I’m confused. I see Abbas on the right & Netanyahu on the left. So we’re talking about the West Bank, right?Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas because more illegal settlements are being built in the West Bank and a wall snakes across Palestinian villages and lands in the West Bank?; Palestinians support al-Qai’da with…? And illegal settlements are built in the West Bank because Palestinians support Hamas & al-Qai’da? I thought it was because it was fertile land and they don’t care very much who was on it before. Whereas any anger against Israelis and support for armed confrontations (terrorist and otherwise) are because …?
What/which escalates what; what/which is the catalyst?
Agreed, the idea of settlements forming a ‘defensive line’ or ‘buffer zone’ lost credibility when more settlements started being built far from the pre-‘67 lines. Withdrawing 9000 settlers from Gaza was relatively easy than thinking of withdrawing 350 000 from the West Bank. The idea of a 2 state solution is dying quickly with more illegal settlements springing up. More and more it looks like a single state will be the only viable way both peoples can “co-exist”[ and not very peacefully if present state of animosity continues]. The question that arises is this: can a single state be democratic and equal? Demographics say otherwise.
I suggest you don’t confuse disgust with Israeli policies with condoning terrorism as a response to oppressive policies.Israel’s right to exist shouldn’t be at the expense of the aspirations of another people’s right to exist.
Their “misdeeds” are never justified, else the argument of “one’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” is perfectly valid and one cannot condemn taking up cudgels in response to oppression. That’s exactly how the Israeli state gained its statehood.
The daily trials & tribulations Palestinians face, and even many Israeli Arabs without equal rights, can quite easily be seen in similar light as a threat of genocide being waged against them. Their “misdeeds”, weighed on your scales of genocidal threat, are they then acceptable?Until both sides in this conflict can empathise with each other’s positions, the conflict will continue.
I confess a fascination with this conflict since I visited Israel in the late ’90s. Until then I was largely indifferent, even siding with the general Israeli point of view. What I saw drew so many parallels with South Africa that I grew up in, I remain interested as an observer.
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
A Disccordion
Dtroutma about 11 years ago
Might help if Netanyahu would stop building walls, and settlements on stolen land.
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
lol ! Looked it up; sounds like fun :-)
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
I’m confused. I see Abbas on the right & Netanyahu on the left. So we’re talking about the West Bank, right?Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas because more illegal settlements are being built in the West Bank and a wall snakes across Palestinian villages and lands in the West Bank?; Palestinians support al-Qai’da with…? And illegal settlements are built in the West Bank because Palestinians support Hamas & al-Qai’da? I thought it was because it was fertile land and they don’t care very much who was on it before. Whereas any anger against Israelis and support for armed confrontations (terrorist and otherwise) are because …?
What/which escalates what; what/which is the catalyst?
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
Agreed, the idea of settlements forming a ‘defensive line’ or ‘buffer zone’ lost credibility when more settlements started being built far from the pre-‘67 lines. Withdrawing 9000 settlers from Gaza was relatively easy than thinking of withdrawing 350 000 from the West Bank. The idea of a 2 state solution is dying quickly with more illegal settlements springing up. More and more it looks like a single state will be the only viable way both peoples can “co-exist”[ and not very peacefully if present state of animosity continues]. The question that arises is this: can a single state be democratic and equal? Demographics say otherwise.
I suggest you don’t confuse disgust with Israeli policies with condoning terrorism as a response to oppressive policies.Israel’s right to exist shouldn’t be at the expense of the aspirations of another people’s right to exist.
Their “misdeeds” are never justified, else the argument of “one’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” is perfectly valid and one cannot condemn taking up cudgels in response to oppression. That’s exactly how the Israeli state gained its statehood.
The daily trials & tribulations Palestinians face, and even many Israeli Arabs without equal rights, can quite easily be seen in similar light as a threat of genocide being waged against them. Their “misdeeds”, weighed on your scales of genocidal threat, are they then acceptable?Until both sides in this conflict can empathise with each other’s positions, the conflict will continue.
I confess a fascination with this conflict since I visited Israel in the late ’90s. Until then I was largely indifferent, even siding with the general Israeli point of view. What I saw drew so many parallels with South Africa that I grew up in, I remain interested as an observer.