After a Wednesday suicide bombing of an Israeli church during a Passover feast, Palestinians awaited retaliation Thursday.

The attack, which occurred at a hotel where people were partaking in a Passover feast, killed 20 people and injured more than 170.

“What is expected is an attack by Israel forces,” said Farouq Kaddoumi, the Palestinian Liberation Organization political chief.

The attacks come as both Israeli and Palestinian officials are attempting to agree on a cease-fire in the region.

“It’s shocking how often this goes on,” said University history professor Eve Troutt Powell. “Imagine living there and dealing with this.”

The Palestinian and Israeli conflict has worsened

recently, Troutt Powell said, adding that the main problem is that Israel is occupying lands taken from Palestine in 1967.

“There are people there who have known nothing but violence,” Troutt Powell said.

She said many men join terrorist organizations because they feel that peace talks are ineffective.

“They feel the Israeli government is humiliating Yasser Arafat,” the Palestinian leader, by imposing restrictions on him, she said.

Because of those feelings, in addition to high unemployment rates, school closings and poverty, young men join groups such as Hamas, the Islamic fundamentalist group who claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack, Troutt Powell said.

“It’s a result of hopelessness … (and) anger at the current situation,” Troutt Powell said. “There are many people who feel their lives don’t count as much to the world.”

She said one reason the terrorist groups dislike America is because of the United States’ support of Israeli interests.

Such support exists for many reasons, she said.

“There was a lot of guilt after World War II for not protecting the Jews,” Troutt Powell said.

Also, religious beliefs cause America to support Israel, she said.

“There’s also a great deal of feeling that’s rooted in the Bible … (the Holy Lands) belong to Israel,” she said.

Troutt Powell said she was concerned by America’s support of Israel.

“We’re not rethinking our policy, and people are dying over it,” she said.

However, she said the United States could help the feuding regions because “we have the ear” of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Thursday, at an Arab League summit, a unanimous decision was made to adopt a peace initiative to offer security in Israel if the country would pull out of Palestinian lands.

This would allow for a Palestinian state with the capital in East Jerusalem.

“I would like to reiterate our readiness to work for an immediate cease-fire,” Arafat said.

However, Israelis reacted with skepticism about the possibility of a cease-fire.

“We’re quite fed up with those declarations that Arafat makes every time he feels the pressure is mounting on him,” said Ra’anan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

“I think that a Palestinian state has to be recognized. Both places need proper infrastructure and perhaps international oversight,” Troutt Powell said.

– Contributing: CNN