The USA changes the Middle East
Posted by: Arye_Gur on 11 January 2004
Asad goes to visit to Turkey – a country his father didn’t visit for dozens of years.
Asad asks to talk peace with Israel.
Kadafi is talking with Israeli officials.
From your point there – what do you think about the situation?
Arye
Asad asks to talk peace with Israel.
Kadafi is talking with Israeli officials.
From your point there – what do you think about the situation?
Arye
Hi Arye, How yer doin ?
I recently read the following article in a British paper
that I regularly read, and I thought you'd be interested in seeing it, written
by an Israeli, but for Europeans as it were ? It's a serious commentary in a
magazine usually renowned for its satire (so take it as you wish ?)I will just
say that I do not personally make any comment on this article whats'oever, and I
don't really want any comments from you about it either, I mean that in a
friendly way if you understand my meaning my friend !
"Letter from Israel"
from Our Own Correspondent
Our Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may be getting on a bit, but even at 76 his
arithmatic remains sharp. When he announced the "Painful concession" of
removing 13 unlicensed Israeli settlements in the occupied territories in
December 2003, he had done his sums: these were exactly one tenth of the 130
unlicensed (but army protected) settlements established under his rule. The
rest will stay - as will the 145 older, licensed ones, forming a permanent
Israeli space.
Also staying is the 12ft separation wall currently being built
around Palestinian towns and villages. In other words, the aims of Sharon's
much-vaunted " unilateral steps" are no different from Old Bulldozer's
life-long one; a Greater Israel.
If his current plan succeeds, a mere 10
percent of pre-1948 Palestine will be left for its Arab residents. "It's yes
to peace, no to the Palestinians," quipped one Israeli satirist. Or as
Sharon's contemporary, the peace campaigner Uri Avneri, put it, "Palestinian
territory is being scissored into pieces to create isolated Palestinian
enclaves, each of them an open air prison."
Sharon's plan is the formalisation
of a policy which has already caused the Israelis lots of trouble, including
the freezing of our diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan, and the
collapse of our over-taxed economy. Even the ever-loving Bush administration
reacted by cutting loan-guarantees in protest.
The plan also strengthened
those in the Palestinian camp whose only policy idea is to create a lot more
dead Israelis. Terror bombings are now often carried out the very day after
Israeli troops have killed Palestinians. The resulting grim quality of
Israeli life makes other countries more attractive: for the first time ,
young Israelis are applying in some numbers for German citizenship on the
strength of having a grandparent born there. Even the loyalty of the top
brass can no longer be taken for granted. Four former heads of our fabled
Shinbet intelligence service have publicly declared that Sharon's "war on
terror" cannot be won. His chief of staff, Lt Gen Moshe Ya'alon, has called
the present policy "destructive".
Twenty-seven Israeli pilots have refused to
carry out any more occupation missions and the members of the elite Matkal
unit, whose soldiers carried out the daring raid on Entebbe in 1976, joined
their unprecedented stand.
A beleaguered Sharon must now rely on support
elsewhere. The Prime minister a secular "sabra"- that once admired class of
"New Jews" born in the homeland but without any religious attachment - is
still loved by most of Israel's one million Russian immigrants, a community
well used to governments which flatten minorities. He is also liked by the
religious settlers who dont care how he realises their dream of building an
air-conditioned replica of biblical Israel in a place inhabited by others.
"The practical side is non of my business," a settler leader told a cabinet
minister on a recent West Bank visit.
Those who find it more difficult to
overlook "the practical side", of course are the Palestinians. Most now have
to clamber through a narrow gap in a concrete wall in order to leave their
homes. To discourage even this population movement, soldiers regularly force
them to wait for up to 48 hours at their checkpoints. This makes it not just
impossible for Palestinians to go to school, hospital, or work, but even to
the toilet. There are no sanitary facilities and drivers waiting to pass may
not leave their cars.
Taken From Private Eye Magazine (UK) issue 1097, who I hope wont get on my
case for forwarding this excellent article in the spirit that it is intended.
All the best,
Fritz, have a nice day, it was a pleasure to type it up for you.
I recently read the following article in a British paper
that I regularly read, and I thought you'd be interested in seeing it, written
by an Israeli, but for Europeans as it were ? It's a serious commentary in a
magazine usually renowned for its satire (so take it as you wish ?)I will just
say that I do not personally make any comment on this article whats'oever, and I
don't really want any comments from you about it either, I mean that in a
friendly way if you understand my meaning my friend !
"Letter from Israel"
from Our Own Correspondent
Our Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may be getting on a bit, but even at 76 his
arithmatic remains sharp. When he announced the "Painful concession" of
removing 13 unlicensed Israeli settlements in the occupied territories in
December 2003, he had done his sums: these were exactly one tenth of the 130
unlicensed (but army protected) settlements established under his rule. The
rest will stay - as will the 145 older, licensed ones, forming a permanent
Israeli space.
Also staying is the 12ft separation wall currently being built
around Palestinian towns and villages. In other words, the aims of Sharon's
much-vaunted " unilateral steps" are no different from Old Bulldozer's
life-long one; a Greater Israel.
If his current plan succeeds, a mere 10
percent of pre-1948 Palestine will be left for its Arab residents. "It's yes
to peace, no to the Palestinians," quipped one Israeli satirist. Or as
Sharon's contemporary, the peace campaigner Uri Avneri, put it, "Palestinian
territory is being scissored into pieces to create isolated Palestinian
enclaves, each of them an open air prison."
