Originally posted by Crepitus
Actually the problem is the extremists on both sides. Unfortunately they are in charge on both sides as well. I have been to Israel many times and have many friends among both Israelis and Palestinians. They aren't interested in fighting this war, they just wanna do their jobs, have a beer after work (or coffee for the Muslims), and live their lives. Sadly they are the ones that end up dying.
Crepitus visited Israel many times, met lots of palestinian Arabs and came back to the United States convinced that Palestinians are only interested in jobs, beer and coffee and only a small minority of radicals are interested in the right of return, equal rights in their entire homeland, etc...
But for some unknown, magical, supernatural reason the struggle against zionist colonization of their homeland continues unabated for almost 150 years drawing hundreds of thousands of protesters in the WB, Gaza, the palestinian diaspora and Israel itself.
Even when there was no convenient "extremists" in Palestine to use as a scapegoat as in 1987 (First Intifada) when the PLO was exiled in Tunisia and Hamas didn't even exist yet.
The lack of political leadership did not prevent the spontaneous, popular rebelion from erupting.
Political analysts, "experts" on Israel-Palestine and even ordinary tourists like Crepitus don't even have time to finish their sentence "
Palestinians support the 2 state solution and just want to lead normal lives" and a new mass rebellion, uprising arises even in places that are not occupied by Israel like Gaza.
It would be comical if it weren't so tragic and embarrasing.
You start feeling sorry for all the embarrassment the "experts" on Palestine and ordinary tourists like Crepitus have to endure.
Crepitus, there is none so blind as those who will not see.
When experts and tourists like you say one thing about Palestinians and reality insists on saying the opposite, someone is wrong here, and trust me, it's not reality.