i have been debating with myself not only as to how i should answer this but even whether i should. i certainly could haul out immigration charts and links and say "an enemy of my enemy" and mention the stern gang and irgun (who i have never referred to as "terrorists" ever, by the way) and engage you is some esoteric pissing contest.
but why? the past is the past and what is is.
you seem like a nice person, a caring person and i am assuming you are jewish. i totally understand your position. i used to live in ireland and knew true believers. they would do a lot of stupid things and get killed. i always figured you aren't going to be able to do much fighting if you are six feet under.
i am a gentile. my voice is not as strong as yours. israel listens to the voice of american jews. so let's skip over the past and move right into the solution phase of the competition.
a genocide is occurring to the palestinian people. i don't use that word without a lot of caution. i have been supporting the palestinian cause for some 40 years now, and just started using it. history will record it and, because of what happened to the jews in WWII, you will be eternally linked to the NAZIs. your legacy will be as their's. furthermore, a genocide of the palestinian people is going to be the death of judaism. germany was big, and they are still recovering from what they have done to the jews. they still suffer from a national shame. these things do not go away. israel, and judaism, is much smaller.
so let's cut to the quick. i hear jewish people, israel supporters, talk a lot and excuse israel for all kinds of things, but i want your answer. i want you to tell me what you think the solution is. i want you to tell me what it will take for jews and israelis to help create a strong and viable palestinian state? what should the borders be? what kind of cooperation should they expect on east jerusalem? how can israel help palestine be a good neighbour and a prosperous country? what is a soloution to the refugee issue?
all i really hear from israel is why something cannot be done, and i never even hear a why, and all i see right now is israel making worse enemies in the region.
The solution is quite simple. The Palestinians should:
1. Stop sending suicide bombers into Israel to kill, injure, and maim as many men, women, and children as possible.
2. Stop booby trapping Israeli installations for the same purpose.
3. Stop firing rockets randomly into Israeli residential neighborhoods with the hope of hitting and killing or maiming somebody.
4. Stop kidnapping, torturing, and murdering Israeli citizens.
5. Demand that their leaders denounce ALL terrorism against Israelis, deal harshly with any who commit it, and remove all inflammatory language against Israel from their mandates, charters, and statements of purpose.
6. Pledge to be good neighbors of Israel and follow through by being good neighbors of Israel.
If they do this, make it stick, and Israel does not then become a good and honorable neighbor to the Palestinians, then Israel will be harshly criticized by me and I will not feel all that charitable about supporting Israel.
Until, then, I will not fault the Israelis for doing anything and everythng that they feel they must to protect and defend their people.
that really doesn't sound like a solution to me. for one thing, they have pretty much done a lot of these things. israel is the one who has constantly broken agreements anyway.
i am asking you, then, suppose all these things were true (and again, many of them are) what do you think israel should do to help thye palestinian people be prosperous and in a viable homeland...i.e. be a good neoghbour to israel?
it is not a threatening question or even a position based question. it is an interest based question. ti is interest based to not go through each of the six point you mentioned and refute them.
i will say this. i do think it is natve, to say the least, to just say that the israelis will do right by the palestinians.
let me throw this out for you. we have UNGA resolution 181 which whatever body representing palestine neither accepted or rejected. ok. then we have some sort of war, some call it a civil war, some call it an arab israeli war...and the israelis win...in 1948. i am still with you. BUT, in 1949 after a cessation of hostilities the UN does a UNGA resolution 273 where israel, in order to become a UN member state, agrees with the UN to abide by UNGA 181. that is an agreement with the UN and has nothing to do with anything else. israel has a right to defend her borders certainly but also has an obligation not to expand her borders.
so i will hand you 181 and i will hand you the present situation and i will ask you to give me some concrete proposals as to a solution based on making a viable palestinian state with the knowledge that if, indeed, the palestinians are genocided, you are aware that thestate of israel will no longer exist in the future.
so what works for both. you have the offered, the twice offered, arab peace initiative.
try to think 50 years into the future, and try to put yourself not only of the palestinians, but also the israelis who have to live there.
also, my compliments. usually people duck and run when approached with that question.
