Apr 27, 2012 -- 1:43PM, Miraj wrote:

They are separate, but, since there is no right to enforce, that is where philosophy kicks in.  The only thing that matters is if you can successfully defend your nation through military means.  If you can't, no philosophical "right" wil save your azz.

That pretty much summarizes the history of Islam (granted, not only the history of Islam), and explains the current state of the Arabic and Islamic Middle East. So I'm not surprised it's your opinion. 

Apr 27, 2012 -- 1:43PM, Miraj wrote:

That sums up the history of the world, period. Ken would agree with me re military might.  Negotiators have only so much power to cease and desist on a global scale.

Ken does agree, yes. Israel apparently doesn't, however. Had they agreed they would have nuked their enemies a long time ago. Or even not considering nukes, as Ken has said they should have done things like kick the Muslims off the Temple Mount and basically clean out Gaza and the West Bank of all enemies. But they didn't. Must be they don't hold you Ken or you or Islam. 

Apr 27, 2012 -- 1:43PM, Miraj wrote:

It's a shame that you believe that your opinion is fact and that if you repeat it often enough, it will become reality.  Works for me though,

Freudian projection, if there ever was.

Apr 27, 2012 -- 1:43PM, Miraj wrote:

as long as you're depending on a broken stick to save Israel from the one state solution, it's a lock for my side.

Ah, Miraj the phophetess. I guess it's better than Miraj, the Almighty God.

Miraj,

In message #86 you begin by writing:

"I also don't recognize a right to a Jewish state."  

Then you list all sorts of reasons why you don't recognize a right to a Jewish state, which seems to me to apply to states in general. You end with the statement:

"But, that's why I'm 1SS." 

I could point out that this is a self-contradictory position but in international relations states often take self-contradictory positions, so that would neither be a fundamental flaw nor the major problem here.

As I see it, this rejection of the right to a Jewish state combined with the unwillingness to examine anything other than the perceived negative actions and flaws  of the State of Israel, is one of the major factors, on the part of the Arabs, which keeps this conflict going. Just as the writer cannot accept the right of the Jews to a state of their own and this leads to a conclusion that only the dissolution of the Jewish State through a one state solution can end the conflict, so the Palestinians have trapped themselves into a situation where they could not recognize the right of existence of a Jewish State and cannot reach any compromise peace with that state.

Once again, I restate the issue as I see it. Recognition on the part of the Palestinians of the right of  existence of the Jewish state is not essential for the State of Israel. It is absolutely essential for the Palestinian Arabs if the are to ever develop the capability to reach a peaceful settlement of this conflict where both peoples can have national self-determination. Until that happens, the Palestinians will continue, as they have done in the past, to deny themselves a state as long as it is accompanied  by the existence of a Jewish State.

Habesor

Miraj,

As an Israeli I have a right to comment on just about anything I please. As an observer on the Middle East, I believe that Israel bashing, Arab bashing, Palestinian bashing or Muslim bashing does nothing to advance the cause of peace. I also don't believe that white washing any of the above does that either. As a consequence I am committed to discussing the truth about all of them, as I see it, in an attempt to get at an understanding of the reality of the situation that may lead to policies and behaviors that will lead to peace between them. I therefore have no excuses that prevent me from discussing all of them, warts and all. 

In my opinion there is no way that a one-sided discussion, for whatever justifications,  can do anything other than distort the reality of what is going on here.

Habesor

Apr 28, 2012 -- 1:27AM, habesor wrote:

As an Israeli I have a right to comment on just about anything I please. As an observer on the Middle East, I believe that Israel bashing, Arab bashing, Palestinian bashing or Muslim bashing does nothing to advance the cause of peace. I also don't believe that white washing any of the above does that either. As a consequence I am committed to discussing the truth about all of them, as I see it, in an attempt to get at an understanding of the reality of the situation that may lead to policies and behaviors that will lead to peace between them. I therefore have no excuses that prevent me from discussing all of them, warts and all.

If only more people shared your opinion.