Dear Oz,

Many, many congratulations on your aniversary ... and to your partner.

May you both have many more happy anniversaries like this!

Lovely to have someone share their happy news.

Dear Oz,

Considering the makeup of Israeli society, Arabs in the Knesset ... in the Diplomatic corps, in the highest levels of the Services, in academia etc. etc.

Considering that particular Arab groups (and others) persecuted in Arab society have their HQs in Israel.

Considering the freedom of speech and of the press enjoyed in Israel, and that there are numerically more human rights groups active in Israel per capita than elsewhere in the world ...

Whilst applying a BDS on Israel, why not enforce a comparable level of sanction against Palestinian territories. To bring about: agreement to Israel's right to exist, agreement on a two state solution, and final borders. Without such a committment of the Palestinian people, all else is futile.

Dear Danielle ,

I see your point , but where are Arab privileges & support within Israel getting them & what would a BDS in Palestinian territories achieve ?
I suppose it could , but I can't see how .

Dear Oz,

Perhaps not a BDS, but something severe enough to make them realise that they can't, as a
people, keep drifting along for another sixty years. That the world is getting a little impatient. It doesn't seem that their leaders are held accountable for the billions poured into their territory.

They really have to grow up and take responsibility for their future.

Dear Oz,

Palestinians do receive benefits from Israel, to the extent that ... read Saturday, 12 March 2011 12:05:45 AM above.

This also may make many indifferent as the three main issues mentioned above ..

Dear Danielle ,
No solutions from me tonight .
But I think that there are similarities between the Palestinians & the Australian Aboriginal people . There are obviously wide differences too. But I see very close similarities between , for example , their different dysfunctional responses to their quite similar respective cases of collective psychic shock .
I don't think that aberration can be cured in Australia or elsewhere by throwing money or selected privileges at it , as the Australian government likes to do , in its own very restrained way .