Patricia,

I think both Israel and Fatah/PLO are both realising that they are going to have to negotiate a settlement to have any hope for a sound future.

Palestinians must renounce violence and recognize Israels right to exist. Israel must then withdraw from all Palestinian territories and compensate those who have lost their homes.

One problem is the significant support for Hamas and Hezbollah, who are committed to Israel’s destruction and the creation of a single Arab state in the Holy lands. This is not merely my opinion; this is in writing in the Hamas charter.

I will not deny that there are radical Israelis who believe that all of Palestine should belong to the Jews. These people are in a small minority in Israel, most Israelis recognize that there needs to be a fair, Two-State, solution.

There are many difficulties. In places, what started as strategic settlements to bulwark against the Jordanian military have grown into modern towns with large populations. Places like Maale Aduminum and Modi'in Illit just over the green line on the Palestinian side of the border, are large municipalities where upwards of 35000 people live. The Israeli gov’t is naturally going to have trouble selling the abandonment of these towns after so much has been invested in them.

Perhaps a one for one land swap would be the sensible answer.

If you have a look at the statistics since the second intifada 1000 Israelis and 4000 Palestinians have lost their lives directly to the violence. The idea that the Israelis are grossly over punishing the Palestinians is propaganda. The Palestinians would do more damage if they had modern weapons and training at their disposal.

But there is plenty of blame to spread around.

Supporting Iranian nuclear weapons won’t help the Palestinians. If anything it is likely to make their plight more intractable since Israel would have to guard against the possibility of a terrorist bomb. That would mean more fences, more checkpoints and more fighting.

So does Israel deserve our support? Well they certainly don’t deserve our criticism any more than do the Palestinans.

"Palestinians" are for the most part descendants of immigrants from Lebanon and Syria who went to work for the Jews, when wages at home were a fraction of those paid for farmwork by Jews.

“Of course.
The Jews were granted the right to rule Palestine under the same conditions as the British mandate. The rights granted were the same as any Christian colonial power had for the last ~800 years.
Obviously, a Jewish state could not have been established in Europe. More than a millennium of genocide, pogroms, and discrimination, proved they weren't wanted in Europe and turning them into colonial rulers would solve several problems. 1. End the European Jewish problem, 2. Continue the colonial-settler tradition. and 3. Punish the uppity undermench.

Remember the two world wars were fought to defend British, Dutch, Belgian, Portuguese, US and French colonialism. In 1948, it was still working. Israel was established to rule as all European masters were, i.e., absolute power of life and death over the undermench and total control over all real and personal property.
In the 21st century, this sounds kind of brutal, but at least the Palestinians, as the Iraqis have been allowed to flee. Tasmanians weren't.”

israel deserves your support for precisely the same reasons that the boer regime in south africa deserved your support. if you had no trouble with apartheid, if you had no trouble with minorities ruling majorities, if you have no trouble with terrorism as long as the terrorists have american approval, then support israel.

but eventually international pressure changed people's minds about the legality of apartheid, even finally the americans were forced to admit the boer regime was intolerable, brutal racists. at the end, only israel supported them. what a surprise. but the zionists recognized the parallels between themselves and the boers, even if you don't, so no real surprise.

i hope someday a similar result is obtained in palestine: a secular state where jews, muslims, christians, and atheists can live together peacefully. but the zionist state of israel is a crime, and must be dissolved. the alternative is unending war.

Demos

I have commonly attached the titles Supressor, Land Thief, and Military Adventurist to the Israeli Government. I had never found clear evidence of it being purely a racist regime.

However on reading a speech delivered by Former Aussie Diplomat Ross Burns to The Australain Friends of Palestine, in Adelaide, (March 2007) he made an allegation the Israeli Ambassador to Australia in a media interview said the following

"‘we are basically the white race’; ‘we are like sisters in Asia … (and should) enhance our position in the countries neighbouring Australia’."

Now I don't think we should support a country that holds such racist views, if indeed the Israeli Government supports such a statement by it's Ambassador.

I question whether we should accept the Ambassadors view of our relationship with Asia.

I think we should conside whether it worthwhile to support a country that is prepared to ride on our backs to peddle it's influence or more likely disruption into our region. Especially while that country suppresses people who hold tangible and common religious beliefs with our largest and nearest neighbour and indeed large elements of the populations of many of our trading partners in our region.

As for Israel being a part of Asia, well with such displayed logic we are probably still part of the mother country.

NAIVITY in the EXTREME....

Demos :) "but eventually international pressure changed people's minds about the legality of apartheid"

Mate.... you are comparing a small dot on an "i" in a big word..of a HUGE historical essay of life..with an ELEPHANT of long standing, enduring, faith based History.....

Considering what the Israelites have been through..beginning from 400 yrs of slavery in Egypt where they are reminded EVERY year of the G-d who saved them from this at what festival ? ....yep..its PASSOVER..

Aparthied..international law.. do not even amount to a speck of dust on the robust history of Israel.

PATRICIA WA... if you judge people by their actions.. why are you still in WA and not off back in England, Scotland or Wales somewhere in deep heartfelt penitence for being a part of the 'stealing' mob who took aboriginal land ? (unless you are inidgenous)

Why do you not ask this also:

1/ If Israel HAS the firepower to obliterate the Palestinians in Gaza say... yet they "don't"..and these pests continually provoke them.. hurl rockets at them.... WHY? ... 'That'...is also 'behavior'...and 'actions'..... They could....but don't.

2/ Do you remember the image which is probably one of the REASONS you speak about 'actions' -of young "Mohammad" who was allegedly gunned down by the 'evil Israelis' while crouching with his dad behind a tub at a wall? Well do you know that there is compelling evidence that the whole incident was a STAGED PROPOGANDA event by Palestinians ?

"While Israeli army officials initially apologized for al-Dura’s death, a subsequent Israel Defense Force investigation found that its soldiers could not possibly have struck the boy from their positions at Netzarim Junction, an ongoing flashpoint for violence between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xKLssIYD8M&mode=related&search=
Make sure you see PART 2 also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQxr_ET4G3o&mode=related&search=
Look at the details