Yuyutsu,

I am more optimistic than you appear to be.

Predicting anything is risky at the best of times.
However, peace negotiations with the right inputs,
pressure, and all parties involved,
as I stated earlier can and should be tried.

If you truly believe that something can succeed
and take action to implement it - you're half way
there. Doing nothing or the same thing over and over
again should not be an option.

Hi Paul,

I'm so glad you're posting again.

Dear Foxy,

«Doing nothing or the same thing over and over
again should not be an option.»

I was not suggesting to do nothing - I was suggesting that Israel gets out of the West Bank unilaterally, hopefully without international pressure, but if pressure is needed then so be it.

What was already tried, over and over, are negotiations: they don't work!

Yuyutsu,

Negotiations do work. If both sides are made to see
that they have more to lose by not negotiating.
Pressure needs to be applied by the strong third
parties.

As I keep stating. I am more optimistic. Things
cannot go on as they have been.

See you on another discussion.

Take care.

Dear Foxy,

Negotiations may work when you have exactly two sides, each with a clear agenda, where the only compromise needs to occur between them, rather than internally within each "camp".

That could have been in Ireland, but is hardly the case in the Middle East: Both Israel and the "Palestinians" are extremely divided people and none among them can represent them all, not even a clear majority.

What I wonder after learning of your views by reading hundreds of your comments, is what objection can you possibly have against Israel withdrawing to its pre-1967 borders (with or without international pressure), thus ending its occupation without wasting any further time on negotiations? Do you consider negotiations the be the aim unto itself, rather than the ending of Israel's occupation?

Yuyutsu,

Do you really believe that Netanyahu will agree to
withdrawing?

Dear Foxy,

It's not that Netanyahu will still be there for long, he will very soon be gone,
yet in any case he cares about nothing but his own skin - to avoid jail-time and bankruptcy.

It so happens that the only ones (apart from the ultra-orthodox parties which have no defence/foreign policies of their own) who were still willing to be Netanyahu's friends and join a coalition under him while he stands trial on corruption+bribe charges, were Israel's Nazi party - and so he agreed to adopt their policies in order to make them happy, but in theory, had the Left parties been willing to sit in government under him instead, then he would as easily withdraw from all occupied territories to make them happy.