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Originally Posted by Paul
Do you really think it would have made any difference, or will make any difference now ?
Netanyahu is clearly a little unbalanced, and his fellow countrymen dont seem to care much.
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Only time will tell. As I said before, not recognising it hasn't worked out well for pretty much anyone.
---------- Post added at 23:10 ---------- Previous post was at 22:57 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sephiroth
I see your logic - but is it possible? In a year's time, when Netanyahu is up for election, he'll either have eliminated Hamas or the next generation will be standing in the wings (very likely given the even worse bad egg - Iran). That's how he hopes to retain power - through the gratitude and admiration of the people.
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You can't eliminate Hamas by force. The death, destruction and economic damage inflicted on Gaza will doubtless swell their numbers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sephiroth
Israelis know that they are past the point of no return with the Palestinian people. Israel's behaviour toward the West Bank people has made certain of that.
So, whoever wins the next Israeli GE, the government will be stuck with the logical consequences of Netanyahu's actions.
Given the penetration of Israeli settlements in the West Bank - some 200,000 people. you can see whey [think - Ed] it's the point beyond no return.
The best that Israel could then do in those circumstances, I suggest, is to woo the Palestinians into chucking their lot in with Israel, then annexing the West Bank. I would expect the USA to play a part, given the real estate opportunities. This would require a breakthrough in realism for the Palestinians especially if they can be convinced of several uplift in living standards.
Why is all the above pie in the sky? There are 2+ million Palestinians who, if they become Israeli citizens, could disturb the balance of political power.
Thus - back to square one. Everyone being appalled at Israel with nothing to offer but scolding remarks and no solutions. I suppose that Israel could develop the West Bank, providing employment opportunity for the Palestinians and growth of wealth. If that's Netanyahu's intention, he needs to get them onside - so back to square one!
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You rightly draw out the issue of a single-state solution giving the Palestinians quite a lot of influence in a new state which may not gone down well with some elements of the Israeli population. I don't know enough to comment on how it would land.
Peace in countries like Bosnia and Northern Ireland only came about through talks and solutions facilitated by outsiders. The logical country to take a tilt at this would be the USA. However, I view this as impractical under Trump given his very pro-Israel stance.