is this move going to be the death knell for peace talks??
Comments
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11611658
Israeli presence on Palestinian land 'irreversible'
By Barbara Plett BBC UN correspondent, New York
23 October 2010
A UN human rights rapporteur has said continued settlement construction will probably make Israel's occupation of Palestinian land irreversible.
Richard Falk said the peace process aimed at creating an independent, sovereign Palestinian state therefore appeared to be based on an illusion.
He said the UN, the US and Israel had failed to uphold Palestinians' rights.
Israeli officials said Mr Falk's report on the Palestinian territories was biased and served a political agenda.
Continue reading the main story
Israel and the Palestinians
* Mid-East talks: Where they stand
* Q&A: Resuming direct talks
* Confusion surrounds Arab summit
* Hope and anger as freeze expires
Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are held to be illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
'De-facto annexation'
In a report for the UN General Assembly, Mr Falk said Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had become so extensive it amounted to de-facto annexation of Palestinian land.
He said this undercut assumptions behind UN Security Council resolutions which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory in 1967 was temporary and reversible.
Such assumptions are the basis for the current peace process aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
This now appears to be an illusion, said Mr Falk.
Israel said the report was utterly biased and served a political agenda, criticising its author for making no mention of what it called Palestinian terrorist attacks.
Continue reading the main story
Israeli settlements on occupied land
* More than 430,000 settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, alongside 2.5 million Palestinians
* 20,000 settlers live in the Golan Heights
* Settlements and the area they take up cover 40% of the West Bank
* There are about 100 settlements not authorised by the Israeli government in the West Bank
* An Israeli settlement in close-up
* In the shadow of an Israeli settlement
Mr Falk told journalists that his mandate was to report on the Israeli occupation, not on the rights and wrongs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He said he based his conclusion not only on the deepening expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but on the eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, and the demolition of their homes.
Israel's refusal to extend a partial 10-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank has derailed peace negotiations sponsored by the United States. Washington wants them resumed.
But Mr Falk said both governments and the United Nations had failed to uphold Palestinian rights.
He urged the UN to support civil society initiatives, such as campaigns to sanction or boycott Israel for alleged violations of international law.0 -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11709617
Israel plans 1,300 East Jerusalem Jewish settler homes
8 November 2010
Israel has revealed plans to build nearly 1,300 housing units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem.
Building settlements is illegal under international law and recent efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled over the issue.
The announcement comes as Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is on an official visit to the US.
The US said the move was disappointing, while Palestinian officials said it was an attempt to sabotage the talks.
"We thought that Netanyahu was going to the United States to stop settlement activity and restart negotiations, but it is clear to us that he is determined to destroy the talks," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The Interior Ministry said that final approval had been given for almost 1,000 new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa, near the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, and about 300 in an area called Ramot.
A ministry spokeswoman told the BBC that the plans were being published to invite public comment and that actual construction was likely to be years away.
East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied Palestinian territory by the international community, but Israel says it is part of its territory.
Israel has been urged by many foreign governments, including the United States, to resume a partial building freeze in settlements on the occupied West Bank and to maintain an unofficial status quo in East Jerusalem, in order to help faltering peace talks with the Palestinians.
The news that more than 1,000 new homes have been approved in East Jerusalem could cast a shadow over a visit to the US by Mr Netanyahu, says the BBC's Wyre Davis in Jerusalem.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the White House was "deeply disappointed" by the announcement and viewed it as "counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties".
Israel angered the US administration earlier this year when a similar announcement was made during a trip to Jerusalem by US Vice-President Joe Biden.
Mr Biden and other US officials are holding meetings this week with the Israeli leader about ways to resume the peace talks - and peace campaigners say the latest announcement from the Israeli government is deliberately provocative, our correspondent says.
The Palestinians have refused to go back to the negotiations - which resumed in Washington in September after a break of almost 20 months - without a stop to building Jewish settlements on the territory they want as their future state.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, settling close to 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements.0 -
this is so wrong. i can't say that i didn't expect it to expand though...the underlined part is the problem how the international community "has urged" instead of demanded under threat of retribution like sanctions and condemnation by the international community.Byrnzie wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11709617
Israel plans 1,300 East Jerusalem Jewish settler homes
8 November 2010
Israel has revealed plans to build nearly 1,300 housing units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem.
Building settlements is illegal under international law and recent efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled over the issue.
