Contributing to the problem is the United States
not using the power at its disposal to influence
Israel to change its behaviour.

The US continues
to preserve and fund the oppressive military
regime. When the US superpower does not raise a finger
against the regime violence invariably becomes more
attractive to those who have few other means of
upsetting the status quo.

The former Israeli defence minister Moshe Dayan once
said:

"Our American friends offer us money, arms, and advice.
We take the money, arms, and we decline the advice."
These words have become even more significant in the
decades since they were spoken.

A peaceful partition of Palestine is achievable.
But it won't happen without outside force and
pressure on both parties. The suffering will continue
to be inflicted.

Dear ttbn,

The best brains in the world are quite able to solve the problem. However, since the best brains in the world are not in power in Israel or the United States they can just suggest solutions which will not be brought into play.

Dear David F.,

It would be so good if those brains were able
to devise a strategy for the future to attain
a new regime of equal civil and political rights
for all who live under Israel's rule.

There is a Jewish story about the Wise Men of Chelm:

Background: the people of Chelm are said to be the "wisest" in the world because following the world's creation, an angel was sent on an aerial mission to distribute wisdom in this newly-created world. However, when the angel flew over the hill of Chelm, his sack of wisdom was caught in a tree-branch and torn, so the wisdom spilled out and Chelm received 9/10 of all wisdom while the rest of the world received only 1/10th.

So the town of Chelm had a beadle and one of his roles was to wake up the congregation every morning to come to the synagogue for the early morning prayer (that of course was before alarm clocks were invented).

Now the people of Chelm loved their beautiful clean, bright white snow, so they had a problem when the beadle's footprints spoiled it.
Thus they assembled a committee of the wisest, who sat down for seven days and seven nights to discuss the town's problem. Finally the committee arrived at a solution:

"When the beadle does his mornings rounds to wake up the congregation, let him be carried on a platform by four strong men, so his shoes do not touch the ground and spoil our beautiful snow"!

-- well, that much for this solution of enforcing a democracy (or a version thereof) on both groups of people who have no inclination for it whatsoever: yes, one problem would be solved - and four other new problems created! While here in Australia, David F. would be in the seventh heaven, the happiness-quotient in that section of the Middle East would be at an all-times low...

There will only be peace in the Levant when the so-called Palestinians finally come to realise they cannot have everything their leaders want. Then and only then will they accept the peace offered to them so many times.

Demanding that the only democracy in the region become more democratic (!!) while turning a blind-eye to the fascistic kleptocracy that rules the so-called Palestinians, is not solution.

"some anonymous old codger on OLO pontificates" I know of one far right anonymous old codger on OLO who does nothing BUT pontificate. Our silly old Hansonite. He still hasn't woken up that he got ripped off by the Corny Banana show.

Good discussion David.