Absurdity of stopping settlement activity
June 21 2009
The US demand verges on the absurd. Consider the facts of the Palestinian situation if Israel continues construction. That will require the eventual peace agreement to factor in one of these options:
the settlements will become part of Israel proper;
or they will be evacuated and handed over, as is, to the Palestinians;
or they will be torn down and the land handed over to the Palestinians; or they will be handed over to the new Palestinian state where the Jews will become second class citzens.
So in what possible way does continued construction prejudice the Palestinians?
Obama not fair and balanced
In his major speech delivered from Cairo, June 4, President Obama attempted to be fair and balanced. Unfortunately he wasn`t. For while he demanded that Israel stop all settlement activity immediately, he made no similar demand on the Palestinians. Like, for example, immediately stopping all incitement. Surely that would not have been too much to ask?
True he did refer to the need for Palestinians to stop rocketing Israeli civilians. But this had already stopped and was therefore in no way equivalent to his demand that Israel stop all settlement activity. Fact is that Hizbollah already had their come-uppance and had presumably decided it was too stupid or dangerous to continue rocketing our civilians.
The same applies to Hamas in Gaza. They too have understood that it does not profit them to continue their mindless terrorist rocketing.
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June 22nd, 2009 at 5:20 am
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p>Assume for the purpose of discussion that an area in which Jews live will one day be under another jurisdiction. If and when that happens, the Jews there would have to decide whether they wish to continue living, in the new but foreign country, or if they wish to move. This kind of event happens relatively often in Europe, and has happened in Asia and Africa. The desire that no Jew live in an area that will be one day Palestinian is racist discrimination. The idea that a Jew may live anywhere in the world but not in a Moslem Palestinian area contradicts every moral code. Further, as you know and I have no need to explain to you, the group with the best LEGAL claim to all the territory west of the Jordan River, is the Jews. In my opinion, the claim about natural growth is weak. The claim should be based on the 1922 agreements and the untenability of discrimination against Jews. The same international decisions that established so many Arab countries, established in principle the Jewish country. The sovereignty of Jordan, Syria, Iraq and more are based on the same decision that established the principle of a Jewish state. We are told that if there are “settlements” the Palestinians will never agree to peace. To this you may add that also if there are NO “settlements” the Palestinians will never agree to peace. We should stop using the word “settlement” which has an emotional undercurrent. We should say villages and towns because that is what they are.
Jock
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:27 am
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p>Thanks for having given this so much thought. I appreciate your well reasoned reply. I certainly agree Jews should be able to live freely and without fear in a Muslim country and that Muslims opposing would correctly be described as racist. The future Palestine will not accept the Jews of Yesha and I don’t see the latter agreeing either. You hit the nail on the head regarding the legal situation. Why Israeli governments seem to have tacitly agreed to hand over the West Bank minus Yesha is beyond me especially as the US and British took Israel’s side in 242 is beyond me. Why we need to give the Arabs anything in exchange galls me. Are we forgetting that they had promised to exterminate us? I use “settlements” not because I agree it’s the right word but it’s one of the PR victories of the PA. Its usage is likely world wide and I think we’ve lost this argument.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:47 am
In this email you give 3 possibilities concerning the future of settlements. What the 4th option? That the settlements remain with its Jewish residents in the Palestinian state just as Palestinians are residents and citizens of Israel? On the other hand if the Palestinian state must be “Judenrein ” (no Jews) then the option must be given to Israel to be “Arabrein” (no Arabs.). Or is this idea forbidden talk?
June 24th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Neither UN Resolutions 242 or 338 were directed to anyone other than Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Syria. Egypt and Israel came to an arrangement [or agreement if you prefer] in 1979. Jordan and Israel did the same in 1994. So the only one left on the books is Syria.
The “OSLO Process” [same place a guy named Quisling came from….] specifically discussed the arrangements for “Security” in the various areas. Area “A” would be supervised by the Arabs, Area “B”, both Israelis and Arabs, while Area “C” was Israel only. Article “V”, of the DOP, “Transitional Period” stipulates that the final status of “A” and “B”, would be determined by the final status negotiations.