The announcement comes as Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is on an official visit to the US.
The US said the move was disappointing, while Palestinian officials said it was an attempt to sabotage the talks.
"We thought that Netanyahu was going to the United States to stop settlement activity and restart negotiations, but it is clear to us that he is determined to destroy the talks," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The Interior Ministry said that final approval had been given for almost 1,000 new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa, near the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, and about 300 in an area called Ramot.
A ministry spokeswoman told the BBC that the plans were being published to invite public comment and that actual construction was likely to be years away.
East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied Palestinian territory by the international community, but Israel says it is part of its territory.
Israel has been urged by many foreign governments, including the United States, to resume a partial building freeze in settlements on the occupied West Bank and to maintain an unofficial status quo in East Jerusalem, in order to help faltering peace talks with the Palestinians.
The news that more than 1,000 new homes have been approved in East Jerusalem could cast a shadow over a visit to the US by Mr Netanyahu, says the BBC's Wyre Davis in Jerusalem.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the White House was "deeply disappointed" by the announcement and viewed it as "counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties".
Israel angered the US administration earlier this year when a similar announcement was made during a trip to Jerusalem by US Vice-President Joe Biden.
Mr Biden and other US officials are holding meetings this week with the Israeli leader about ways to resume the peace talks - and peace campaigners say the latest announcement from the Israeli government is deliberately provocative, our correspondent says.
The Palestinians have refused to go back to the negotiations - which resumed in Washington in September after a break of almost 20 months - without a stop to building Jewish settlements on the territory they want as their future state.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, settling close to 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements."You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/no ... -west-bank
Israeli plans to build 800 homes in West Bank settlement spark US anger
Plan for new homes in Ariel reported to be at advanced stage, needing only approval of local planning and building committee
* Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 November 2010
Israel today sparked fresh US anger when a plan to build 800 new homes in the West Bank settlement of Ariel was revealed hours after the Obama administration expressed "deep disappointment" at the approval of more than 1,300 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
The plan for the new homes, in an area of Ariel close to the Palestinian town of Salfit, was reported to be at an advanced stage, needing only the approval of the local planning and building committee.
The disclosure drew a furious reaction from the Palestinians, who said it was time for the international community to immediately recognise a Palestinian state on the pre-occupation 1967 borders.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator, said: "Once more, at the moment when we expected Prime Minister Netanyahu to announce a full settlement freeze ... he has sent Palestinians and the US administration a clear message that Israel chooses settlements, not peace."
The Ariel and East Jerusalem proposals came six weeks after the end of a 10-month partial freeze on settlement construction.
Since then, fledgling direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold while the US tries to broker an extension to the freeze.
The Palestinians have said they will end negotiations without a further moratorium – but the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has so far not ceded to US pressure.
Netanyahu, who is currently in the US, will meet the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, on Thursday. She is expected to press further for Israel to agree to extend the freeze to prevent the collapse of the talks.
Following the disclosure of plans to build more than 1,300 new homes in Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, said the plan "contradicts the efforts by the international community to resume direct negotiations, and the decision should be reversed".
Settlements threatened to make a two-state solution impossible, she added today. "The European Union will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties," she said.
Speaking in Indonesia, the US president, Barack Obama, said: "This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations."
The US state department spokesman PJ Crowley said yesterday: "We were deeply disappointed by the announcement of advance planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of East Jerusalem. It is counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties."
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, also expressed displeasure over the proposal at a meeting with Netanyahu in New York.
In a statement, Ban said he was concerned at "plans for further settlements and plans to build more Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem", adding that it was "vital to break the current diplomatic stalemate, resume negotiations and produce results".
The East Jerusalem plans cover almost 980 new homes in Har Homa, 320 in Ramot and 32 in Psgat Ze'ev, all situated on the Palestinian side of the Green Line.
"This is a huge provocation by Netanyahu at a very sensitive time in the negotiation process," Hagit Ofran of Peace Now, an Israeli advocacy group monitoring settlement activity, said.
"The timing ... is not accidental. Without the intervention of the government, the settlers will take the opportunity to promote every [construction] plan they can."
US frustration at Israeli foot-dragging on a fresh settlement freeze is mounting. Some diplomats fear Israel is stalling for long enough to get a substantial number of construction "starts" under way, which would then be exempt from any new moratorium.
