may i have some peta for my hamas...
Been watching a bit of Charlie Rose lately. Discovered that you can watch back episodes at www.charlierose.com . Went through most of the interviews Charlie conducted with the several Israeli prime ministers and leaders Olmert, Sharon, Barak & Peres. I wanted to get a clearer picture of the situation over there over from Camp David on... What I keep hearing from the Israelis, both hawks and doves, is essentially that the Palestinian leaders, the Syrians, et. al. talk a lot about peace and what they are willing to do, but that there is never any action. The world puts pressure on Israel to move forward in implementing concessions and they do move forward to a point, but they keep saying that they need something more than words from the Palestinian side to proceed. Several of them characterized Mahmoud Abbas as an honest, well-intentioned statesman who they thought they could work with. But they have yet to see the Palestinians DO one thing to stem the terrorism or to make any progress in their responsibilities.
Enter the past few days' events. What are we supposed to do with a Palestinian state that is so volatile? It highlights one of the great problems for Israel. When all is said and done and there is a contiguous Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, what kind of neighbors can the Israelis expect to have? How can Israel 'give back' strategic areas when doing so creates a salient that can so easily become a staging area for Hamas or even something worse?
I guess the big question is... what can the Palestinians do to finally create a stable government, free of these unstable organizations such as Hamas, that their neighbors can realistically deal with. It seems like the majority of Israelis and Palestinians who seem to want a workable situation where they can just live and work and enjoy the land in peace deserve an answer.
But the thing that chaps my chaps is that when Israel does anything that is perceived to destabilize the peace process, like their response in Lebanon last summer, the world comes down on them pretty hard. But when the Palestinians, or the Syrians, or Hamas, or Hezbollah do things that raise question about even the possibility of ever achieving a workable solution, we seem to pussyfoot around it. I don't get it.
Enter the past few days' events. What are we supposed to do with a Palestinian state that is so volatile? It highlights one of the great problems for Israel. When all is said and done and there is a contiguous Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, what kind of neighbors can the Israelis expect to have? How can Israel 'give back' strategic areas when doing so creates a salient that can so easily become a staging area for Hamas or even something worse?
I guess the big question is... what can the Palestinians do to finally create a stable government, free of these unstable organizations such as Hamas, that their neighbors can realistically deal with. It seems like the majority of Israelis and Palestinians who seem to want a workable situation where they can just live and work and enjoy the land in peace deserve an answer.
But the thing that chaps my chaps is that when Israel does anything that is perceived to destabilize the peace process, like their response in Lebanon last summer, the world comes down on them pretty hard. But when the Palestinians, or the Syrians, or Hamas, or Hezbollah do things that raise question about even the possibility of ever achieving a workable solution, we seem to pussyfoot around it. I don't get it.
posted by yonderincarp at 17:21
3 Comments:
The owner of Perfect 10 magazine (from your town coincidently) had the best solution I've ever heard. A grant, by a group of nations, for the Palestinian people. Every time a suicide bombing appears, X amount of money from that grant that should have gone to the Palestinian people goes to the family of the victims instead.
Will it work? Who knows? But it was a noble idea.
I always wondered why Israel has to give up land for the Palestinians? The other Arab countries in the area (ie. Syria, Jordan etc.) have gobs of land...way more than Israel. They could easily take in any refugees, or give up part of their land to the Palestinians.
And, I don't say this trying to be recisit or anything, but I've seen it first hand...many of the Arabs over there tend to be uneducated, or simply raised to believe Israel is pure evil. Can't really get them to stop trying to decimate Israel until they stop training their kids that Israel must be destroyed.
I could go on and on about this...its close to my heart.
zombie... interesting proposal. i am not sure the folk who are blowing themselves up really care about money so much OR a workable solution. but i am down!
heidi... yeah, it is kind of wild how many good arguments from so many different perspectives. i think the consensus now is that Israel should go back to the original two state solution from before the '67 war. it sounds like that is where they will end up eventually, with no 'right of return' to Israel itself.
have been wondering lately what would happen if Israel just unilaterally pulled back to the '67 borders. then the palestinians would have their state and less to complain about, less rationale for all that hate you are talking about.
i know that you guys saw a lot of that first hand when you were over there. would be interested to hear more of your experience...
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