Israel Mourns Teenagers, Strikes Hamas In Gaza

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Disliking Israeli policy with respect to West Bank settlements is quite a bit different than disliking Israel. One can like Israel and Israelis, but dislike their settlement policy. Hell, a significant percentage of Israelis dislike their own country's settlement policy. Does that make them anti-Israel? It's also interesting to note that a significant number of the Zionist zealots who are living in the West Bank settlements are American-born Jews who have recently moved to Israel. One of the three murdered kids had dual American/Israeli citizenship, BTW.

Back in the beginnings in the early 1900 Theodore Herzl propose creation of a "home" for the Jewish people, not a 'state". I imagine his proposal was to find a country that would welcome them.

The the League of Nations got this idea and bent it out of shape and gave Britain (under Lord Balfour) a mandate to create a home/state fot the Jewish people. Well Balfour started divvying up the parcel the League had proposed. He gave Jordan to the Hashemite Kings, the Golan heights to Syria (under French rule at the time, it was from these heights that the Syrians used to shell Israeli farmers below) and the bit that was left was supposedly where the Jews were to live,

At first they bought land from the Arabs, most of what is present day Tel Aviv was purchased. Needless to say relations between the two were not friendly but it was actually the Arabs who landed the first blows.

When Jordan invaded and took the West Bank we never heard jack shit from anyone. After the seven days war the Arabs were to have the west bank but they said we are going to push the Jews into the sea.

I guess because Lester 'Mike' Pearson got the Nobel Prize for his efforts in the area I acquired an interest in its history.

[Oerets]

We are seeing the results of other countries creating borders of convince. No thought given to the local population. Need look no further then Iraq and the end of the first world war. Ninety odd years later the countries created by Europeans are unavailing. After the second we can argue if it was guilt, no country wanting the refugees or truly
altruistic. I will never know but this can not go on forever.


The Palestinians are not going away, where would they go? Israel can never give a vote to them in fear of loosing a majority of Jewish votes. So a one state solution look impossible.


Storming in and blowing up buildings then not allowing rebuilding only creates more hatred. Suicide bombing and firing rockets also add fuel to the unrest. Both sides need to let the Mothers work this out.



Barney

[merrylander]

Most of the boundaries in the Middle East and Africa were drawn by European colonial powers with no thought given to local tribes. Now we see the hatred between the tribesmen exploding all over the place.

Mind you although they all blame the west for their predicaments 90% of it is their own doing

[MikeG22]

Clashes In Jerusalem After Body Found - http://huff.to/1qxdNgG

Looks like things will get worse before better

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Back in the beginnings in the early 1900 Theodore Herzl propose creation of a "home" for the Jewish people, not a 'state". I imagine his proposal was to find a country that would welcome them.

I'm keenly aware of Israel's history and have spent quite a bit of time there (and my son lives there). I have great admiration for how they have built a prosperous, industrious and (mostly) democratic nation in the heart of the world's most troubled region. That said, their settlement and collective punishment policies aren't exactly paving the way to peace within their borders.

As is true all over the world (and particularly true in the Mideast), religious zealots there continue to threaten the livelihood of everyone around them. Israel's government is all too willing to demolish the homes of families and relatives of suspected terrorists, while encouraging the illegal (even by their own laws in many cases) settlements in the West Bank. They should show their even-handedness by knocking down the houses of illegal settlers.

[merrylander]

The trouble is when they did just that in Gaza all the did was give Hamas a rocket launching site.

[Oerets]

Both sides need to figure out a solution together. Because neither is going away.

But I'm afraid it will take many many deaths in an all out war to finally get this fact to sink in.


Barney

[merrylander]

I am afraid there will not be any more peace talks since Abbas joined with Hamas and Hamas has not renounced their policies.

[djv8ga]

Originally Posted by merrylander

I am afraid there will not be any more peace talks since Abbas joined with Hamas and Hamas has not renounced their policies.

Exactly. Aligning yourself with Hamas makes you a terrorist & you deserve the beating you receive IMHO.

[piece-itpete]

I agree Barney, a decisive victory for one side or the other would be the end of it. However that is no longer politically correct. Much better to drag out the misery apparently.

Pete