Yuyutsu said:
“This is why BDS has value unrelated to the 'peace-process', unrelated to the Arab/Palestinian desire to destroy Israel: BDS is also applied by Jewish groups and other friends of Israel in attempt to bring Israel back to its senses. Even if the war goes on, even if Palestinians never except Israel's existence, Israel itself will be stronger and morally viable without those territories and the 'holy-places' therein. Thus this is a worthwhile internal Jewish/Israeli campaign."

Yuyutsu, the BDS campaign isn’t ‘applied’ by Jewish groups and friends of Israel – they are the minority. The majority of Jews in Israel and worldwide are vehemently opposed to BDS.
The sole purpose of the BDS campaign is the delegitimization and destruction of the Jewish state. What is worthwhile about that (unless you’re anti-Semitic)? In the process, 1,000s of Palestinian workers in Israel and the so-called “West Bank” are harmed, as they make up the bulk of the workers in the factories producing the goods that are being boycotted. Where’s the value in that?

As far as Israel is concerned, it doesn’t want to keep any of the territories (hence already gave back Gaza) as it doesn’t need to inherit another 1.2M Arab residents. Israel offered to give back 97% of the land won back in the 1967 war – Arafat and all Palestinian leaders since then refused, and continue to refuse. Even Jerusalem, the holiest city to all 3 major religions, when it was under Arab rule (before 1967) was barred to Christians and Jews – till now, the Dome of the Rock is barred to any but Moslems. Where is the equity in that? The situation is deplorable but the BDS aside from being a sensationalist propaganda machine, serves no use at all.

Palestinians coming to the table and offering peace would serve a purpose. Is the BDS movement proposing that??

Dear Sabra,

I know it's an unholy alliance, but if it helps to bring Israel back to its senses, then it must be.

Yes, Palestinian factory-workers would lose their jobs: too bad - when the priority is to save Israel from moral extinction, those Palestinians who cooperate with the settlers may have to suffer. Israel cannot afford to sacrifice its integrity for those few 1000s (perhaps it should compensate them financially instead).

You claim that Israel does not want to keep any of the territories - then why does it stay there?!

You know just as well that Palestinians WILL NOT be coming to the table and offer peace, that even if they do it will only be a show, a tactic, a 'Hudna' until such time they feel strong enough again to try to win the land over and throw the Jews to the sea.

Given that, Israel must consider its own good and its own internal affairs without recourse to false hopes. Rather than wait for Palestinian cooperation, it should take its fate in its own hands and simply get out of those cursed territories.

While it is unlikely that Israel will have peace with the Palestinians, it can thus make peace with itself and with the rest of the world, then start on the road to recovery from this 46-year poisoning.

As for security, once Israel is united within and respected among the international community, it can rebuild the wall over its 1967 borders, then make it clear with the backing of the whole world that any trespassing into its own territory after its withdrawal will be met with such harsh, horrific and extreme measures that the Arabs should not even contemplate such actions. Sure, they will still not recognise Israel, but none of them will dare to attack a unified and morally-strong Israel that is sovereign within internationally recognised and protected borders.

Yuyutsu, you're almost on the right track. Israel DOES want to give back all the territories - both Gaza and the West Bank are self-determined, Gaza ruled by the terrorist organisation HAMAS, and WB by the morally & financially corrupt Palestinian Authority. Israel will give back 97% of the territories in exchange for peace. Where's the peace offer?

As you say, Palestinians don't want a 2 state solution, they want Israel in the sea and no Jews in the Middle East - despite the fact that there are 40 billion Arabs in 42 countries surrounding the tiny sliver that is Israel with its miniscule 8M people (2M of which are Arab or Christian).

Most people don't realise that Israel is 1/3 the size of Tasmania. Is it a question of land? I DON'T THINK SO!

Dear Sabra,

If Israel DOES want to give back all the territories, then why doesn't it do so?

A sane person who wants to leave a place, just does so and certainly wouldn't invest more in it instead.
If Israel were sane and truly didn't want to hold onto those territories, then it would not build more settlements in the West-Bank and expand the existing ones; or a wall in the middle of it rather than over its border.

But Israel is not sane - Israel is under the influence of poison. That occupation has numbed its sense of direction.

Enough focusing on Arabs and THEIR problems as lame excuses - Israel needs help. The world needs to show it the direction for its own healing, which is westward, not eastward.

Yuyutsu, I have other things to do than correspond with you forever on this topic. Just one final reply to respond to your suggestion that Israel just get on with it and "move out", and that is: WE DID!

Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2007 (ie, without a peace agreement or any kind of agreement from the other side - which is what you're suggesting we do again now) and look what HAMAS, the Palestinian leaders, did! Instead of using Israel's aid to build hospitals, schools and infrastructure to improve Palestinian life, HAMAS attacked Israel with 1000's of rockets and has never stopped. So where did that magnanimous gesture lead? Absolutely nowhere!

Whatever land (the 3%) Israel is still trying to hold onto is to assure her security (11km between the West Bank and the Mediterranean at Israel's narrowest point - you try feeling secure with those kind of borders). I really truly and honestly recommend that you do a helluva lot more research before you continue to make recommendations which bigger & better minds than yours have thought of, long before you!

Dear Sabra,

Israel was prematurely stopped from completing its retaliatory operations in Gaza.
Militarily, it had no difficulty destroying every building there and killing every single man with connections to Hamas, including anyone who happens to be in their vicinity.
The Gazans however, could expect in advance Israel to be stopped, or else they wouldn't dare shoot their rockets across.

The reason Israel was stopped by the world, time and again, is that is still holds the West Bank, thus still considered an occupier and pariah-state by the rest of the world.

Had it not been the case, had Israel been considered a normal and legitimate state like Australia, then Israel could do just what Australia would have done if someone dared to attack it with rockets. Nobody would have stopped Australia from annihilating its attackers outright (if only we had the appropriate weapons, of course, which Israel has).

Thus Israel should leave the West Bank under agreement, but not a phoney agreement with the Palestinians - rather an agreement with the rest of the world (represented by the UN security council) that grants it "normalhood", that allows it to do, without interference, just what any other country would have done if attacked.

As for the land, that 3% that Israel is still trying to hold onto, that has nothing to do with security, but with the fact that it contains the biggest concentration of settlers and 'holy-places'. That is the most toxic 3% of that cursed territory, small in size - big in venom.