There is nothing quite so boring as a persistent, loudmouthed, bigotted fool.

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There was always a reunification option, although not on terms which would suit the current Israel. I'm not talking about reunification of Russian, American and European jews in a "homeland" cleared of its former inhabitants, but of reunification of Palestine on its former borders, with proper and equal democratic government and protections for the life and liberties of all inhabitants, not just those who believe themselves to be superior.

Contrary to what David Singer writes, any effective solutions to Israel's problems must concurrently be solutions to those problems which have arisen from the unilateral and continuing partitioning of Palestine and the forced impoverishment and continual exercise of terror and military superiority against those who have been exiled from their own lands.

All readers can sympathise with those who are caught up in a situation which is becoming messier and messier with each passing year, the creation of Israel by Western powers post-World War Two. It was doomed from the start by the desire of the newcomers to establish a form of apartheid which discriminated against christians and moslems and those of no faith at all.

If David wishes, he could buy a T-shirt and support Ex-US President Jimmy Carter's organisation for about 20 quid from here: http://www.freedomnotfashion.com/products/peace-not-apartheid-t-shirt

Peace not Apartheid, it says. NB: Not Peace With Apartheid.

Dear Julian,

<<*DEMOCRACY - a secular, non-racist democratic state from the Mediterranean to the Jordan border for those who belong there by birth or by proven DIRECT descent from identified individuals born there.>>

Two thoughts:

1) How would you feel if your grandparents, who arrived in Australia as children and done nothing wrong in their life, are to be expelled from their homes and nursing homes back to England (oh, and how would the British elderly feel about sharing their nursing and medical facilities with this wave of Australian elderly refugees)?

2) How many Arabs/Palestinians do you know who would be [sincerely] willing to live in a secular state? Even if they exist, how could they possibly oppose their fanatic Islamic brethren who do not?

You seem to view the world as a chess-board, moving the pieces around according to your high theoretical ideals with no consideration to the actual pawns.

Dear Yutusyu,

My apologies for just dipping a toe in but I couldn't resist.

How do you think all those permanent British ex-pats felt when Britain honoured a 99 year old lease and handed back Hong Kong to the Chinese?

Israel is notably younger than the colony Hong Kong was.

Israel is in many ways just such a colonial enterprise.

Dear Csteele,

Nobody, especially no elderly person, was forced to leave Hong Kong because the 99 years expired.

Israel may be a colonial enterprise, but it doesn't mean that each and every person living there is a colonialist, so my reply was in response to EmperorJulian who suggested to throw every person who wasn't born there, who once immigrated to israel, back to the country they came from (perhaps even 50 years earlier, perhaps a place they only knew as babies).

To halduell

“It is worth noting, however, that it is one thing to be dispossessed, and another to emigrate.”

Thank you

One million Jews approximately were forcibly evicted from the countries where they had lived for centuries. Leaving property, businesses and possessions, in many cases being forced to sign them over to the State

The Arab population of Palestine, most of whom had been in the country no more than 20 to 40 years, were urged to leave by their leaders with the promise of return when “The Zionist entity had been annihilated” there is plenty of proof of that

On the other hand Jewish leaders urged the Arabs to remain in Palestine and become citizens of Israel. The Assembly of Palestine Jewry issued this appeal on October 2, 1947:

"We will do everything in our power to maintain peace, and establish a cooperation gainful to both [Jews and Arabs]. It is now, here and now, from Jerusalem itself, that a call must go out to the Arab nations to join forces with Jewry and the destined Jewish State and work shoulder to shoulder for our common good, for the peace and progress of sovereign equals."

On November 30, the day after the UN partition vote, the Jewish Agency announced:

“The main theme behind the spontaneous celebrations we are witnessing today is our community's desire to seek peace and its determination to achieve fruitful cooperation with the Arabs....“

Israel's Proclamation of Independence, issued May 14, 1948, also invited the Palestinians to remain in their homes and become equal citizens in the new state:

"In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its bodies and institutions....We extend our hand in peace and neighborliness to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all."

To #Candide:

My name for your inane suggestion - Neverland

Have you any opinion on the proposal to reunite the Arab parts of the West Bank with Jordan to restore the status quo that had existed between 1950-1967 until Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the Six Day War?

Have you any opinion on the proposal to restore Jordanian citizenship and Jordanian passports for Arab residents of the West Bank as existed from 1950-1988?

Are you interested in exacerbating the Jewish-Arab conflict or trying to resolve it?