Sharon visit to Washington.

Originally posted by anatman
Now there's a bit of a paradoxical phrase: "which it won by right of conquest in a war of self-defence"...how is it possible to conquer new territories in self defense?

Good point, anatman! I stand corrected. But my analogy of the "stolen" stick still remains. Should an agressor suffer no consequences? Consider recent European history!

The issue for Israel really is security and defensible borders.

Keep in mind that many Palestinians claim they were displaced in 1948, and want to return to a pre-1984 situation - their refusal to acknowledge Israel's "right to exist" is Israel's strongest weapon. Should the Palestinians renounce that pillar of their rhetoric, and agree to sit down and talk sensibly, Israel would be hard pushed to justify keeping the West Bank.

I have a friend in Israel who would gladly give back all "occupied territory" for the guarantee of security. Quote: "I want to live in an Israeli state, not rule over Arabs".

This is too serious. Perhaps we should rather discuss Sharon's paunch?? 😀😀

Originally posted by CalJust
Good point, anatman! I stand corrected. But my analogy of the "stolen" stick still remains. Should an agressor suffer no consequences? Consider recent European history!

The issue for Israel really is security and defensible borders.

Keep in mind that many Palestinians claim they were displaced in 1948, and want to return to a pre-1984 situation - th ...[text shortened]... over Arabs".

This is too serious. Perhaps we should rather discuss Sharon's paunch?? 😀😀

Many Palestinians were displaced in 1948. However, most Palestinians would settle for anything close to the 1967 position.
The problem is that Israel's intransigence is fuelling extremists like Hamas. If you're an ordinary Palestinain, who can see that decades of the PLO's approach (which in recent years has become more pragmatic) have brought nothing, then its hardly a surprise if Hamas are growing.
The Palestinians need to have faith in the negotiating process. Just now they have none, so they're turning to terrorism.

Originally posted by Redmike
Many Palestinians were displaced in 1948. However, most Palestinians would settle for anything close to the 1967 position.
The problem is that Israel's intransigence is fuelling extremists like Hamas. If you're an ordinary Palestinain, who can see that decades of the PLO's approach (which in recent years has become more pragmatic) have brought nothing, ...[text shortened]... ave faith in the negotiating process. Just now they have none, so they're turning to terrorism.

And don't forget that Hamas build schools, playgrounds, etc.
If you want to win hearts and minds you have to look after people's children. and they do.