Israel wants Mubarak or a Mubarak-clone to return to power and brutally oppress 80 million people again so that 6 million people in Israel (who are brutally oppressing the Palestinians) can feel secure.

There is a word for that kind of selfish thinking.

"There is a word for that kind of selfish thinking"

And how would you behave differently, Mr. G, if your own and your family's life was at stake?

6 million people in Israel are not oppressing Palestinians - only a few of them do, while the others cannot do much more about it than they can do about the weather, or about Egypt for that matter.

Yuyutsu,

"6 million people in Israel are not oppressing Palestinians-only a few of them do".

Sophistry, it's rather like claiming that only Mubarak's police force oppressed Egyptians. The 'settler' carpetbaggers are supported by the Israeli state which is more than enough evidence of bad faith. The average Israeli doesn't seem to be much agitated by the injustices that the Paletinians suffer at Zionist hands,otherwise the land theft would stop, wouldn't it?

David Singer,

The Egyptians are the best judges as to whether or not that treaty was in their interests.

Dear Mac,

"The average Israeli doesn't seem to be much agitated by the injustices that the Paletinians suffer at Zionist hands,otherwise the land theft would stop, wouldn't it?"

Well, you seem agitated by it - and what difference does it make? (NIL)
If you happened to be an Israeli, how much more could you really do about it? (NIL)

As in any democracy, either Tweedledum or Tweedledee are going to be elected - does it mean that you should be held responsible for the actions of Julia & Tony?

Most Israelis consider themselves "Zionists" simply because when they first asked their kindi-teacher: "Sarah, what is a zionist?" they got the answer: "A zionist is someone who shares his toys with his friends". I am quite sure that if YOUR kindi-teacher gave you that answer you would also consider yourself a zionist.

Seriously, Israelis are just normal people who just care about paying their bills, raising their children and the like. The "territories" for most is something you see on TV, the same way as you would from Australia. There is one difference though: the constant fear of bombs and rockets, and since all zionist political-parties promise to lift the security-level and reduce those threats, people just have to vote for one of them, which then finds itself unable to form a coalition without the settlers, adding to the general feeling of hopelessness.

The formation of Israel might have been a mistake, but generations have been born there since who know no other home, yet Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and many other Arabs and even our friend here David G., wish to kick them out of their homes as far away as possible - any wonder why under such conditions they should cling to any party offering them a bit of security?

Please consider how would you feel in the situation of being blamed for things that are beyond your control.

Yuyustu,

Yes, even though I don't agree with the arguments that Zionists use for the creation of Israel, it's here to stay. Of course, all settler states are the result of invasion and dispossession, what's done is done, however the process in Israel continues in the name of 'security'. Perhaps I'm rather naive in assuming that if Israel stops its expansionist policies it might in fact achieve at least part of the security its population seeks. I don't accept that the hostility to Israel by the Palestinians is the result of some existential struggle with Islam rather than resistance to the invader.
It's very hard to accept that a state with such an overwhelming advantage in military power really has practically no options, as you suggest. The recent revelations about the rejection of Palestinian overtures by Israel's political elite seems rather damning evidence to me.

As to the Iraeli public's passivity, I'd like to see polling on the average Israeli's attitude towards Palestinians, Arabs and 'settlers' before I'd accept your arguments.

With 200 + nukes and the lunatic disposition to use them,no country threatens Israel.They even have the USA well under the thumb.Last yr 300 of 450 US congressmen signed a letter of allegiance to Israel promising not to critise them no matter what they do.

To say that Israel is threatened is a grand deception.The Zionists might feel threatened since they will lose power to more moderate influences.