Can we please just get along

[FaithfulandTrue 6]

When will it all end...I'm tired of the fighting.. I'm ready for peace

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090528/ap_on_...el_palestinians

[Nagishkaw 510]

Obama will also visit Saudi Arabia before he goes to Egypt. But he has no plans to stop in Israel, an hour's flight from Egypt, during his swing through the region.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Educate them! Well, some are super educated already but they're still following the old ways.

[scandal 951]

Not all Israelis feel that the Obama Administration is selling them down the river in order to cozy up to the Arab world.

Granted, many do feel that way. There's plenty of anxiety in Israel regarding the change in US posture in the region.

But keep in mind that Israel is a diverse society with as vibrant (and polarized!) a left/right divide as exists in this country.

There are many on the left of Israeli politics (myself included) who believe that it's in Israel's best interests to be "coaxed" (for lack of a better word) by

a benevolent Uncle Sam in the direction that's in Israel's own best interests. Namely, to take the hard steps that can lay a foundation for a lasting permanent resolution of the issues, particularly the settlements.

The issues here are very complex, you could write thousands of pages to delve into the intricacies of Jerusalem, the Golan and Sheba Farms, the rights of exiled Palestinians in neighboring countries, water use, access to religious sites, ... as usual, newspaper headlines or soundbites from the Secretary of State can't possibly do justice to the complexity here.

Specifically regarding "natural growth", there is a real impracticality to this especially with regards to the larger towns such as Efrat and Ariel. These are cities of tens of thousands of people who are now into second and third generations. Regardless of whether they should ever have been built - they are there now and it is entirely impractical to talk of "dismantling", or to curb their natural growth as families have children who grow to adulthood and want to have homes in the communities they grew up in.

Any overall solution is going to have to creatively deal with the de facto existence of these towns. I personally think the most practical approach is to redraw boundaries to annex the largest towns to Israel, and to have Israel cede an equivalently sized piece of land in the "Triangle" area of Wadi Ara and Um-el-Fahm which would be annexed to the West Bank as part of Palestine. Grandfathering of citizenships would obviously occur - Israeli Arab citizens of Wadi Ara would not lose citizenship if the territory is attached to Palestine.

It's a very, very messy situation. And so long as extremists have the upper hand, it's pie in the sky to conceive of a lasting solution. But one must have hope.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Not all Israelis feel that the Obama Administration is selling them down the river in order to cozy up to the Arab world.

Granted, many do feel that way. There's plenty of anxiety in Israel regarding the change in US posture in the region.

But keep in mind that Israel is a diverse society with as vibrant (and polarized!) a left/right divide as exists in this country.

There are many on the left of Israeli politics (myself included) who believe that it's in Israel's best interests to be "coaxed" (for lack of a better word) by

a benevolent Uncle Sam in the direction that's in Israel's own best interests. Namely, to take the hard steps that can lay a foundation for a lasting permanent resolution of the issues, particularly the settlements.

The issues here are very complex, you could write thousands of pages to delve into the intricacies of Jerusalem, the Golan and Sheba Farms, the rights of exiled Palestinians in neighboring countries, water use, access to religious sites, ... as usual, newspaper headlines or soundbites from the Secretary of State can't possibly do justice to the complexity here.

Specifically regarding "natural growth", there is a real impracticality to this especially with regards to the larger towns such as Efrat and Ariel. These are cities of tens of thousands of people who are now into second and third generations. Regardless of whether they should ever have been built - they are there now and it is entirely impractical to talk of "dismantling", or to curb their natural growth as families have children who grow to adulthood and want to have homes in the communities they grew up in.

Any overall solution is going to have to creatively deal with the de facto existence of these towns. I personally think the most practical approach is to redraw boundaries to annex the largest towns to Israel, and to have Israel cede an equivalently sized piece of land in the "Triangle" area of Wadi Ara and Um-el-Fahm which would be annexed to the West Bank as part of Palestine. Grandfathering of citizenships would obviously occur - Israeli Arab citizens of Wadi Ara would not lose citizenship if the territory is attached to Palestine.

It's a very, very messy situation. And so long as extremists have the upper hand, it's pie in the sky to conceive of a lasting solution. But one must have hope.

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap. It may be analagous in actual land size, but not in the quality of land. I don't see a real way to solve it. The Israeli settlements shouldn't be there in the first place. But they are, and you can't really relocate tens of thousands of families, homes, and communities.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

... you can't really relocate tens of thousands of families, homes, and communities.

Sure you can.

Question is, do you want to piss off a bunch of Jews for a bunch of Arabs?

Probably not.

[mawilson 2,133]

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap.

Life is unfair.

[The_Dude 1,142]

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap.

Life is unfair.

Yeah, and you want to basically kick them to a reservation, and expect them to take it, be peaceful, and praise Israel for giving them a kick in the nuts? It's attitudes like this that perpetuate groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

[mawilson 2,133]

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap.

Life is unfair.

Yeah, and you want to basically kick them to a reservation, and expect them to take it, be peaceful, and praise Israel for giving them a kick in the nuts? It's attitudes like this that perpetuate groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pretty much, yes. The stronger side dictates the rules of the game to the weaker side.

If they want their land back, they should man up and fight for it. If they can't win,

they should bend over and assume the position.

[panamania79 2]

When will it all end...I'm tired of the fighting.. I'm ready for peace

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090528/ap_on_...el_palestinians

RIGHT ON !

[The_Dude 1,142]

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap.

Life is unfair.

Yeah, and you want to basically kick them to a reservation, and expect them to take it, be peaceful, and praise Israel for giving them a kick in the nuts? It's attitudes like this that perpetuate groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pretty much, yes. The stronger side dictates the rules of the game to the weaker side.

If they want their land back, they should man up and fight for it. If they can't win,

they should bend over and assume the position.

Good thing you don't work in the state department or foreign ministry of any country. That is a recipe to sustain a guerilla resistance in perpetuity.

[scandal 951]

From what i've read, that is not a very fair land swap.

Life is unfair.

Yeah, and you want to basically kick them to a reservation, and expect them to take it, be peaceful, and praise Israel for giving them a kick in the nuts? It's attitudes like this that perpetuate groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pretty much, yes. The stronger side dictates the rules of the game to the weaker side.

If they want their land back, they should man up and fight for it. If they can't win,

they should bend over and assume the position.

You know what? I'll say it.

That's just plain retarded. I think you're just being intentionally provocative.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

If they want their land back, they should man up and fight for it.

I agree. The conflict should be resolved with no interference from the US. If the Iranians get a nuke and drop one on Tel

Aviv and the Jews reciprocate with one on Tehran, so be it. I really don't care. Heck, I actually think watching that news on MSNBC would get a chuckle out of me.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

If they want their land back, they should man up and fight for it.

I agree. The conflict should be resolved with no interference from the US. If the Iranians get a nuke and drop one on Tel

Aviv and the Jews reciprocate with one on Tehran, so be it. I really don't care. Heck, I actually think watching that news on MSNBC would get a chuckle out of me.

I do miss bombs over Bagdad, shot through night vision. Can we get all three cable networks' camera crews in place ASAP?

[nurse1967 287]

No matter what anyone says the Palestinians have a right to exist. It's about time a US President has begun to show some sense about fostering relationships in the Arab world. We already pacify Israel. What else can they want from us? I was appalled by some of the tactics used in the recent Israeli/Palestianian conflict by Israel. Palestine may not be innocent but NEITHER is Israel.