A spokeswoman for Ariel refused to confirm or deny the plan to build new homes in the settlement. However, the settlement's mayor, Ron Nachman, reportedly told the city council last month that the new housing plan was "a very big thing".
He also said construction had resumed in other areas of the city, including the large industrial zone.
Ariel, home to almost 20,000 settlers, juts deep into the West Bank. Israel wants it to remain on its side of any border resulting from peace negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians say it would jeopardise the territorial contiguity of a future state.
The US has given no guarantees to Israel on the future of Ariel under any peace deal, and some senior Israeli politicians admit it is in question.
Earlier this year, Netanyahu visited Ariel to plant trees in the settlement. "We want to strengthen the peace and co-existence with our neighbours – but this will not stop us from continuing with our lives here, where we'll continue to plant trees and to build," he said.
"Ariel ... will be an integral, inseparable part of the state of Israel in any future arrangement."
All settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is not recognised by the international community.0 -
when the US was just "disappointed" with Israel it gave extra $300M in aid. "deeply disappointed" has to be worth billions!Byrnzie wrote:Israel today sparked fresh US anger when a plan to build 800 new homes in the West Bank settlement of Ariel was revealed hours after the Obama administration expressed "deep disappointment" at the approval of more than 1,300 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
Ali.0 -
how many fucking new homes have to be built before the international community stands as one and condemns the israeli government for it's wanton expansion of the settlements? the moves they have made by expanding the construction in the settlements these last few weeks proves without a doubt that they are more interested in land and expansion than in peace."You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
ok, so she "blasted" the plans, now what will come of it? what action will this administration take? my bet is absolutely none... though it is good to know we have given $600 million to the palestinian authority, it still pales in comparison to the billions of dollars and the military equipment we give to israel every year...
Hillary Clinton Blasts Israel Settlement Expansion Plans
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday criticized Israel's latest building plans in east Jerusalem, an issue that has divided the two governments and imperiled efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.
Clinton called the proposed construction of 1,300 apartments "counterproductive" and an obstacle to restarting peace talks with the Palestinians.
"The United States was deeply disappointed by the announcement of advance planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of east Jerusalem," Clinton told reporters at the State Department.
Her remarks came one day before she was scheduled to meet in New York with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier rejected President Barack Obama's criticism of the construction project.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement Tuesday that said "Jerusalem is not a settlement; it is the capital of the state of Israel," and insisted there was "no link" between the peace talks and its development plans for the city.
The Palestinians hope to make eastern Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state as part of a peace deal. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war.
The latest round of Israeli-Palestinian talks began in September after a nearly two year interruption, but they quickly stalled over the issue of settlement expansion.
Palestinians have said they will not resume the talks unless Israel halts construction of new housing in Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.
They have demanded that Israel renew a 10-month West Bank settlement slowdown that expired in late September – and add Jerusalem to it.
Clinton's criticism of the Israeli move came as she announced $150 million in additional U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority Wednesday. The U.S. is trying to help the Palestinians create the government for their new state that would exist beside Israel, as envisioned in the peace talks.
The administration provided about $600 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority in its 2010 budget, and has asked Congress for authority to provide a similar amount in the 2011 fiscal year.
The money is part of U.S. and international support for Palestinian efforts to establish the basic institutions of a state, including a justice system and a viable economy.
Clinton credited Palestinian leaders with "reversing a history of corruption and producing results that actually matter and improve the lives of Palestinians," while cautioning that progress could stall without broad international support.
Clinton spoke from Washington via videoconference with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, the West Bank headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.
Fayyad thanked Clinton for the additional U.S. aid and was muted in his criticism of the latest Israel settlement construction plan. He called it "a very serious challenge and a problem for all of us," but he made no explicit mention of how it will affect prospects for resuming peace talks.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also met with Clinton Wednesday and told reporters that his government is worried by the impasse.
"We feel that Israel is not doing what is required," he said. Egypt was the first Arab country to reach peace with the Jewish state.
Clinton said she and Aboul Gheit also discussed chances for a breakthrough in Iraq's effort to form a unity government following inconclusive national elections in March."You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11731695
UN: No change in Gaza despite easing of Israel blockade
By Jon Donnison BBC News, Gaza City
7 October 2010
The UN says there has been "no material change" for people in Gaza since Israel announced it was "easing" its economic blockade of the Palestinian territory.
In June Israel said it would lift some of its restrictions on Gaza to allow in more food and consumer goods.
