Dear James,

I understand and share your frustration regarding the impasse in the Middle East.

However, a shared secular state, while it suits your personal values, is something that practically nobody there wants, on either side - and it's them who would have to live with it, not you.

So if you are going to force something on them, then force the two-state solution - at least it has significant support among both local populations. Clearly their leaders cannot reach an agreement, but then there is no need for them agreeing: you just order them even as they kick and scream, "you stay on this side - you on the other, and no more quarrelling or else...".

Once the super-powers finish off the Islamic State, would be a good opportunity for them to continue their collaboration and tell the remaining parties in the Middle East with one voice where exactly they should be. Nobody will then be able to refuse them.

I've just followed the special discussion in the Knesset regarding the two-state solution. It was fascinating and one thing is very clear: unlike most Arab states (including Palestine/Gaza) where it's dangerous to express different opinions, there's no one Israel, but as many views there as there are Israelis.

What emerged in the discussion was that even the Israeli Labor party admits that for now it is not feasible to have a Palestinian state - not with the kind of incitement to destroy Israel which Palestinian children learn in school.

As a result, Labor wants to unilaterally remove 80,000 of the settlers who live the deepest within the West bank (of which they expect, 40,000 would willingly leave and only 40,000 hard-core settlers will resist), then build more protective walls that will better separate Israel from the Palestinians and prevent terror. Labor would not give up on peace in the long term, only admits that conditions are not yet ripe for it. Also, Labor agrees that as Israel cannot afford the Islamic State to gain control on the other side of its border, the Israeli army must remain in the West Bank for now.

Further left, the Meretz party wants an immediate Palestinian state declared on most of the West Bank.

The Arab parties expectedly call for Israel's immediate and unconditional full withdrawal.

Netanyahu as usual wants to continue doing nothing, while his coalition on the right pushes him to take decisive steps that will bring about the utmost despair and total surrender of the Palestinians, then they believe, having lost all national-hope, those Palestinians as individuals would be incorporated into Israel and enjoy economic prosperity.

My own view was missing, which is: "Look, these territories are not ours, we don't want them and eventually we'll not be there, so there's no place for Israeli civilians in there (if some Jews want to live there anyway than that's OK, but they would need to give up their Israeli citizenship). Unfortunately for the time-being, security conditions don't allow us to withdraw the army, but once conditions allow it we shall happily leave".

Hi James,

“The only viable solution that I can see is one secular state with all its residents having equal rights. That may be fanciful, but the alternative, which is a continuation of the status quo, is even worse in the long run.”

Yes, I've written that for years on OLO. I've added - under some international peace-keeping supervision, perhaps for fifty years or so. But a lot of water will have to flow under the bridge, and a lot of Islamist fires put out, before all that will be remotely possible.

So it's good of you to get on-board :)

My bet, though - especially if ISIS has some successes in the near future - is that extreme right-wing Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad will flip from Iran to the Saudis and join ISIS. We'll see.

Cheers,

Joe

Hey, what happened to all the anti-Semitics ? Waiting for instructions from the extreme right Islamist imams ?

Here's an issue for you to get all ropeable about: Jewish agencies bought houses and land from Palestinians from the late nineteenth century and won't give them back. They probably have some notion that once land is Jewish, it will remain Jewish. Is that proper ? [Trick question]

Actually, Jewish families evacuated parts of east Jerusalem to make way for Arab families.

Get stuck in. Somehow mention banks. And conspiracies. And big noses. And the takeover of Hollywood.

Joe

Israelis are MIDDLE EAST NAZIS
That's it pure and simple.
They act in every way exactly like the Nazis did in Warsaw except they havnt exterminated the Palestinians , not because they don't want too its just that they can't with the world watching. But given half a chance !

Met lots of Israelis world wide and in countries like India and Thailand the guest house and taxis hate them and often put out signs saying NO ISRAELIS , for good reason as they treat local people like scum.
Fact
I've traveled extensively for 5 months of every year, for 40 years ,this is viewed behaviour.
JohnBigMac

Hi Big Mac,

Don't you love that logic:

"They act in every way exactly like the Nazis did in Warsaw except they haven't exterminated the Palestinians , not because they don't want too its just that they can't with the world watching. But given half a chance !"

A are as bad as B ! Well, they would be if they could be. Therefore, A are as bad as B ! QED.

Any more pearls of wisdom ? What about banks ? Conspiracies ? Or noses ?

Cheers,

Joe