The predictable tragedy

The predictable tragedy

No government in Israel could go unanswered about the shameful terrorist attack on a synagogue on Holocaust Remembrance Day. One can hardly expect a sense of proportion from Netanyahu’s coalition.

A characteristic of classical tragedy is that its end is predictable and yet inevitable. The protagonists and spectators guess how the story will end. However, they cannot change the course of events. The sad pace of eruptions of violence in Israeli-Palestinian drama resembles this basic pattern. And again a new war seems inevitable. Even if US Secretary of State Antony Blinken manages to persuade decision makers to exercise restraint during his next visit to Israel, it would likely only result in a delay. The next trigger will surely come.