the mandate of the people. That means that if you wish to include the Palestinian PEOPLE in a solution, then you must speak to their chosen representative. It is complete lunacy to boycott an entire people simply because the chosen representative is unacceptable to you.

That said it is just as unrealistic to think that ALL the concessions have to be made on the Israeli side. NO DOUBT the violence from the palestinian side has to stop ALSO. However there is a difference. For Israel to stop the violence, they need to give a few orders and they will be followed. For the Palestinians to stop the violence, a major shift in the social circumstances of the nation has to occurr. That requires that they get the ooportunity to buld up their infrastructure, that they can do so without danger of having it destroyed, that their borders and ports are handed back to them, that their commerce gets a chance to reestablish itself.

Palestine MUST recognize Israel. Palestine MUST cease the violence (but it's harder for the PA to make that happen given the fragmented nature of their social structure and the lack of central leadership). Apart from that, the Palestinians have nothing else to offer as they really have nothing.