It is something that is often overlooked, much is talked about the plight of the Palestinians but do the Israeli's actually want a peace for themselves and a peaceful neighbour?
The evidence currently is that the Israeli government does not want peace in the region, in fact instability suits their aims. While Syria is in turmoil and Lebanon goes through its usual period of imploding and with eyes on the rest of the Arab Spring, Israel goes on building settlement on what is established in various peace processes as Palestinian land. Not only that they continue the blockade of the Gaza strip, ok some of the people that live there are not angels but starving them into submission will only backfire.
In fact another factor is also overlooked. The two pieces of Palestine would not really make a viable state in the two state solution proposed without being propped up with outside help.
The only viable solution for the Palestine’s and Israelis, if they truly want peace, is a one state solution. A new state for all and with religious freedom for all, a secular state if you will that defends the rights of those that see their most holy sites in that land. A new state of enough land mass to be viable and supported by both the Americans and the Gulf Arabs.
Why do you ask the question just of Israel but not of the USA???
ReplyDeleteNORMAN FINKELSTEIN 2009 -
The problem all along has been that Israel doesn’t want Gaza to develop, and Israel doesn’t want to resolve diplomatically the conflict. Mr. Indyk well knows that both the leadership in Damascus and the leadership in the Gaza have repeatedly made statements they’re willing to settle the conflict in the June 1967 border. The record is fairly clear. In fact, it’s unambiguously clear.
Every year, the United Nations General Assembly votes on a resolution entitled "Peaceful Settlement of the Palestine Question.” And every year the vote is the same: it’s the whole world on one side; Israel, the United States and some South Sea atolls and Australia on the other side. The vote this past year was 164-to-7. Every year since 1989 —- in 1989, the vote was 151-to-3, the whole world on one side, the United States, Israel and the island state of Dominica on the other side.
We have the Arab League, all twenty-two members of the Arab League, favoring a two-state settlement on the June 1967 border. We have the Palestinian Authority favoring that two-state settlement on the June 1967 border. We now have Hamas favoring that two-state settlement on the June 1967 border. The one and only obstacle is Israel, backed by the United States. That’s the problem.
The only solution is Israel being wiped off the map.
ReplyDeleteAnd the only chance Arab states will get is when Israel strikes Iran.
absolutely! that is such a simple solution! Now why didn't anyone think of that one before?! oh wait! they did,for six days in '67 & we all know how that ended! The fact is this,Israel is too strong as a nation & the Arabs are too unable to set aside their MASSIVE egos & differences for any "wiping off the map" to happen. The only thing that seems to be happening is more & more Jewish settlements on what is legitimately Arab land but not a single Arab govt. doing anything about it apart from making critical press statements! why? because they are all reliant on the US & don't want to upset Israel's staunchest ally & the Israelis are smart enough to know this,so they do as they please. If the Arabs can all unite & afford to have the US against them in a conflict situation then & only then Zaheer can even the thought of "wiping Israel off the map" be an option & that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Israel can & may strike Iran & I assure you,not a single Arab nation will do anything at all in retaliation. If the Arab states truly have the ability to take on Israel,they would have done it by now!
DeleteThat's the issue, Israel is not going to go away so you need to come up with a different plan. The Romans tried to wipe the Jews off the map after one rebellion too many and that was hundreds of years before the Arabs conquered that area.
DeleteMaking statements like wipe them off the map actually strengthens their position. They are there to stay, learn to live with them
Israel: Has Our Expiration Date Arrived?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32720.htm
The question is not whether Israel will still exist in 10 years, but what kind of Israel will be here in 10 years?
By Kobi Niv
October 11, 2012 "Haaretz" - - Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said not long ago that in 10 years there would be no more Israel. What foolishness, right? Clearly, Israel will survive forever. First of all, because that is what our leaders say. Second, we have a fine army, smart bombs, a stable economy and high tech, too. And third, because God is with us. These are facts.
And yet, if you look at history, recent and distant, ours and others', countries and regimes have fallen and disappeared, even those that had great armies and atom bombs. The communist Soviet empire, for example, with its army, police forces and missiles, existed for less than 70 years.
Indeed, the key question is not whether Israel will still exist in 10 years, but what kind of Israel will be here in 10 years, if any. True, it's a hard question to answer, because the future, as we know, is unknown. But on the other hand, the future is almost always a consequence of processes that precede it. And the processes with which we are moving toward the future are painfully obvious.
A battle has been under way for some time for the soul of the Jewish-Israeli people. This battle, between the religious-Zionist wing and the secular-liberal wing, seems still to be undecided. Some calculate that in the coming elections, in a certain constellation, with the help of God and tricky combinations of events, the secular liberals will be able to establish a government, cancel out
(with the help of some hocus-pocus ) heinous religious Zionism and send it packing to Canada or Kamchatka. But if we really look around, it is as clear as day that this battle has already been decided and that religious Zionism has won. This is no mistake, nor is it by chance. It has won because most of the Jewish people in Israel are religious Zionists, even if some disguise themselves during elections as supporting a "centrist party."
The only question that remains is whether the people of Israel and their government are 70 percent religious Zionist, or even only 60 percent religious Zionist, and when we will reach the critical mass of 90 percent - as soon as two years from now, or only in another seven?
The situation is not about to change, either tomorrow or ever. The weight of religious Zionists in the population is growing heavier, while the weight of liberal-secular Israelis is declining. So where are the voters going to come from who will bring down the religious-Zionist government? Just look at how the education system has become more and more nationalistic and religious. The Israel Defense Forces and its commanders have become more and more religious Zionist. The laws are becoming more and more religious Zionist. The courts are becoming more religious Zionist. The secular-liberal media is collapsing and the academic world is also beginning to crack and fall into the arms of religious Zionism.
And if you raise your eyes above the walls that we have built to hide reality from ourselves, what will you see there? Will the Gaza ghetto disappear and its hostility fade away if we continue to ignore it? Will the Palestinians in the West Bank become more Zionist the more settlements there are? And if we bomb Iran, will that improve our ties with the peoples of this region, or might it not do so?
The more these trends persist - and there is nothing on the horizon to stop them - in three, seven or 10 years, Israel will become more religious Zionist, zealous, insular and unrestrained. It will be at constant war with the surrounding countries, with many nations boycotting its products. Its economy, in which inequality will grow, will weaken, and the best of its secular-liberal young men and women will leave it for Canada or Kamchatka.
Can a country like this continue to exist over time? You decide.
Good point about the USA. Keeping the Arab powers occupied and divided by Israel suits their aims as well
ReplyDeletePetition for settling the Israel-Palestine conflict
ReplyDeletehttp://www.change.org/petitions/us-government-stop-blocking-the-2-state-settlement-of-the-israel-palestine-conflict