Israel refuses peace negotiations

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

True, but the Palestinians have also rejected many good deals. The peace deal Rani quoted at the start of this thread isn't a fantasy of his, it was on the table in front of Yasser Arafat with people like Clinton imploring him to sign it.

If you read it through its unbelievable generous to the Palestinians given the real life politics of the region. They'll probably never be offered anything like it again.

But instead of accepting it, Yasser Arafat decided to push it away, demanding even more, and that wasn't the only time the Palestinians have screwed up negotiations either.

And also, if we have peace now the Palestinians have more to gain economically simply because they're starting from a lower level. The occasional bomb notwithstanding, the Israelis don't have as much to gain from peace as they do.

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Being that the PLO charter called for the destuction of Israel, I don't things will change much in the near future. Most countries with the might of Israel would have removed the Palestinians from the face of the earth after enduring what they have.

Yet Israel still tries for peace and extends the olive branch, which is most often burned rather than accepted.

The UN set a precedent for trying to negotiate with terrorists years ago when dealing with the PLO. I can't help but wonder if the Palestinians hope that this will continue by continued terrorist attacks against innocent Israelis.



And for anyone that does not understand the difference between a military use of force with collateral damage, and intentioal killing of innocents, remember that when the next conflict arises in your country. War is not a fun thing by any means, but laws of war have a need to exist.

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Originally Posted by airshifter

Being that the PLO charter called for the destuction of Israel

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That disappeared ages ago, more than a decade in fact.

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

That disappeared ages ago, more than a decade in fact.

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My point being that it took until 1993(or was it 1994?) for them to make this move, with leadership being the same as the group that refused Israel the right to exist.

It is rather difficult to extend trust and attempts at peace immediately after recognizing a legitimate government that has shown such one sided views in the past. It is even more difficult when the attacks and terrorism tactics essentially remain the same as the previous organization which was not recognized at legitimate.

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Originally Posted by airshifter

And for anyone that does not understand the difference between a military use of force with collateral damage, and intentioal killing of innocents, remember that when the next conflict arises in your country. War is not a fun thing by any means, but laws of war have a need to exist.

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So you don't think that acts committed by the members of Irgun or the Stern Gang against the British in Palestine in 1946 and earlier constituted acts of terrorism?

Acts of terrorism like The King David Hotel bombing, another link in case you missed it first time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing

or how about this one

http://guardian.150m.com/palestine/jewish-terrorism.htm

Rani, do you think that Menahen Begin was a Terrorist?

i'm not in to politics but i just don't know what they want out there... hope they know what they are doing coz from my end i could sometimes relate them to children who definitely needs guidance...

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Originally Posted by gospeedracer

i'm not in to politics but i just don't know what they want out there... hope they know what they are doing coz from my end i could sometimes relate them to children who definitely needs guidance...

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You maybe right, giving guidance to children seems to be easier to do than to adult except teaching them to drive a truck

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

They are living there because they feel that Israel is a place and more importantly an ideal worth living and fighting for and a degree of danger is a price worth paying.

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I bet those people call Muslims "fundamentalists" and wonder why Palestinians want their own land too. Kettle, pot, black.

We are living in AD 2007, not BC 2007. People should really stop taking religions so seriously that they even chose the place they live in based on religion.

I think (probably as I only have one) any religion teach their adherent to respect others and live peacefully.

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Originally Posted by Eki

I bet those people call Muslims "fundamentalists" and wonder why Palestinians want their own land too. Kettle, pot, black.

We are living in AD 2007, not BC 2007. People should really stop taking religions so seriously that they even chose the place they live in based on religion.

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Eki posts like this indicate how much you fail to grasp the complexity of the issue.

The place of Israel in the Jewish identity is largely a secular one despite Judaism mainly being identified as a religion rather than a race. Many of the people who fought to see Israel established weren't particularly religious at all.

Palestinians view themselves as Palestinian first, Muslim and Christian second. Entities like Hamas that are overtly religious in nature are only a recent development.

Religion is only a veneer. The conflict is about two different people squabbling over the same piece of land.

Unfortunately people like you can only see this thing in terms of a religious clash, I guess the reality is too hard to understand.

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

Unfortunately people like you can only see this thing in terms of a religious clash, I guess the reality is too hard to understand.

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But IMHO religion is the problem, nothing else.