Congratualtions to the State of Israel.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

Well blow me down wiv a fevver, I'm not alone; someone else believes dailogue and compromise will bring about peace, prosperity and security.

"But [Obama] suggested that Israel has hard choices to make and that his administration would press harder for it to do so. "

He also mentions the "other side" and a partnership which is the problem. Of course its going to take dialogue for a solution to be reached, thats exactly how solutions are generally reached. However, this will not happen until the "other side" accepts a two state solution which, despite your claims to the contrary, it refuses to countenance.

[Keef]

Well blow me down wiv a fevver, I'm not alone; someone else believes dailogue and compromise will bring about peace, prosperity and security.

You were never alone young man!

Keef Wrote:

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> "but they are the men that need to be talked to".

>

> Exactly!!! They have a following and sypaphisers,

> to stick your fingers in your ears and go "la la

> la la la la la", whilst pretending that they have

> nothing to do with it, and can be ignored, is just

> stupid!

[matthew123]

Didn't Yasser Arafat once threaten to announce the independence of the West Bank but Israel would not tolerate it so he never carried through his threat? Anyway, I think a 3 country solution - Gaza, West Bank and Israel - will be the only sustainable answer to the problems as there are too many hot heads on both sides who want only their hands on the steering wheel. Don't worry about the economics of it all as the Yanks can prop it up as they have done with Israel.

[LegalEagle-ish]

What about a one state solution with equality and equal rights to all the residents, Arab and Jewish? If they get proper power sharing and access to resources within the one state - why couldn't that work?

Not all Pelestinians or Isrealis want a divided country, some want a one state solution.

Sorry for using Wikipedia as a source - I'm tired and can't be arsed having a proper look for anything better!

[Keef]

Mrs Keef has lots of family in Israel, including elderly relatives who used to live happily alongside everybody, and they all spoke Arabic fluently. However, that was a long time ago, much as it's a lovely utopian ideal, I don't think that a single state will happen until the day Sean announces that he's a born again Christian and invites us all to his baptism!

[Tony.London Suburbs]

LegalEagle-ish Wrote:

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> What about a one state solution with equality and

> equal rights to all the residents, Arab and

> Jewish?

Utopia! El Dorado! Elysium! Nirvana! all in one place!

[SeanMacGabhann]

heh heh

on topic: there is nothing that has been said viz: possible solutions and entrenchment on both sides that I have not heard (and said myself) re: the Northern Ireland situation. I grew up through the troubles and you could not have possibly persuaded anyone I knew that one day Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley would one say be photographed together, much less smile, shake hands and share power. Even writing that, I hardly credit it. But even the most belligerent party gets jaded and before they know it, thoughts turn to pragmatic solutions. It just seems absurd that so many people have to die before that stage is usually reached (oops, bit trite that last statement... still)

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

Mrs Keef has lots of family in Israel, including elderly relatives who used to live happily alongside everybody, and they all spoke Arabic fluently. However, that was a long time ago, much as it's a lovely utopian ideal, I don't think that a single state will happen until the day Sean announces that he's a born again Christian and invites us all to his baptism!

Thats the last thing Israel would want, Israeli's would become a minority in "their" own state within 50yrs.

[Ted Max]

- Israeli's

+ Jewish people

[Keef]

I grew up through the troubles and you could not have possibly persuaded anyone I knew that one day Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley would one say be photographed together, much less smile, shake hands and share power. Even writing that, I hardly credit it.

Obviously a good thing, but as Radio 4 were saying this morning, whilst the people in power are doing all this, there are still those "little people" who 10 years on, still don't want to be living together with the other side. And that is in Northern Ireland, where bad as the troubles were, I wouldn't say they are in the same league as Israel...

Please don't beast me for that Irish people, I am not belittling the troubles in any way!!!