Ray

Rather tricky demands.

Unless there is security safeguards, it is obvious that the Israelis will baulk at the prospect of signing the dotted line.

Maybe some Israeli or a Palestinian poster could give a more detailed analysis as to what could be the issues that require to be ironed out and if it is not done what could be the actual repercussions.

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

S-2

This document was formulated by three very senior U.S. diplomats who SHOULD understand the issues relating to security and the political climate in which they're considered. Think about it- U.S. Security Coordinator, Ambassador to Israel, and counsel-general of Jerusalem. My suspicion is that this is not an ill-considered plan.

Arming the P.A. security forces now will be nothing compared to arming a Palestinian Army if there's ever a sovereign Palestine. Israel had better learn how to manage it's fears here as the goal should be two states living side-by-side. That so, expect a Palestinian Army down the road- with considerably more than small arms.

Olmert, under present circumstances, may not be the best partner for this project. The bashing that he's currently receiving may befuddle him into an indecisive and torporous stupor. Perhaps GWB ought to join the demonstrators.

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"This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski

Ray

Yes, GWB and all Americans should join the protest.

At least it will give them a chance to feel how exhilarating it is to protest and yet know that none would care, least of all the nation being protested against!

Burn a few flags, it being immaterial as to whose it is since the smell of burning cloth is so stimualting.

Throw in a few tires as a substitute for snorting.

And a few stones thrown at shop glass show windows is just ideal for hand grenade throwing practice!

A jolly thrilling circus if nothing else!

S-2

Brigadier,

In all honesty, Americans have sorta lost our skills. All the hippie, radical leftist from the sixties have been discredited and own a mortgage, three cars (one an SUV) and 2.1 children approaching college tuition.

Our rioting skills have sadly fallen into disrepair. The last decent hullaballoo that I can remember were the WTO riots in Seattle, some years back.

"...to protest and yet know that none would care, least of all the nation being protested against!"

I dunno here. If I'm the prevailing Israeli government and GWB, or any other American president shows up at a protest against my government, I'm definitely taking notice. In this case, it might nearly be the same. This proposal been vetted by the U.S. Dept. of State and Ms. Rice will be in Israel on May 15 to discuss implementation. Hmmm....

She's sharp. Israel had better have their arguments firmly grounded. So should the Palestinians. They've yet to comment on the proposal. We need movement here and the U.S. has done nothing to undercut the Israeli government. Little is lost by giving Abbas the means to marginalize the Hamas influence.

Olmert's paralysis and his government's possible ineffectuality is no cause to dismiss the broader importance to which this proposal may lead.

Stan187

I'm actually writing part of my undergraduate thesis on applying a type of sovereignty with an asterisk to the Palestinian territories!

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In Iran people belive pepsi stands for pay each penny save israel. -urmomma158
The Russian Navy is still a threat, but only to those unlucky enough to be Russian sailors.-highsea

Druze

From a soldier's standpoint I feel strongly that Israel should not give too much of the West Bank back at its most narrow areas. As I am a Druze I have no connection to biblical lands and/or the Jerusalem question. But giving back East Jerusalem from a military standpoint is a terrible idea. Mortars would replace the now obsolete suicide bomber and on a crowded night it could cause havoc in a West Jerusalem on a Satuday night.

The most fertile areas of Israel are the north and the West Bank, if you look at a topographical map of Israel you quickly see that a bulk of Israel is the desert of the negev. I think land swapping should be taken into account where Israel gets to keep some parts of the West Bank and cedes some of the Negev in return.
I'd say a formula of 1.75 acres of Desert land for every .9 acres of Fertile land in the west Bank.

S-2

"Mortars would replace the now obsolete suicide bomber and on a crowded night it could cause havoc in a West Jerusalem on a Satuday night."

Your point is well-taken. Still, let's assume that the Palestinian government gets the opportunity to mortar West Jerusalem on a Saturday night ONCE before paying the consequences of that action. As a sovereign nation (I'm assuming) they'd incur the same liability for such actions as Lebanon does for the rocketing of POG- a justified war by Israel upon them.

That's probably not a good idea for a new palestinian state. Cradle to grave in the blink of an eye.

Tiger

Lebanon is also a sovereign nation.

It remained moribund while the Hezbollah went on a rampage.

Could it not be that the Hamas decides to take matters into its hand, irrespective of what govt is in power?

Stan187

It is a very distinct possibility, though there is more parity between Hamas and its opponents, so they would probably challenge each other in civil war. The Lebanese Army cannot even begin to challenge Hizballah.

Confed999

Israel won't commit because they are puppets of the Zionist US government! Ummmmm...

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No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Stan187

Confed, stop revealing the roundabout plan of the ZOG machine