A few blocks where were im standing yasar arafat and rabine who fought the Egyptian Army in 1948 at the birth of the state of israel shook hands with president bill clinton and each other at the white house. It was september 1993, and things that had not seemed possible in a long time suddenly were thinkable that israel would recognise a selfgoverning palestinian state on land israel took in the 1967 war. That palestinians who had for decades denied the existence of israel and fought to push the jewish state into the sea would recognise and live side by side with it. Once again the news is full of death, killing and counterkilling, and that sunny moment at the white house that brought hope with sober recognition of how much work was to be done seems a very, very long time ago. Reporter people run for cover in tel aviv. Violence between israel and hamas terrified israelis and palestinians. Rockets fired from gaza with ranges longer than previously seen are reaching into israel. Sirens w