The stats say it all

No one can question that deaths caused by terrorism or extra-judicial killings, o simply unprovoked attacks, are to be deplored. Like just about all areas around the globe the Middle East has seen more than its fair share of Palestinian and Israeli deaths. Its being going on since the establishment of Israel in 1948.

The stats make for interesting reading and reflect the state of play between the two waring peoples:

- Sixty-six civilians were killed in hostile actions since last Independence Day, mostly during the Second Lebanon War, bringing the number of civilians killed in terror attacks since the state's establishment to 1,635, according to National Insurance Institute (NII) Director Dr. Yigal Ben-Shalom. See the full report in Haaretz here.

- there were 4419 deaths in Palestinian territories since 2000, with some 29,000 injured during the same period. See the Palestine Red Crescent Society here.

- as at February 2007 there were 11,032 Palestinians [about one-fifth of the population] in 30 Israeli prisons, detention facilities and camps according to the Mandela Institute for Human Rights. Of those 112 are women, and 382 are children under 18. Incidentally, under Israeli law Palestinian children are regarded as adults from the age of 12.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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