History shows Israel’s military strength may be its weakness

A Palestinian flag flutters in the heart of the Old City of Nablus in the occupied West Bank following clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen early on July 24, 2022. — AFP

THE last time that I visited the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, was almost 20 years ago. In a camp outside Bethlehem a delightful 31-year-old woman named Hanavi Ramban, mother of five children, said to me: “A Palestinian state is the only hope for us the refugees, who have been waiting 50 years for it. Someone like you can come here and write about it, but you cannot understand what it is like to live with fear.

"I was only 15 at the time of the first intifada and I couldn’t believe that my own children would see worse things. Now, I can see it continuing for my grandchildren.”