The move followed international pressure after the deaths of nine Turkish activists aboard a flotilla of ships trying to break the blockade.
The head of UN operations in Gaza said few people had noticed any difference.
"There's been no material change for the people on the ground here in terms of their status, the aid dependency, the absence of any recovery or reconstruction, no economy," the UN's John Ging told the BBC.
"The easing, at it was described, has been nothing more than a political easing of the pressure on Israel and Egypt."
There are now more Israeli products allowed into Gaza. But virtually all exports are still banned, which has devastated Gaza's economy.
And the blockade on people remains. It is still extremely difficult for Palestinians to get Israeli permission to leave Gaza.
Mr Ging accused Israel of ignoring demands from the international community to lift the blockade.
A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry said the UN was missing the point.
"The UN refuses to talk about the elephant in the room," said Yigal Palmor.
"Why are there any problems in exporting and sometimes importing goods into Gaza? Why is the border blockaded? Because the territory has been overtaken by a declared terror movement."
The blockade was originally tightened in 2007 after the Islamist movement Hamas came to power in Gaza. Israel as well as the US and the European union regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation.0 -
Aw, how cute. The Americans and Israeli's are planning a series of discussions aimed at finding ways in which they can resume talking. I bet the Palestinians who are occupied, oppressed and blockaded will be over the moon to hear this news. Of course it doesn't matter that not only will the democratically elected Palestinian leadership not be in attendance at these so-called 'Peace talks' but the American and Israeli hand-picked puppet government of Mamoud Abbas will also not be present. So these 'peace talks' will consist of the aggressor and occupier - Israel -talking to it's sole supporter and financer - the U.S.
Let the bells ring out!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11736546
US and Israel agree to seek Middle East peace talks
11 November 2010
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed after hours of discussions to seek the resumption of direct Middle East peace talks.
The meeting focused on resuming negotiations to produce "a two-state solution", they said in a statement.
The two met in New York amid a row over Israeli plans to build new homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians have left negotiations over the new settlement construction.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Netanyahu's meeting "focused on creating the conditions for the resumption of direct negotiations aimed at producing a two-state solution", their joint statement said.
"Their teams will work closely together in the coming days toward that end."
Mrs Clinton also assured Mr Netanyahu that Israel's security requirements would be "fully taken into account" in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
But after more than seven hours of talks, the two gave no indication as to how they intended to break the impasse over Jewish settlement building.
An Israeli moratorium on building new settlements expired at the end of September. Earlier this month, Israel announced plans to build 1,300 new homes for Jewish settlers on disputed land in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians have said they will not return to the negotiating table until new settlement construction halts.
The US has said the settlements are unhelpful and has urged the two sides to restart negotiations.
Negotiations, launched with what correspondents described as great pomp by President Barack Obama in early September, ran aground after just two rounds of talks.
Earlier on Thursday, speaking in Ramallah at an event to mark the anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas asked Israelis to choose peace over settlements.
"I now turn to the Israeli people. I hope they will hear us - those who believe in peace, if they exist," Mr Abbas said.
The US announced a new $150m (£93m) aid package on Wednesday for the Palestinian Authority.0 -
Wag the Dog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11751713
US offers Israel incentive plan for settlement freeze
14 November 2010
The US has offered Israel a package of incentives in exchange for a settlement construction freeze in the West Bank, diplomatic sources say.
Under the reported plan, Israel would stop construction for 90 days in the West Bank but not in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli cabinet is now considering the package.
The settlement row threatens to derail direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which resumed in the US in September after a break of almost 20 months.
Israel and the US have not commented on the details of the plan.
It was discussed when US secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on Thursday, BBC State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas says.
According to the diplomatic sources, the plan includes a US pledge not to seek any extension to the settlement building freeze beyond 90 days.
In return, Washington reportedly offered Israel various security guarantees and commits itself to fighting international resolutions critical of Israel.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians stalled a few weeks after their resumption, as Israel's 10-month construction freeze in the West Bank expired on 26 September.
The Palestinians - backed by the Arab League - have pledged not to return to the talks without a full settlement construction freeze, but have given US negotiators until early November to try to break the impasse.
Washington has been trying desperately for two months to revive deadlocked peace talks, and the reported 90-day freeze may be enough to get the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, our correspondent says.
She adds that within those three months Washington hopes it can get serious discussions under way about the borders of a future Palestinian state.