Sharon's plan is the formalisation
of a policy which has already caused the Israelis lots of trouble, including
the freezing of our diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan, and the
collapse of our over-taxed economy. Even the ever-loving Bush administration
reacted by cutting loan-guarantees in protest.
The plan also strengthened
those in the Palestinian camp whose only policy idea is to create a lot more
dead Israelis. Terror bombings are now often carried out the very day after
Israeli troops have killed Palestinians. The resulting grim quality of
Israeli life makes other countries more attractive: for the first time ,
young Israelis are applying in some numbers for German citizenship on the
strength of having a grandparent born there. Even the loyalty of the top
brass can no longer be taken for granted. Four former heads of our fabled
Shinbet intelligence service have publicly declared that Sharon's "war on
terror" cannot be won. His chief of staff, Lt Gen Moshe Ya'alon, has called
the present policy "destructive".
Twenty-seven Israeli pilots have refused to
carry out any more occupation missions and the members of the elite Matkal
unit, whose soldiers carried out the daring raid on Entebbe in 1976, joined
their unprecedented stand.
A beleaguered Sharon must now rely on support
elsewhere. The Prime minister a secular "sabra"- that once admired class of
"New Jews" born in the homeland but without any religious attachment - is
still loved by most of Israel's one million Russian immigrants, a community
well used to governments which flatten minorities. He is also liked by the
religious settlers who dont care how he realises their dream of building an
air-conditioned replica of biblical Israel in a place inhabited by others.
"The practical side is non of my business," a settler leader told a cabinet
minister on a recent West Bank visit.
Those who find it more difficult to
overlook "the practical side", of course are the Palestinians. Most now have
to clamber through a narrow gap in a concrete wall in order to leave their
homes. To discourage even this population movement, soldiers regularly force
them to wait for up to 48 hours at their checkpoints. This makes it not just
impossible for Palestinians to go to school, hospital, or work, but even to
the toilet. There are no sanitary facilities and drivers waiting to pass may
not leave their cars.
Taken From Private Eye Magazine (UK) issue 1097, who I hope wont get on my
case for forwarding this excellent article in the spirit that it is intended.
All the best,
Fritz, have a nice day, it was a pleasure to type it up for you.
I do hope you've not been held up in a traffic jam somewhere ?
All the best,
Fritz Von Jeremy
All the best,
Fritz Von Jeremy
Hi Ayre,
I promise I'll send you any future articles I find that are maybe not one sided and that I hope you will like.
Cheers, Fritz Von Weekendyeah
I promise I'll send you any future articles I find that are maybe not one sided and that I hope you will like.
Cheers, Fritz Von Weekendyeah
Arye,
What are your thoughts on the situation within the next 10 years when Palestinians will outnumber Israelis and will demand equitable representation in politics (i.e., one vote per person)? I expect Israel's leadership will never honor that request- true? Doesn't all of this worry you to the point of not sleeping?
A program I watched last night discussed this possibilty if a Palestinian state isn't established in the next few years. You probably don't want to be the next apartheid country. I also imagine Israel doesn't want to be outnumbered by suicide bombers who take several Israelis with them each time they explode themselves. What has your leadership said about this looming "one vote per person" issue? Do they not realize that the wall and all the prohibitive barriers and checkpoints behind it are creating a monster?
PS- Sharon really needs to read "Getting To Yes".
What are your thoughts on the situation within the next 10 years when Palestinians will outnumber Israelis and will demand equitable representation in politics (i.e., one vote per person)? I expect Israel's leadership will never honor that request- true? Doesn't all of this worry you to the point of not sleeping?
A program I watched last night discussed this possibilty if a Palestinian state isn't established in the next few years. You probably don't want to be the next apartheid country. I also imagine Israel doesn't want to be outnumbered by suicide bombers who take several Israelis with them each time they explode themselves. What has your leadership said about this looming "one vote per person" issue? Do they not realize that the wall and all the prohibitive barriers and checkpoints behind it are creating a monster?
PS- Sharon really needs to read "Getting To Yes".
Some serious integrated schools along the lines of Northern Ireland would be a good starter for ten, would it not Ayre my old Pal ?
Fritz Von Egotripsdon'tpaytherent
The English Department at Haifa Uniwersity is second to none my friend, so you have no argument in rwespect of not understanding my (our) words. Tschüß
Fritz Von Egotripsdon'tpaytherent
The English Department at Haifa Uniwersity is second to none my friend, so you have no argument in rwespect of not understanding my (our) words. Tschüß
quote:
Originally posted by Arye_Gur:
The terror here is a great obstacle to peace.
If the terror stops, there is a good chance to change the future.
Right on cue- the finger-pointing "it's them not us" attitude I was talking about. I'm amazed with the popularity of the perspective that terror has to stop before a land settlement can be reached. People who share that view can't honestly want peace today. Come on Arye.
Try this:
The caging of Palestinians like animals is the great obstacle to peace and to safety for Israelis. Knock down the walls, give Palestinians their freedom and land, and there will be peace because the Palestinians will halt terror themselves because they will have something they wouldn't want to lose in retaliation by Israel- their own land with internationally respected borders and legitimacy in the global community.