A great number of men, women and children in the Gaza Strip live in one of the most chaotic environments on Earth. The escalating violence between warring political factions such as the Palestinians and Israelis has caused many to doubt the prospect of a peaceful state. And many are wondering if the Gaza Strip will return to its former grandeur as the gem mediterranean.

The Gaza strip is an irony in itself. Looking back at its history you will find that when the Israelis were in control of the city the Palestinians long fought for its independence. When the day came and the Israelis gave up partial control of Gaza City, the Palestinians found themselves fighting for control of Gaza by the two major parties in power, Hamas, and Fatah. When will the Gaza Strip see peace again?

The Palestinians will not give up and the Israelis will always enjoy seeing the Gaza Strip being ruined by its own people. As long as the Palestinians argue amongst each other over control, Israel will further enjoy a little break from having to answer to Hamas. Therefore, the future is the Gaza Strip looks sad and bleak.

Up to about 50 years ago, The Gaza Strip was a small area in Palestine where Muslims, Christians, and Jews all lived peacefully as neighbors while enjoying the use of the land for worship. When WWI came about and the British forces invaded Palestine the British government trained a Jewish army and gave the land as a gift to the Jews. That is when Israel was founded as a Jewish nation. With very little concern to the Palestinian citizens, they took over and attempted to evict them from their own land. Many escaped into neighboring countries but more stayed and fought for what they believed in. Gaza Strip Palestinians were of course part of the group that remained and thus how we define Gaza City today.

This serves as a great history lesson to the world. So long as Israel occupies the Gaza Strip Palestine will never see peace. The Palestinians' view is that the Gaza Strip and the remainder of the land surrounding it belongs to the them alone. But since they cannot come to an accord then what will become of the Jews if they are forced out of Palestine. After having lived there for 50 years, Jews consider this their homeland. Several generations of Jews have been born and raised there. So removing them is hardly an option. Perhaps a return to the original state, where Christians, Muslims and Jews live together in harmony is what this region needs the most.

Is it right to empathize with the Jews or do we empathize with the original Palestinians? It is a difficult question. The atrocities of the holocaust left many feeling that the Jews deserved a home of their own. After all, they have been persecuted for thousands of years. Perhaps the correct answer is that we sympathize with both. But the worst attitude we could possibly take is to become callous to the events in this region. We cannot fall into apathy over the seemingly interminable violence.