Yuyutsu

I responded to your imagined scenario that Israel and Palestines became best buddies.

Your disingenuous follow-up spoke volumes.

The Palestinians became "so-called Palestinians". The Israeli occupation, (longer than the occupation of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union), is now a lesser of two evils.

Israel is at war with the Palestinians. Like any war it will not be over until the peace is settled. Israeli troops may not occupy Gaza but they control its land borders and enforce restrictions on what enters Gaza. Israel's navy occupies Gaza's territorial waters and not only enforces similar restrictions to the land borders, it enforces a 3 kilometre limit on Gaza's fishing fleet. The Israeli air force occupies Gaza's air space. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has as much to do with Israel as it does Hamas. That's the Hamas that Israel was only too willing to facilitate initially in the hope it would suck support from Fatah. Israel are reaping what they helped sow.

If Israel and Palestine became best buddies, it's only logical to assume there would either be no Hamas or Hamas would no longer call for the destruction of Israel. That both sides would be working to rebuild Gaza and all materials necessary to accomplish that would flow freely across the border. Such brotherly co-operation would exclude not only an Iranian attack on Israel's eastern flank but also remove any welcoming of belligerent interference in Palestine's affairs. The only fighting that may conceivably take place between Iran and Israel in this scenario, would be Iranian self-defence from Israeli attacks, as you say, working to destabilise the Iranian government

Yuyutsu

In regards to your response about Hezbollah. A secular PLO now becomes Sunni Palestians. You would have us believe that what becomes the largest single community in Lebanon, is so forlorn that it has to wait for the Iranian Revolution before addressing its poor socio-economic condition. If the Sunni Palestinians were so wicked towards the Lebanese Shia population why did the Shia not join the Christians when Israel twice invaded Lebanon to attack the PLO? Why do the Lebanese Shia spare the Palestinian Sunni, when by all accounts the Iraqi Shia with Iranian backing are taking revenge on the Iraqi Sunni? We both know why? The "benevolent Israeli interventions" in south Lebanon was far more catastrophic than anything experienced under the PLO. Just as people have a right to self-determination, they have a right to self-defence too. Without Iran, the Shia would be nothing more than an oppressed people under the boot of a proxy Israeli Christian force.

Dear Anti,

No doubt, Israel has made mistakes and is paying for them.
None of us was responsible for those mistakes and none of us can reverse them.

«The Israeli occupation (...) is now a lesser of two evils.»

For ordinary Palestinians, yes, but not for ordinary Israelis, for whom it's the greater evil.
Since I care more about ordinary Israelis, I would like to see Israel leave the remaining occupied territories ASAP, with or without a peace agreement.

Gaza is different predominantly because the number of Israeli lunatics who are interested in occupying Gaza is insignificant and far smaller than those lunatics who are interested in occupying the West Bank or parts thereof. Of course I would like to see Gaza rebuilt, but would the Hamas agree? Israel currently controls Gaza's borders and sadly needs to continue doing so lest Gaza receives advanced weapons from Iran (like the Hezbollah) or uses the concrete that is meant for housing, instead for building attack-tunnels. Can you offer any other rational solution for Israel?

As for Iran, I disagree that anything that happens between Israel and the Palestinians could affect her. They have vowed to destroy the Shah's best supporters and wouldn't mind in the least if another few million Sunnis were killed in the process.

One hand says you want peace, the other says you fear peace.

What you have at the moment is a Soviet peace. A peace that occupies and oppresses. A peace that grabs territory. A peace that will shatter the moment the oppressed feel they have a chance to retaliate. Do you have the courage for a Western peace? A peace that helps the vanquished rebuild.

Take Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran out of the conversation. The fear is palpable every time you mention them. A fear that gives your hawks the excuse to continue the oppression. You have the military high ground. Peace requires that your morality matches your military. Show the world, but more importantly show the Palestinians that you want real peace.

Leave your weapons at the door and negotiate a comprehensive treaty with Abbas; no underhand land grabs, no quasi militia occupations, no economic nooses. If you want the Palestinians to trust you, you have to trust them. The treaty is the start of the process, not the end of it.

You both build the trust in steps. Implementation can begin immediately on the West Bank and in Jerusalem. It is these areas where peace has the greatest chance of success. Inevitably there will be teething problems and extremists from both sides will do whatever they can to smash the trust. Processes need to be in place to ensure trust testing events do not wreck the peace implementation. Demonstrate that you can live side by side in peace, (that's why the concept of open Jerusalem has merit).

Now you are ready for Gaza and Hamas. Let Abbas take the lead. Let Europe provide a UN peace keeping force if Hamas appear to lack a firm commitment to the negotiated peace.

As for Hezbollah, if you leave millions of stateless Palestinians in Lebanon, you leave a ticking bomb. They need to be part of the agreement. They need a place to call home.

Only Israel can grant peace and as a democracy, only the Israelis can choose the government to grant it

Dear Anti,

What you wrote is very sensible. Sadly it is not up to me, nor does my family in Israel have the numbers to make a difference.