Yuyutsu wrote:"Israel must change its ways" and when asked to explain how that could be achieved, wrote "you must offer both carrot and stick".

Of course Israel has already been offered both of those ever since it came into being. The USA gives it billions of dollars annually in aid, protects it at the UN, has rushed in military hardware in times of crisis, and even covered up a deliberate Israeli attack on a US navy ship rather than retaliate. Also offering barrow loads of carrots are stupid prime ministers of Australia and Britain, pledging their countries' support for Israel.

Offering the stick have been Israel's Arab neighbours who went to war to rid themselves of Israel, and who probably would have won if it had not been for shipments of armaments rushed to Israel from abroad. Also trying to offer a bit of stick has been the UN which, despite vetoes and other opposition from the USA, has occasionally passed resolutions condemning Israel's actions, only to be ignored by Israel itself and any world powers with enough muscle to enforce the resolutions.

Introducing some practical reality to this discussion, we need to recognize that whatever we might agree is theoretically best, nothing can be changed whilst the USA continues to support Israel in its rogue behaviour.

"we need to recognize that whatever we might agree is theoretically best, nothing can be changed whilst the USA continues to support Israel in its rogue behaviour"

Yes Forkes, you do touch a sore spot, it's this America whom one cannot live with, but cannot live without either. It's not just about Israel, but about almost every area of life.

Without the USA, you would today be toiling as a slave, digging by hand in some central-Australian mine, over 50 degrees in summer, meagre food rations and whipped whenever your superior-race Japanese master thinks you work too slow. Or would perhaps enduring the dullness and constant fear of living under a Soviet/Stalinist regime be any better?

Thank them for that, but on the other hand, it is the USA that keeps poisoning the world with junk: junk-food chains, junk-entertainment, violence, consumerism, GE crops, highest carbon emissions, etc.

I must thank the Americans for keeping my family alive in times of crisis, but not for supporting the Jewish settlers (of which the worst kind are American citizens themselves).

Sigh, there is probably nothing we can really do about it.

Yet again, the claim as if "Israel's behaviour has been consistent for 60 years", is false.

The current situation is indeed bad. Israel is going downhill, it deteriorates in the direction of the middle-east's lowest common denominator and they should indeed feel ashamed of that, but Israel did have better times. While this interview could not have occured today, I wish for Israel to recover and be deserving yet again of the following commentary from 1979: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uHSv1asFvU

Yuyutsu, I feel your pain and feel real sympathy for you.

The problem is that Israel was formed on a false premise: that of trying to ameliorate the horrors inflicted by the Nazis. In trying to lessen one catastrophe, the authorities created another.

The Jews, frightened and angered by what the Nazis did, have become exactly like them. To remedy this, the Israeli Jews have to adopt a different posture: become less arrogant, less militaristic, less imperial, less superior, less fanatical.

For example, they could allow the flotilla of aid ships easy access to Gaza. They could release some of the Palestinians they are holding in jails. They could stop the siege of Gaza and take down all the checkpoints in the West Bank and the concrete wall and stop building settlements and evicting Palestinians from their homes.

If they made some real concessions, they would get some back; then peace might stand a chance.

Yuyutsu wrote: "it is the USA that keeps poisoning the world with junk: junk-food chains, junk-entertainment, violence, consumerism, GE crops, highest carbon emissions, etc."

Agreed completely, and to that list you can add protection and encouragement of the rogue state of Israel.