Alphonse De Valk

About the author: Alphonse De Valk is editor of the magazine Catholic Insight.

The present-day hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians can be traced to the Six-Day War of 1967. Following Israel's success in this war against the Arab states, the Israeli government decided to occupy the territories of and establish colonies in the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Palestinians in these territories were stripped of their rights and privileges, and Israel has been unwilling to allow the formation of an independent Palestinian state that might satisfy Palestinian demands for redress. It is up to Israel to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by surrendering its settlements to the Palestinians.

First, let us exclude considerations of religion and history. While it may be interesting to go back to the...