Greedy Israelis Must Stop Overstepping Their Boundaries!
A major roadblock to stability in the Middle East is the continued threat of border expansion by Israel into neighboring areas that are part of Palestinian territory. The actions of an irresponsible few, rabid, ultra-Zionist Jews must be stopped by the Israeli government before it becomes even harder to get the peace process back in place. Sharon was right, Israel needs to put defensible boundaries around itself; and disconnected speck-like settlements of Jews, scattered around Palestinian territory, need to be: (1) abandoned immediately with no hesitation or (2) the Jews living there need to be told in no uncertain terms that if they decide to remain where the are, they do so at their own peril. Just as there are Arabs inside Israel, these Jews would become Jews who are part of the new Palestine and they would be under the rule of the Palestinian government and all that would entail. If the settlers refuse to budge, Israel should officially wash their hands of them and let them suffer the consequences of their irresponsible behavior.
These Jewish settlers and the scattershot settlements they inhabit are one of the main stumbling blocks to peace in the Middle East. And, I have to say that, frankly, the waxing and waning of the Israeli government's resolve and its present inaction in terms of dismantling remaining settlements does not instill confidence in the Palestinian people or in the broader international community that Israel will actually keep its promises. Israel's pattern of waffling; where they first threaten to eliminate settlements, and in some cases actually deport people back to Israel, and then allow settlers to return and rebuild or allow new construction in other settlements is bad policy that, to the world, makes Israelis look both arrogant and stupid.
I am sure that this image is not what Israeli settlers THINK is the image they are projecting. I am sure the settlers think that Jews everywhere are admiring them and egging them on and applauding the efforts of a "true people" holding on to their "god-given legacy". Well, you know what? They are wrong! Jews around the world are not thinking what great heroes the settlers are or admiring their tenacity and gumption. They are thinking "What are these idiots doing!!?" "These jerks are making Jews look bad!" "These idiots are preventing any possible resolution of political strife in our homeland" The Israeli government and Jews living in the settlement areas need to heed what these Jewish brothers are saying.
So, what advantage is it for Israel to have all these settlements anyway? In short, there is none. Having them, just so a few radicals can make a point or so they can be a thorn in the side of their Arab/Palestinian neighbors/enemies, is childish and shortsighted. There is no way Israel security forces can ever adequately defend anastomosing and precipitously peninsular boundaries. Israel needs to pull its people back to reasonable well defined, defensible boundaries that do not allow the possibility for a quick foreign military action that could cut off important parts of their country from the rest.
Israel needs to get back to the agreed upon peace plan and not let peripheral issues deter it from achieving its primary goal of stability in the region. Stability can only come with a concentrated population inside a well defined and defensible perimeter. Israeli settlements scattered in Gaza and the West Bank are cancers on the land and in the political process. The Israeli government has to step up to the plate and show leadership and get the peace process back on track. It MUST let its misbehaving and trouble-making settlers know that it will not tolerate their efforts to derail peace in the region any longer, and it must give them the choice to come back home or stay where they are and suffer the consequences.
These Jewish settlers and the scattershot settlements they inhabit are one of the main stumbling blocks to peace in the Middle East. And, I have to say that, frankly, the waxing and waning of the Israeli government's resolve and its present inaction in terms of dismantling remaining settlements does not instill confidence in the Palestinian people or in the broader international community that Israel will actually keep its promises. Israel's pattern of waffling; where they first threaten to eliminate settlements, and in some cases actually deport people back to Israel, and then allow settlers to return and rebuild or allow new construction in other settlements is bad policy that, to the world, makes Israelis look both arrogant and stupid.
I am sure that this image is not what Israeli settlers THINK is the image they are projecting. I am sure the settlers think that Jews everywhere are admiring them and egging them on and applauding the efforts of a "true people" holding on to their "god-given legacy". Well, you know what? They are wrong! Jews around the world are not thinking what great heroes the settlers are or admiring their tenacity and gumption. They are thinking "What are these idiots doing!!?" "These jerks are making Jews look bad!" "These idiots are preventing any possible resolution of political strife in our homeland" The Israeli government and Jews living in the settlement areas need to heed what these Jewish brothers are saying.
So, what advantage is it for Israel to have all these settlements anyway? In short, there is none. Having them, just so a few radicals can make a point or so they can be a thorn in the side of their Arab/Palestinian neighbors/enemies, is childish and shortsighted. There is no way Israel security forces can ever adequately defend anastomosing and precipitously peninsular boundaries. Israel needs to pull its people back to reasonable well defined, defensible boundaries that do not allow the possibility for a quick foreign military action that could cut off important parts of their country from the rest.
Israel needs to get back to the agreed upon peace plan and not let peripheral issues deter it from achieving its primary goal of stability in the region. Stability can only come with a concentrated population inside a well defined and defensible perimeter. Israeli settlements scattered in Gaza and the West Bank are cancers on the land and in the political process. The Israeli government has to step up to the plate and show leadership and get the peace process back on track. It MUST let its misbehaving and trouble-making settlers know that it will not tolerate their efforts to derail peace in the region any longer, and it must give them the choice to come back home or stay where they are and suffer the consequences.
right on! if the settlers refuse then the government should wash their hands of them however, if the two state solution is to be implemented then that means all of the settlements, not just the remote ones which are a drain on resources.
However, (back to reality) when you consider the major settlement blocks and all the funding and infrastructure that has been allocated to them, I don't think Israel will ever hand them over.
The settlements are a fundamental component to israel's geopolitical interests to create facts on the ground and dictate permanent status agreements oberwhelmingly in its favor.
Peace for Bethlehem Ghetto.
Posted by odog | Wed Oct 11, 08:10:00 AM EDT
I found this site after reading Fire with Fire, having received a copy for free in the mail.
The level of ignorance reflected in this article is astounding and shocking. Obviously, whoever wrote it has no knowledge of the issues that drive the arab/Israeli conflict and I was shocked to find such a thing here, associated with this book.
Surely the giving up of Gaza has proven that nothing Israel does will ever bring about a peace with the palestinians.
Why does the world continue to disregard what the palestinians say about such a possibility and continue to blame the Jews for the conflict?
Just this past Friday, the PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar
said, and I quote: "Israel is a "cancer" in the Middle East... and we will never establish relations with this 'cancer.' We will never recognize Israel - this is a final, non-negotiable decision."
The palestinians have no interest in peace with Israel. The goal is to pick off the land, inch by inch, and to pick off the Jews, life by life, until Israel is no more and there are no more Jews.
Remember, if the palestinians put down their weapons, there would be peace. If the Israelis put down their weapons, they would all die.
And after that, well, remember that the arabs view Israel as the "little satan" and America as the "big satan."
It is foolhardy and dangerous, to place the blame for the conflict directly upon Israel.
Shame on you.
Posted by LindaSoG | Sat Oct 21, 09:22:00 AM EDT