I absolutely agree with the (birthplace of modern democracy, liberty and fraternity) French proposals and resolutions and reject completely and out of hand, your par for the course rejection of any viable or proposed, workable peace deal!

I suggest you'd be completely against anything that ended the ongoing epansion of illegal settlements annexed and held by force inside occupied territory.

Documents that claim them as legitimate lawful purchases are hardly worth the paper they're written on if they were printed and allegedly signed in downtown Tel Aviv?

Perhaps the only way to resolve this issue for all time, is for the UN to completely undo the original annexation that created today's Israel to begin with?

Then see just how quickly Israel can get to the negotiating table to hammer out a honorable deal that they and their Palestinian brotherhood can live with and truly respect!?
Alan B.

<<"Fully ending" the 1967 occupation means kicking 650000 Jews out of their homes>>

Not necessarily - some of them could remain where they live even after Israel withdraws. Many Jews live outside of Israel, so this would not even be a precedent.

In one scenario, those who choose to remain outside Israel's borders would be granted, under agreement, Palestinian residency/citizenship rights. In another scenario, they would form their own new Jewish state outside Israel: given there are 22 Arab states, why not have 2 Jewish states? Still, the options are not exhausted.

Regardless, about half of those 650,000 Israelis would be jumping for joy when offered compensation and an alternate home within Israel. Many Israelis were forced out into the occupied territories, especially the eastern suburbs of Jerusalem, due to economic pressures, having been offered preferential treatment by the government for willing to leave Israel, including interest-free mortgages, reduction in taxes and business subsidies. Many are still struggling to save enough in the hope of one day being able to return to Israel with their now-larger families. For them, an Israeli withdrawal will be like manna from heaven. The others who are there for ideological reasons could well form their own state and pay for it with their own blood and morals rather than with the blood and morals of Israelis.

Thank you France for keeping up the pressure and trying to save Israel from itself, reminding Israel that its 1967 occupation was only meant as a temporary security measure and will not forever.

Why not one democratic state with separation of religion and state? Jews and non-Jews live peacefully together in the United States, Australia, France and other places. Ethnic nationalism has been a source of conflict in many parts of the world. Religious ethnic nationalism is worse. Integrated schools and civil marriage in a secular state could result in a model democracy for the Middle East. A nation cannot be both Jewish and democratic, Christian and democratic, Hindu and democratic, Muslim and democratic or Buddhist and democratic. Since the settlements are illegal it is reasonable that they be evacuated. We could have a bit of honesty from the Israeli government which would admit that Israel cannot be both Jewish or democratic. It could choose to be one or the other rather than maintaining a nonsense claim to be both.

Dear David F.,

<<Why not one democratic state with separation of religion and state?>>

It is only possible up to a certain point.

Even secular states define their week, week-end and public holidays.

Australians, having a Christian background, chose Sunday as their main weekly day of rest and Saturday as their main shopping day. Religious Jews who live in Australia face difficulties as a result: can you blame them for wanting to live in a country where they are not expected to work on Saturdays and are allowed to start preparing for the Sabbath on Friday afternoons, before sunset (but make up for it by working on Sundays)? A place where no one would expect them to answer the phone or appear in court on the Sabbath or the Jewish holidays?

And Muslims need similar provisions on Fridays and have their own holidays too, like Ramadan.

There is also the issue of language.
Yes, I know that in Switzerland every child is expected to know a minimum of 4 languages - but it's not easy, it's inconvenient and some people's brains are simply not wired for it.

In the end it boils to those little things that define life for people. Isn't it sufficient for Jews and Muslims to live in peace, each in their own territory? why force them both to live together and suffer?

david f

Could you please name one Islamic nation where Jews or even homosexuals live safely. If not stop using your idiotic analogies.

Dear runner,

Apparently you didn't even read my post before you ranted on.

I wrote: "A nation cannot be both Jewish and democratic, Christian and democratic, Hindu and democratic, Muslim and democratic or Buddhist and democratic."

Please read the above. That's what I wrote. That's what you ignored. Perhaps you didn't know that Muslim and Islamic are synonyms.

Synonym: a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example shut is a synonym of close.