The arabs refused to negotiate peace with Israel until Sadat bit the bullet (in more ways than one) after getting humiliatingly crushed in the Yom Kippur war. The Palestinians have repeatedly refused to recognize any Israeli borders, let alone the pre 67 green line. In fact their intransigence has overshadowed any realistic manifestation of their supposed nationalist dreams. Israel meanwhile, aided and abetted by the neo=Zionist faction has determined that arab intransigence should be exploited, declared their strategy in Sharon's infamous "creating facts on the ground" statements. So, despite the fact that the rest of the world deems the settlements to be illegal, Israel simply replies with "what borders?" and merrily continues to confiscate land, and designate and then assign swaths of "state land" (more accurately called "stateless Palestinian land"). Israel will continue to create these facts on the ground, while attempting to maintain the status quo, meanwhile the Palestinians will continue to ignore the realities of such a strategy while attempting to maintain their own status quo hodgepodge. As long as deep seated religious motivations are at play, the hard core on both sides are not going to budge. To the Palestinians misfortune, Israel grabbed the upper hand 65 years ago and has never relinquished it.
Nothing abt Israel is ever as simple as simples make it out to be. AFAI can tell it has always been the Zionist state who sabotaged /sunk every peace talks by speeding up settlement building during peace talks . Read and learn : United, the Palestinians have endorsed 1967 borders for peace. Will Israel? Now Hamas has indicated its recognition of the 1967 borders, the main Palestinian players all seek an historic agreement with Israel. But is Netanyahu's government strong enough to respond? When Yasser Arafat, in the framework of the Oslo agreement, accepted 22% of historic Palestine, many people including myself had reservations. Why recognize the State of Israeli within the 1967 borders when Israel hadn’t yet recognized the state of Palestine or signaled a willingness to halt settlement construction and rapidly move toward a withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the occupied territories? The risk, many people said, was that the Israelis would simply refuse to give up East Jerusalem and most of the West Bank. What would we do then? Arafat replied to such fears by assuring us that Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, “the Israeli Charles de Gaulle” as he likened him, was his partner. The two of them, he and Rabin, would end the conflict that had lasted too long and destroyed too many lives. Of course, Arafat was aware of those Israelis who suspected him of using Oslo as a plot, and of planning to launch a final war against Israel from lands “given” to him by the Rabin government. In the countless meetings I and other friends and advisers had with Arafat, never did he talk about any such conspiracy. His vision was for Gaza to be the “lungs” of our new state, a place with an international airport, a harbor, light industries, and new housing for our refugees. Citizens of Palestine would be able to jump in their cars or even board a train and travel along a highway or tracks to the West Bank. A unified people, willing to turn the page on the past, would make peace with Israel, a final, lasting and warm peace. More here : http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.589343 Its quite obvious that Zionist did plan to live in peace alongside non-Jews - all they wanted was land then more land. 9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): "If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti - Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?" Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121. 10. Ben Gurion also warned in 1948 : "We must do everything to insure they ( the Palestinians) never do return." Assuring his fellow Zionists that Palestinians will never come back to their homes. "The old will die and the young will forget." . "We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question, What is to be done with the Palestinian population?' Ben-Gurion waved his hand in a gesture which said 'Drive them out!'" Yitzhak Rabin, leaked censored version of Rabin memoirs, published in the New York Times, 23 October 1979. 19. Rabin's description of the conquest of Lydda, after the completion of Plan Dalet. "We shall reduce the Arab population to a community of woodcutters and waiters" Uri Lubrani, PM Ben-Gurion's special adviser on Arab Affairs, 1960. From "The Arabs in Israel" by Sabri Jiryas. David Ben Gurion, future Prime Minister of Israel, 1937, Ben Gurion and the Palestine Arabs, Oxford University Press, 1985: "We must expel Arabs and take their places." Martin Buber, to a New York audience, Jewish Newsletter, June 2, 1958: "When we [followers of the prophetic Judaism] returned to Palestine...the majority of Jewish people preferred to learn from Hitler rather than from us." Nuff said. ....
correction my typo error : should read "Its quite obvious that Zionist did NOT plan to live in peace alongside non-Jews - all they wanted was land then more land. ///
Typical Zionist arrogance. Such arrogance might attract a few fans but on the other hand it will fill the hearts of other people who surround them with loathing / hatred. It will NOT bring peace nor security. As Nazis learnt to their cost Might is NOT always right and as long as Zionist Jews refuse to acknowledge Palestinians legitimate rights - Israel shall continue loose its few friends - the tide is turning throughout Europe and even in USA . . ......
Interesting how you equate arrogance with reality. Naturally you default to godwin. Perhaps you can point out a flaw in my observations, instead of defaulting to your usual statement of hate. Given that, you might want to reconsider your statement, given that the Nazis didn't have the might to maintain the right. Initial military successes was followed by failure after failure as Nazi excess (might) continued to erode their "right". You are well aware that I support the two state solution, that I do not support the neo-Zionist dream of eretz isroel and that I recognize the legitimacy of Palestinians right to self determination within their own nation, just like I do the Israelis.
A marvelously disingenuous post, which of course is not surprising. I am aware that the Palestinians FINALLY agreed to recognize the 67 borders. I believe it only took them 25 years or so. A bit after the fact, but hey, progress is something. I am aware of the statements wrt "returning refugees". In fact that policy helped solidify the nation of Israel as the jewish homeland. Its amazing that there were Israelis who thought of the arabs as ENEMIES. I mean all the poor arabs wanted was to obliterate Israel and liberate all of historic Palestine. Balance has never been your strong point. - - - Updated - - - I agree. OTOH, the Palestinians enabled that to happen by being completely intransigent for decades. Reap what ye sow and all that.
Their official leadership is willing to accept Israel now doesnt it? they think they'll get 1949 borders which is still funny but at least its progress. Proving them that regardless of what they'll do - we continue to live and prosper is the best way to fight terror and that includes building more houses to new generations.
