It is abundantly clear to virtually everyone that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza must end. Even right-wingers in Israel acknowledge this, arguing not for their continuation at any cost but for the right conditions to be present first. Israeli leaders and Jewish leaders around the world have stated publicly and privately that the occupation, if it remains in place, will damage Israel irrevocably through a waste of resources and complete corrosion of its moral nature.
But there is a core truth that the myriad of recommendations and advice coming from across the political spectrum have long been unwilling to recognize, let alone accept. And that is that the occupation cannot simply "end." Israel cannot just get up and walk out of the West Bank, nor can it just remove its soldiers and ships from Gaza's borders. Yet this is precisely what most observers assume should and will happen. It is misguided, and ignores the realities of life for both Israelis and Palestinians. Yes, things are bad in the West Bank and Gaza, but the potential for worsening conditions for everyone should not be ignored.
On the Israeli side, guarantees of security remain paramount. Israelis see that they withdrew from Lebanon and from Gaza, and instead of leading to peace, it led to more violence: Hezbollah and Hamas (and other militant groups) fired rockets and led cross-border attacks, leading to two Israeli invasions that cost lives and money and highlighted its weaknesses in fighting a non-conventional army.
The removal of tens of thousands of settlers, or more, will have an enormous impact on Israel. It will take considerable resources to move them, and to re-settle them within Israel. There are also economic issues: After being shut out of the Israeli economy in the 1990s, Palestinian labor is once again becoming increasingly important to Israeli firms.
On the Palestinian side, economic ties with Israel are important sectors of at least the West Bank economy (Gaza having been cut off because of the siege and of Hamas's tactics). In particular, joint Israeli-Palestinian ventures include cooperation in olive oil production, industrial zones, tourism, Jerusalem stone, and trade to third countries. Although in small numbers at the moment, Palestinians have in recent years begun working in Israel's high-tech industry. These associations are important for Palestinians not only because of income generated, but because the Palestinian economy absorbs Israeli expertise, knowledge, and technology. As well, Palestinian labor is essential for the building of settlements themselves. Seemingly counterproductive, the revenue is necessary for Palestinian families. The sudden disappearance of Israel, without careful, detailed plans for maintaining or replacing these economic connections, will weaken the Palestinian economy and the growth it has experienced in the last few years.
(There are also darker ties to be noted: a thriving black market in stolen cars is dependent on joint efforts by Israeli and Palestinian criminals.)
Finally, it's not totally clear that the Arab states would be fully satisfied with an end to the occupation. The Arab regimes derive considerable domestic legitimacy from the conflict, using it as a tool to deflect both internal concerns about conditions within their states. Arab rulers often focus their states' attention on an external enemy or foreign policy issue and use it as a policy instrument to conduct domestic politics. How they would replace the loss of the conflict should also be of at least secondary concern.
Don't mistake this argument for a contentment with the status quo: There is already too much hyperbole and shrillness in the discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which in turn undermines realistic and workable strategies for ending the occupation and the conflict.
But what this does mean is that meticulous planning must be done at many levels, involving many groups. There is no place for playing ideological, political, ethnic, or religious preferences: if most Israelis and Palestinians are not ultimately satisfied, no-one will be allowed to live in peace. The concerns of both sides -- and of the multiple groups within both -- must be addressed.
It is, in this context, unhelpful to speak of immediate change, to expect the United States to impose a peace, or to demand that Israel end the occupation. None of these can succeed without the groundwork being laid first. We must adjust our expectations of resolving the conflict in order to increase the chances of such success.
Prior to the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah strictly held to its policy of firing rockets in retaliation only. Israel's reserves were called up three months before the "cross border" incident - if it was indeed one. According to the Lebanese police force, the two soldiers were captured in Lebanese territory, in Aïta Al-Chaab, well inside Lebanon.
"In the six years since Israel withdrew, there have been frequent border incidents between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, and ceasefire violations of the type committed now by Hezbollah have occurred before, initiated by either side, and more frequently by Israel. None of the previous incidents resulted in Katyusha shelling of the north of Israel, which has enjoyed full calm since Israel's withdrawal."
- Tanya Reinhart.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shqiperia/message/14600?var=1
After the Israeli inquiry, Judge Winograd ruled that Israel embarked on " a prolonged war that it initiated ".
Prior to "Cast Lead", Hamas held a five month long truce despite Israel's refusal to open the crossings, a condition of the truce. After Israel entered Gaza and killed 6 Palestinians, Hamas could no longer enforce the cease-fire.
Cast Lead was being planned as Israel was negotiating the truce.
I cannot agree that Israel was "lead"as suggested.
What are the Palestinians supposed to do? Throw concrete at the tanks which bulldoze their homes, which take away their lands to build colonies for Israelis on stolen territory?
