Ho Hum,

The ultra-orthodox and the settlers are totally different groups, so the economic problems that you describe, while interesting, have nothing to do with this subject of peace, war and the status of Jerusalem. Note that, as opposed to the settlers, most of those ultra-orthodox Jews are anti-zionist and some even consider themselves Palestinian!

As for the American support and Israel supposedly being a "welfare state", all that support accounts for about a sixth of Israel's enormous defense budget. Had there been peace, Israel could have been prosperous and financially-independent DESPITE its ultra-orthodox issue.

Talking about finances, the real big and unresloved issue is who's going to open their purse to pay for compenstaing the settlers with alternative housing within Israel. Once you find that donor, the middle-east problems would be half-over.

First question I always ask - have you ever lived in Jerusalem or its environs, Ms Haidary? You may get good marx for your idea of borderless nations but, oh dear, you have much to learn, especially about that part of the world and Jerusalem in particular.

I suspect - if your name is not a pseudonym - that you are an Islamist apologist, and judging by what you've written, it's just another variant of a false premise put out by the terrorist organizations, HAMAS and the PLO (which now called itself the 'Palestinian Authority'). Your article contains a number of blatant lies. HAMAS and the PLO have absolutely no intention of any kind of peaceful coexistence with Israel. There 'Charters' (Constitutions) demand the total destruction of the State of Israel, and HAMAS goes further and advocates (and attempts) the total genocide of all Jews (and the expulsion of Christians).

If you lived in Gaza, you'd be under Sharia law and wouldn't be allowed to attend university and your husband / male family members could beat you at will for any perceived infringements of their misogynist ideology.

The Jerusalem / Gaza / 'Palestinian' issue has nothing to do with land or new building in Jerusalem - it's a death struggle between cultures; liberal, Western, democratic Jewish / Christian vs medievalist, Eastern, autocratic theocratic Islamist supremists.

"it's a death struggle between cultures; liberal, Western, democratic Jewish / Christian vs medievalist, Eastern, autocratic theocratic Islamist supremists"

- Good observation, except that some of the Jews are in the other camp. They are not Islamist of course, technically, but had they been in power you would practically feel hardly different under their rule than under the Hamas in Gaza.

About half of the Jewish settlers live where they live for the explicit mystical purpose of bringing over their Messiah, and once that Messiah comes you can forget about anything liberal, western or democratic - he will establish a masculine, authocratic, theocratic, supremist regime just as in Gaza and Iran. You may consider that a nonsense superstition, but once the settlers have the numbers, they would in fact be unable to resist the temptation to crown one of them as "Messiah", who will then start a rule of terror.

@ RichardJoachim

Hi Richard.. I was banned for a month before I had a chance to address your concerns about various issues expressed on the State Sponsored Jew hatred thread....

I'm happy to do that, but not here.. as I might be sin binned again.

You can write to me at adl777@y7mail.com

Hope to hear from you soon.
cheers