One day recently the Israelis bulldozed a young girl protesting, and another day the Palestinians killed a bus full of children.
Yes, and one was an accident and one was on purpose. I think you know which was which. Does that make a difference?
Historically there aren't many successful rapid migrations of this kind, and when a religio-state and expansionist visions are mixed in, the prospects get worse
Are you aware that the Zionists were socialists, and generally speaking, atheists? Their idea was to leave all the shetl culture behind and breed a new kind of Jews, a farmer, a soldier. Zionism is not a religious movement, but a nationalist one. BTW, the history of the 20th century has such migrations by the dozen, what's different is the obsessiveness of the Arab reaction. Other places learn to deal with a new reality - negotiate, fight, come to some kind of terms. Not so the Arabs.
But the carrot hasn't worked, because neither leadership really wants a resolution. The Likudniks in power simply want Eretz Israel, despite tactical statements to the contrary for foreign consumption. The Palestinian leadership (L'etat, ces't Arafat) simply wants to drive the Jews into the sea, despite tactical statements to the contrary for foreign consumption
Have you been reading any Israeli sources? This assessment of the Israeli people (and Israel, being a democracy, does respond to the wishes of the people) is so far off as to be funny. The Israeli people want peace - it's suicide they worry about. When Arafat refused a deal for 97% of the territories not with a counter but with a war, the Israeli center got the idea that the Israeli Right had been right - this wasn't about "occupation", but about the continued existence of Israel. The vast majority of Israelis are ready to give up the territories - even Sharon is talking unilateral concessions now, what do you think made him switch? - it's just that they don't want to give them up to Hamas to be a staging ground for the next attack.
While Arafat lives, your assessment of the Palestinians is pretty good, since he doesn't give a damn what they think as long as he can keep controlling and manipulating them.
I suppose it's good that your outlook is more nuanced than the anti-semites you permit on your thread (that's why I've stopped posting here). But I wish you knew what you were talking about. |
