Quote Originally Posted by TATY
I think the reason why the wall makes inroads into the West Bank is just to keep Jewish settlements on the Israeli side of the wall. Israel is small, yes, but it has lots of space, it is nowhere near full. Israel doesn't currently have any need for more land. The only reason it would want to take extra land is for buffer zones.
Yes, it's hard to see why Israel needs to develop so many new communities in a disputed area when there's plenty of land within Israel itself. I think there's more to it than just buffer zones though. There is a strong ideologically driven movement within Israel that sees all of the West Bank as rightfully belonging to the Jewish state. It has pushed for and succeeded in establishing numerous settlements throughout the West Bank since that territory was captured in the 1967 war. These settlements necessitate a significant military presence to protect them and result in a major impact on Palestinian life through checkpoints, delays and travel restrictions etc. This only fuels more resentment and bitterness towards the Israeli presence among Palestinians. Also, the settlers are often very hardline and extreme in their views and some have carried out attacks on Palestinian civilians in the past. All in all, it doesn't seem like a good policy for promoting peace and harmony given past history!


Quote Originally Posted by TATY
As soon as Israel pulled out of Gaza, millitants started firing rockets out into Israel.
Yes, this was wrong and doesn't help the Palestinian cause one bit. But the shelling of civilians on a beach in northern Gaza a few weeks ago didn't help either. I believe that was the reason Hamas gave for breaking its truce.

Quote Originally Posted by TATY
The original plan the British came up with was to divide Palestine 50-50 between the Jews and Arabs, with Jerusalem as a UN adiminstered multi-faith city. The Jews agreed, but the Arabs said they wanted all or nothing.
The Arabs should have accepted that but regardless of what should have happened in the past there's still an issue to be addressed in the present. Israel acquired not just more land in the 67 war but also a large Palestinian population. What is it going to do now? Keep them under military rule forever? Give them the same rights as Israeli Arabs and make them full citizens of Israel? or give them their own state? If they are to have their own state then it should be a real viable state and not some fragmented entity encircled by walls and Israeli settlements.

Quote Originally Posted by TATY
Also, we must remember that after the Arabs invaded Israel from all sides in the 60s, Israel pushed them all back and captured huge amounts of land (like the Sinai Peninsula which is bigger than Israel itself). But Israel gave it all back (except the Golan heights, which was to act as a buffer zone between Israel and Syria).
Israel was willing to give up most of the Golan Heights for a peace deal with Syria but talks reached an impasse over control of the right bank of Lake Tiberias, I think. There are settlements in the Golan Heights as well but no large Arab population (most fled during the war).


Quote Originally Posted by TATY
I do not particularly agree with what Israel is doing right now, but Israel is in a difficult and unique position. It is surrounded by countries that hate it and want it destroyed. Eygpt officially does not, but the people of Eygpt do. If Israel seems weak to countries like Iran and Syria, they'll try and invade or bomb it. What Israel is doing at the moment is sending a message to Iran, Syria, and everyone else in the region, that they don't take no sh*t from anyone. Of course, thousands of civillians on both sides have take the direct consequences.
Yeah, Israel is in a difficult position with people like Ahmadinejad saying the crazy things he does but it's not helping matters the way it treats the Palestinians. And every injustice that ensues from that unresolved conflict is beamed around the Arab world increasing the animosity towards Israel among the public in countries like Egypt. If the Palestinian issue had been settled the same time as the peace with Egypt, there mightn't be the daily diet of shootings and attacks that we have today and many moderate Muslims might have come to accept Israel. I mean there are Muslim Israeli citizens who live quite happily there so it shouldn't be impossible.