Amazing, an Israeli leader who has the chance to win that might actually compromise? How long until she is assassinated?
You've got to love Israel. "I know we stole all your land, but you can have half of it back. We're all good now, ok."
I'm a bigger fan of the "We were threatened on all sides by a triple-team of invaders. Not only did we beat them back, but actually took some of their land, until the UN made us give it back" part.
No doubt. As much as I like Israel, it's doomed within a couple of generations. Population growth between different segments of the population as well as the democratic principles that have helped set the country apart are going to cause it to implode. If the Palestinians and other actors so keen on destroying Israel would be patient and buy into the democratic process, they would paint Israel into a corner from a PR perspective as well as a reality-based one. Ed O.
Considering Israel had heavy infusions of help from the US, in the form of arms and training, it's not quite as remarkable as you make it out. The US has been making the "war" more and more asymmetrical in Israel's favour over the decades.
I agree, Minstrel, but I was speaking specifically about the 1967 and 1973 wars. And any materiel gains Israel got from the US up to 1973 were more than matched by USSR contributions to the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. There's a decent story about how Andropov basically sent a message to Kissinger in 1973 saying something to the effect of "don't start WW3 over this crap". Kissinger didn't even wake up Nixon, just sent the response back in Nixon's name. Then he told Israel (paraphrase) "If you pre-emptively attack this time, we won't send a scrap of help your way"
I just don't see how someone can root for the forced annexation of native land and collective punishment of over a million people.
It won't happen. There are too many Palestinians who won't stop until Israel is driven out of existence. When they turned down the Oslo Accords, you knew the Palestinians never wanted peace.
I'm not hearing anyone talk about the cultural-religious aspect of this. I understand many of you may not believe in Imaginary Friends and stuff, but a lot of those people do. And some think that their imaginary friend tells them to eradicate the believers of the "false" imaginary friend. I don't understand how politicians giving up land makes either side give up lifelong-held beliefs about the inability to coexist with the other. For instance, the President of Iran does not believe Israel should exist at all. Would he (for one) be happy with Israel only existing in half their original land?
There are a lot of angry people on both sides, but eventually those people die. We don't hate the British or the Spanish or the Japanese or the Germans anymore (well, maybe the Germans). If we get to a point in the middle east where there isn't constant warfare, then possibly a new generation won't be so angry. Certainly it is tougher in that region, since you've got both religion and geographical close contact to deal with. Maybe I'm an optimist, but I don't think it is impossible. If it is impossible, though, we ought to just nuke them all and be done with it. barfo
