Dear David,

<<Some Jews reply on Saturdays - some don't.>>

Some Jews take the bible seriously and believe that its first 5 books were dictated directly by God to Moses who wrote them down accurately, intact with every tag, including even its music notes.

Other Jews believe that this is not so, who in fact consider the bible as nonsense, including many Jewish atheists who rely on archaeological, contextual and grammatical evidence to the contrary.

Then there are a third type of Jews who do not believe in the divine origins of the bible, but nevertheless use it when convenient with poker faces, notably among them, those who think that the bible starts and ends with the book of Joshua.

Do you personally believe that the bible was handed by God?
If so, what makes you deny the bible's verses which clearly instruct Jews not to light fire on the Sabbath (including the official oral tradition which is considered an integral part of the bible, according to which electricity is a form of fire as it produces sparks), but to accept wholeheartedly those verses where God promises the land to the Jews, then again deny those other verses, from both the Pentateuch and the prophets, which condition that same promise on appropriate conduct?

<<You sum up the position so well:>>

So if you so much agree with me, how come you do not reach the same conclusion - that Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories ASAP, build the big wall on its 1967 border, then make it known that after that withdrawal if any Palestinian dares even to stick their tongue across the wall, then all Palestinians will be bombarded and reduced to ashes?

You know very well that once Israel returns to its 1967 borders with no 'ifs' or 'buts', then there will no longer be there 'Left' or 'Right', 'National camp' or 'Peace camp', but instead a united Israel, armed to its teeth, willing and able to face any danger - that would surely stop any hostilities!

David
The peace process has been going on for 60 years. Entire generations have passed away without the slightest progress. During the same time the Irish and British have found common ground, even Stalins evil USSR has progressed and relinquished its Empire.

But Israel's inhuman contempt for Palestinians will not be restrained. The daily humiliation, persecution and intimidation of 2.5 million Palestinians can no longer be overshadowed by peace talks which are a mere ruse to divert global outrage.

We see you David, we know you. The tricks and lies are no longer effective, just sad. Playing the victim no longer cuts it. Israel is a well equipped, nuclear power, playing the victim may for a time still work at the highest levels in Washington but those days are number too.

It is time for Israel to join the brotherhood of man and stop making itself a pariah, a grotesque cruel embarrassment. As for jews not Zionists - you have heard of google?

David
I have no problem with Israel existing within its original UN endorsed boundary. I don't support the Zionist use of the bible to justify the claim to territory. What religious book was ever written that doesn't side with the home team? Just today we have report that parts of the bible are now proved to be nonsense - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2014/feb/13/old-testament-camels-zionism-genesis - not that we should be surprised about that.

#Yuyutsu

Unilateral disengagement was tried by Israel from Gaza in return for which it received 12000 missiles fired indiscriminately into civilian population centres and numerous terrorist attacks and infiltrations into its sovereign territory.

Would you have advised Israel in your own words "after that withdrawal if any Palestinian dares even to stick their tongue across the wall, then all Palestinians will be bombarded and reduced to ashes?"

You are being extremely naive in calling for a unilateral disengagement by Israel from the West Bank.

I believe that any withdrawal by Israel from the West Bank will only take place after a negotiated agreement or after unilateral annexation of parts of Areas "B" and "C".

In my view that will not occur with the PLO but there is a chance it might occur with Jordan - the last Arab state to occupy the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1948-1967

#Candide

Nice to know you are not calling for the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel.

I don't believe a Jewish state within the boundaries of the 1947 partition Plan is a possibility any longer. Too much has happened since then to make it a possibility.

The refusal of the Arabs to accept the Partition plan believing they could push the Jews into the sea was an enormous error. They still persist with this idea. Whilst they do so - any hope of resolving the Jewish-Arab conflict is on hold.

The best one can hope for is a return - so far as is now possible - to the situation prevailing at June 1967 that will have to take into account the realities now existing - namely 500000 Jews living in the West Bank and Jerusalem where none lived between 1948-1967 after all the Jews who had then been living there for decades had been driven out of these areas as a result of the 1948 War.

The PLO has made it clear it will never agree to such a proposal.

Maybe Jordan will.

Time will tell.

#Yebiga

You state:

"The peace process has been going on for 60 years. Entire generations have passed away without the slightest progress. "

You are wrong once again for the following reasons:

1. the peace process has been going on for 94 years since the San Remo Conference and the Treaty of Sevres in 1920.

2. Amazing progress has been made with:
(a) the Arabs obtaining exclusive control of 78% of Palestine in 1922
(b) Egypt signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979
(c) Israel and the PLO signing the Oslo Accords in 1993
(d) Jordan signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1994
(e) 95% of West Bank Arabs now being under the full administrative control of the PLO
(f) 100% of Gazan Arabs being under full administrative and security control of Hamas

I am still awaiting your response to the following request:

"BTW - please identify specifically who you claim to be "the growing number of Jews who are critical of the very existence of Israel".

How many are there and where are they based? Have you any articles you can point me to so we can have a facts based discussion?

I need to know where you get the information relied on by you which has prompted your question to me - especially since your ridiculous claim that Israel and Iran were the only two religious states in the world has been shown to be a load of codswallop.

Furnish the information and I will respond."

When can I expect your response?

History can sometimes offer interesting parallels and warnings. The Jewish people of the 1st and 2nd century AD made such a continuous nuisance of themselves fighting with their neighbours and constantly dissimulating that the Romans lost patience and destroyed Jerusalem, evicted them, sold into slavery, dispersing them across the empire.

An entirely unusual and extraordinary thing for the Romans to do. In a 800 years of Roman Empire history it stands out as one of the more shameful actions by the Romans.

Here we are 2000 years later, they return and behold nothing has changed. They can't get on with their neighbours, they revolt, stomp, plead and infuriate. Poor dears Everyone hates them, everyone wants to destroy them.

no agreement can be reached without it being breached before the ink dries.

I fear it will end poorly. When the Rome of today, Washington, inevitably loses patience with this vexatious, take my ball home stomping, the never ending sooking and moaning, the billions of US gifted dollars will dry up, the boycott, divestiture, sanctions will become universal.