Israel-Hamas Fighting Has Deep Roots
Voice of America
Jews and Arabs have clashed for a century over the fate of Jerusalem. Tensions seem always to be near the surface in a city that is home to major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
It is the Israeli capital. It would be the capital of Palestine should a separate Palestinian state be created, after decades of verbal broadsides between Israeli and Palestinian leaders and literal war in the streets. For the Mideast, it is a story that has been told many times. Failed negotiations and endless recriminations are recorded on the Mideast ledger decade after decade. And now the world is watching as more painful history unfolds in an all-too-familiar scenario, as Hamas militants launch waves of missiles from Gaza toward Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities while the Jewish state responds with deadly airstrikes that have leveled Gaza buildings.
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