Despite the fact that Israel has relaxed its inhumane blockade against the people of Gaza, materials necessary for construction, such as iron and concrete, are still being refused entry (illegally) into Gaza, a territory where there is a rate of 80% dependency, where 90% of the water supply is not potable, from where 80 million cubic litres of untreated sewage pours into the Mediterranean, daily. This is an ecological disaster."
http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/03-12-2010/116054-gaza_israel-0/
"The Hamas movement has accepted the Egyptian initiative for a lull and is ready to launch it this week, Palestinian sources told the al-Arabiya network on Sunday.
If all agreements are approved, the Rafah crossing will reopen this Thursday, and Hamas and Israel will declare a one-year truce brokered by Egypt.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3664941,00.html
Hamas held the truce for 5 months. Israel did not open Rafah. Hamas ended the truce after Israel entered the strip and killed six Palestinians.
But I'm curious how Mr. Sasley envisions the process of this happening as I'm open to other ideas.
As for it being unfair or whatever, this is the reality that arabs manifested for themselves after decades of attacking Israel both physically and verbally, blaming every arab problem from famine to crop viruses to shark attacks on Israel. I think it's actually a very good lesson on reaping what we've sown and creating an implacable foe where one previously didn't exist.
Aesop could really write a bestseller on this allegory, too bad he's not here to see it....
"Only an international revolution can have the power to heal our people of their murd'rous sickness of causeless hatr d (for the Arabs). It is bound to bring complete ruin on us. Only then will the old and young in our land realize how great was our responsibility to those miserable Arab refugees in whose towns we have settled Jews who were brought from afar; whose homes we have inherited, whose fields we now sow and harvest; the fruits of whose gardens, orchards and vineyards we gather; and in whose cities that we robbed, we put up houses of education, charity, and prayer while we babble and rave about being the “people of the book” and the “light unto the nations” "
- (1961 article in the Hebrew magazine Ner).
No nation is guaranteed security, but a treaty would go a long way alleviating the security threats to Israelis and Palestinians.
I'm not sure that there anything on earth (or in heaven) that would make the Israeli's secure. How about discussing Arab security for a change?
What are their concerns?
What could Israel do to make them feel more secure?
For all the complaints about israel's treatment of palestinians, I can't see how this affects the security of saudi arabia or kuwait, or even jordan and egypt.
Israel has threatened Iran with multiple nuclear strikes.
Israel has used WMDs on Lebanese and Palestinian civilians.
Israel has started more wars in the Middle East than the Mongol Hordes.
Israel = #1 destabalizing force and war monger in the Middle East, the facts speak for themsevles.
Maybe one of the Israelis on here can answer a question for me. Occasionally I see a bumper sticker that says "Ha'am eem Ha'Golan" which I always took to mean "The nation with the Golan" (In other words, sort or rubbing it in the Syrians face that israel captured that land.)
But then I read somewhere that it is actually saying "The nation is with the Golan", meaning that it just shows support for the people living in the Golan.
What is that phrase really trying to convey?
Having bumper stickers related to a military unit could be an explanation.
The current Head of Council is Eli Malka.
The Golan Heights were captured by Israel from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. They are internationally recognized as Syrian territory occupied by Israel, although Israel asserts it has a right to retain the area."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Regional_Council
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights#Towns.2C_villages_and_settlements
They can't just get up and leave the West Bank but it ok if they destroy existing homes of Palestinians and forced they to just get up and leave RIGHT!
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-concerned-russia-will-recognize-palestinian-state-1.337748
More than 100 nations around the world have recognized the state of Palestine
http://www.morungexpress.com/analysis/60333.html
Until Israel acts in accord with the responsibilities it pledged to the United Nations upon its admission to that body and are required of it under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there will be no resolution, occupation or no occupation.
Nothing in this sentence is true.
“The word 'American' no longer has a good sound in that part of the world [the Middle East]. To catch the Jewish vote in the U.S., President Truman in 1946 demanded that the British admit 100,000 Jewish refugees to Palestine, in violation of British promises to the Arabs. Since then, the Arab nations surrounding Israel have regarded that state as a U.S. creation, and the U.S., therefore, as an enemy. The Israeli-Arab war created nearly a million Arab refugees, who have been huddled for three years in wretched camps. These refugees, for whom neither the U.S. nor Israel will take the slightest responsibility, keep alive the hatred of U.S. perfidy.
“No enmity for the Arabs, no selfish national design motivated the clumsy U.S. support of Israel. The American crime was not to help the Jews, but to help them at the expense of the Arabs. Today, the Arab world fears and expects a further Israeli expansion. The Arabs are well aware that Alben Barkley, Vice President of the U.S., tours his country making speeches for the half-billion-dollar Israeli bond issue, the largest ever offered to the U.S. public. Nobody, they note bitterly, is raising that kind of money for them.”