Violence trumping words in Mideast

Wisam Srag grabbed his coffee and loped out of the cafe, crossing the street to join friends. That's why he's alive today.

Mr. Srag had just reached the sidewalk when shouting erupted behind him. He turned to see the cafe guard grab a man and fall back inside the popular hangout. The cafe lit up, glass flew like buckshot, and bodies suddenly littered the ground. "It's the first time in my life I felt really afraid," says Srag, who completed army service five years ago.

The Tuesday bombing at Jerusalem's Café Hillel was the second Hamas attack that day. Israel reciprocated Wednesday with a missile strike against a Gaza Strip Hamas leader.

Violence has gained momentum, just as the peace process has stalled and options dwindled. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is in political limbo, leaving diplomatic channels between the two sides all but closed. As the feud between Hamas and Israel escalates, ordinary Israelis are hunkering down and doing what they can to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

"From today, I'm changing things," says Srag, standing at the dessert counter of the restaurant where he tends the bar. "I saw burnt people and dead people and I don't want to end up like that. So no more buses, no more going out to restaurants. All I've got is this one life."

While Israelis take up self-imposed limitations, Palestinians will endure a renewed series of restrictions as Israel's army reimposes closures on the West Bank this week and rolled its tanks back into Ramallah. Two Palestinians were killed by the army's Gaza strike, and 25 were wounded.

Many analysts expect the language of force to prevail for some time. "We're in a situation where there isn't a political option anymore," says Shmuel Bar, a senior fellow at the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Herzliya.

He notes that former PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has resigned, his nominated replacement, Ahmed Qureia, hasn't yet started the job, and that Israel refuses to deal with PA President Yasser Arafat.

The renewal of Israeli-Palestinian talks seen under Mr. Abbas is disintegrating just as Israelis and Palestinians mark the 10th anniversary of the Oslo peace process. Oslo provided the two peoples with a framework for talks. Today, anger on both sides is hardening positions.

"The channels of communication have deteriorated critically," says Mr. Bar, who says both sides see benefits to using force.

"Palestinians have reached Israeli concessions in the past through extreme violence," he says. "At the same time, anything that's perceived by Israelis as counterproductive to daily security will not be tolerated now. A lot of people are saying, 'If we have to get rid of the Hamas leadership, why use a quarter-ton bomb when we could use a one-ton bomb?' So there's at least one area where Israelis and Palestinians are in agreement," says Bar. "They both think that the way to move forward is through extreme violence."

Tuesday's attacks, both claimed by Hamas, left 16 dead. Israel's retaliation killed their target's son and bodyguard and injured 25.

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