Pres. Obama, seems to have decided that the only areas that need discussing are those Israelis live in, while those occupied by none Israeli Arabs, belong to the Arabs. I guess he remembers being taught, “That once a Muslim has trod the soil, it belongs to Muslims forever.” Let`s see, didn`t Spain expel the Moors in the 15th Century? And isn`t Europe filling up with Muslims since WW II. Hmmmm! gerry
June 24th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I need to ask you some questions. I don´t know what do you call construction, settlements and the like. Are they tall apartment buildings? Are they expensive? Does the Gov. pay for these houses? Or private companies are building them? Are they given to settlers for free? How dose this settlement thing works? Obviously, Obama´s demands are absurd.
What peace agreement are you talking about? There won´t be any peace agreement with terrorists. Hezbollah and Fatah signed yesterday a sort of pact to act together. They will sign everything that makes them stronger against Israel. On the other hand, “the peace agreement” is the excuse for more demands.
We seem a bit naive when it comes to peace agreements. For how many decades have we and the world been talking about the peace process? This is endless and now it is even humiliating. How on earth can we sign anything with compulsive trained murderers who want to wipe off Israel from the planet? Egypt deserted us and turned a blind eye to weapons smuggling etc, long ago. Islamization is well underway in Europe. US went bankrupt – Obama is a Muslim . He is flat broke .
Israel is no longer an attractive ally, because it is too expensive to support. American tax-payers bitterly complain about having paid taxes all through their lives because of Israel. I do not live in US, therefore, I don’t know whether this is true or not.
Is there a line in the map to know what land belongs to Israel? I think any agreement should begin with the country borders. This is a necessity and we must demand once and for all. I want a final Israel Map, period. And I want Obama to demand that the Arabs completely stop their terrorist attacks now. Otherwise, we cannot even start to think about settlements and peace agreements.
Dear Susan I am pleased to give you the following answers. There are towns and villages in Yesha. Property is privately owned. I don’t see Israel handing over all or most of the West Bank without a peace treaty. When if ever this treaty happens beats me. We signed treaties with Egypt and Jordan whose war aims were to exterminate the Jews of Israel. The US gives about as much to Egypt as it gives to Israel. Final borders will only be decided in a peace treaty. Jock
July 4th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
TO K.P. , YOU ASSUME TOO QUICKLY MY FRIEND .THERE IS NEITHER CONTRADICTION TO ANY MORAL CODE ,NOR RACIST DISCRIMINATION- IT IS SIMPLY THE NATURAL RIGHT OF SELF-DEFENSE THAT ALL DEMOCRATIC STATES ARE ENTITLED TO – ARAB NEIGHBOURS ARE TERRORISTS UNTIL THE OPPOSITE IS PROVED .THEY MUST RECOGNIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND STOP TO VOICE THEIR THREATS TOWARDS ISRAELIES. AND TO GERRY. “ONCE THE MUSLIMS HAVE TROD THE SOIL…NONSENSE!!ALA HADN´T APPEARED WHEN THE JEWS WERE IN THESE LANDS. GIVE ME A BREAK! ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION BUT A CULT-THEY DON´T HAVE THE CONCEPT OF A DECENT LIFE , OF LOVE , OF COMPASSION.THEY ARE BEING USED BY THEIR LEADERS TO KEEP THEIR BILLONAIRE BUSINESS RUNNING- WHY NOT TO TAKE A CENSUS AMONG GAZANS? ASK THEM WHERE DO THEY WANT TO LIVE? ASK IRANIANS IF THEY WANT TO FLEE IRAN.THEOCRACIES ARE NOT DEMOCRACIES- OBAMA MUST GET REAL AND FORGET HIS ANCESTORS OR ELSE ……YOU KNOW- REMAINDER? SEPT/11-