Violence gripping the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has now spread to several cities, as Arab demonstrators set fire to buildings and pelted Israeli Police with rocks and bottles.At least 16 Palestinians have died and scores have been wounded in the past 2 weeks of unrest.The fighting which flared up this recent hatred initially started in the Gaza Streip, which now contains 630.000 Arabs in ramshackle camps where the Palestinians have no political rights, and the stalled Peace Process has left them with a hopelessness. Israel responded to these various riots with a heavy hand, and the Israeli authorities prohibited their troops from firing their weapons except in "life threatening situations".The riots cast new doubt on the contention of hardline Israelis that eventually the Arab residents of Gaza and the West Bank will learn to co-exist with their occupiers.
22 December 1987