Last month, Mr Netanyahu offered to renew the freeze if the Palestinians recognised Israel as a Jewish state, but the Palestinian leadership dismissed the proposal as unfair.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, settling close to 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements. They are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this0 -
...In other words, the Israeli's can do whatever they like if they agree to postpone their illegal, racist settlement building for 3 months. After that time the U.S will abuse it's power of automatic veto at the U.N to protect Israel unconditionally whilst also turning a blind eye to renewed settlement construction for Jews only.
I wonder who pulls the strings in Washington D.C?0 -
90 days?? wow so generous. :roll:hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say0 -
this deal is getting worse all the time....Byrnzie wrote:...In other words, the Israeli's can do whatever they like if they agree to postpone their illegal, racist settlement building for 3 months. After that time the U.S will abuse it's power of automatic veto at the U.N to protect Israel unconditionally whilst also turning a blind eye to renewed settlement construction for Jews only.
I wonder who pulls the strings in Washington D.C?"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
Byrnzie wrote:...US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed after hours of discussions to seek the resumption of direct Middle East peace talks.
The meeting focused on resuming negotiations to produce "a two-state solution", they said in a statement....
there cant be a 2 state solution. it requires the relocation of too many people. and what happens to those palestinians living in israel? where do they go? do they stay in israel or will they be relocated to palestine? and what of jerusalem? to have it under the aegis of an international force is unacceptable. i am under no delusion that israel will ever allow a palestinian state to be fully autonomous. the continued building of settlements on stolen land just doesnt allow for a 2 state solution nor does the continued fragmentation of the palestinian community. do the israeli govt really think we in the west are that stupid not to know why they continue to build illegal settlements when by our inactions we are enabling them. personally i think they just dont respect us and who can blame them.hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say0 -
catefrances wrote:there cant be a 2 state solution. it requires the relocation of too many people.
Twice as many Palestinians were 'relocated' in 1948 under much more difficult circumstances. And besides, most of the settlers took the difficult step of uprooting themselves and their families from America to Israel in the first place, so there's no reason why they can't just move across the 1967 line into Israel, or back to America where they came from.Post edited by Byrnzie on0 -
Byrnzie wrote:catefrances wrote:there cant be a 2 state solution. it requires the relocation of too many people.
Twice as many Palestinians were 'relocated' in 1948 under much more difficult circumstances. And besides, most of them took the difficult step of uprooting themselves and their families from America to Israel in the first place, so there's no reason why they can't just move across the 1967 line into Israel, or back to America where they came from.
so you think the israelis will just up and abandon their settlements to implement a 2 state solution? should they be expected to simply because the settlements are illegal under international law... a law i might point out the israelis arrogantly continue to disregard. will palestinians living and working in israel be expected to relocate to palestinian territory? can you possibly get past the sins of the past in order that there be a peaceful future? do you think a 2 state plan can be implemented equitably?hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say0 -
catefrances wrote:so you think the israelis will just up and abandon their settlements to implement a 2 state solution? should they be expected to simply because the settlements are illegal under international law... a law i might point out the israelis arrogantly continue to disregard. will palestinians living and working in israel be expected to relocate to palestinian territory? can you possibly get past the sins of the past in order that there be a peaceful future? do you think a 2 state plan can be implemented equitably?
Do you think you could possibly cram any more questions into one post? That's ten questions in the space of two posts. Are you in a competition?0 -
Byrnzie wrote:catefrances wrote:so you think the israelis will just up and abandon their settlements to implement a 2 state solution? should they be expected to simply because the settlements are illegal under international law... a law i might point out the israelis arrogantly continue to disregard. will palestinians living and working in israel be expected to relocate to palestinian territory? can you possibly get past the sins of the past in order that there be a peaceful future? do you think a 2 state plan can be implemented equitably?
Do you think you could possibly cram any more questions into one post? That's ten questions in the space of two posts. Are you in a competition?
you know i can steve. :P and no im not in a competition... i was just musing out loud.
im just interested in what you think. in fact im interested in what yosi thinks too but hes not here atm. clearly land is of extreme importance so im just wondering under what circumstances people should be expected to abandon theirs.hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say0 -
so....
no thoughts then???
*shrugs*hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say0 -
catefrances wrote:so....
no thoughts then???
*shrugs*
I don't like being bombarded with multiple questions. My Mum does that and I ignore her when she does it too. One question at a time please. :thumbup:0
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