Ahmadinejad's UN comment

[Anonymous]

I think Jimmy Carter's apartheid comparison is right on. I support Israel's right to exist. But, the preferences shown are discriminatory. We would NEVER accept such things in the state ( as a matter of RECENT policy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two groups of people living in this one land. One is denied full civil rights as well as freedom of movement within the country. I think Carter does an excellent job of describing how the Palestinian people are denied freedoms that they are due as people in this state.

Wow- we have a Carter fan on the board. I didn't know there were any.

Perhaps you should take a look at what the Palestinians have done to the land Israel handed over to them. They've destroyed it. If you give them freedom, they will exploit it and attack Israel.

Why haven't other Arab nations come to the aid of the Palestinians? Why doesn't Egypt open her borders and let these innocent refugees inside? It's quite simple... no one likes the Palestinians and they certainly don't want them in their country. The Arab world cries foul when Israel defends itself but, behind closed doors, they are cheering.

Jimmy Carter's presidency is only a small part of his life's work. What he has done after his White House days is exceptional. But rather than dwell on that, I think it's better to say that you should read his book. It is a very accurate portrayal of the situation in Israel today. I had the opportunity to talk about it with my Israeli co-workers, and while they do not like the characterization, they do not dispute Carter's statements about facts on the ground.

Your statement about the Palestinians not making it work is true. However, the same can be said of the Israelis. If we believe that these two peoples can do no better than in the past, then why bother discussing it? Israelis continue to discuss it - including the two state solution. Why? Because they know the demographic realities, and they have to believe there is a solution. If the problem isn't solved in the next 20 to 30 years, they will be a minority there, and their society will crumble. The fact is that Arabs are having children at a faster rate than Israeli Jews, and there is no catching up from the demographic eventuality.

Your comment on Arab support is an old one. Pan-arab rhetoric aside, no one really sticks up for the Palestinians because they are a different people. Arabs are not all the same. It's like saying Canadians and Americans are the same because the countries are near each other and have English roots. Palestinians are Palestinians, not Northern Egyptians or Southern Syrians. That is why they can't be absorbed.

[Anonymous]

You are really a piece of work. Do you actually use facts to inform your opinion, or just (as it appears) let your glaring prejudices dictate them?

Wow- we have a Carter fan on the board. I didn't know there were any.

I'm not the one who original mentioned the Carter book, but you can count me among his fans as well. Whatever you may think of him, he orchestrated the last US-brokered peace deal in the Middle East. Aside from that, his post-presidency period has consistently focused on issues of international development and human rights. In other words, I think it is fair to say that he has had some extensive experience working on this issue.

Perhaps you should take a look at what the Palestinians have done to the land Israel handed over to them. They've destroyed it. If you give them freedom, they will exploit it and attack Israel.

I think you are mistaking Palestine and Israel. Seriously. The vast extent of destruction inside of the Palestinian territories (which have had no period of real independence, by the way, so you can't reasonably argue they've been given freedom) has been at the hands of Israel. Everything from the farming fields and infrastructure (the ones that are still accessible to Palestinians) to Gaza's power plant to homes hospitals to small businesses have been completely razed by Israel. This is a point of fact. In addition to that, all the restrictions on importing goods, movement, etc. make it very difficult to obtain even basic materials to repair or maintain the things that are still standing.

As for the "give them freedom, they will exploit it" comment, you sound like one of the old British colonialists that have been thoroughly discredited by history (which I suggest you brush up on, by the way).

Why haven't other Arab nations come to the aid of the Palestinians? Why doesn't Egypt open her borders and let these innocent refugees inside? It's quite simple... no one likes the Palestinians and they certainly don't want them in their country. The Arab world cries foul when Israel defends itself but, behind closed doors, they are cheering.

Please, tell us exactly what you want the Arab nations to do, other than maintain international focus and pressure on the world to resolve the status of Israel and Palestine? They can't easily trade with Palestine because of import/export restrictions. They can't easily carry on diplomacy because of travel restrictions. They can't easily send development money because of banking restrictions. NO country can just fling open it's borders to just take in an entire country full of refugees. They just can't absorb that number of people. In addition to that, why you see all of Palestine's inhabitants fleeing to Egypt as a positive development is beyond me.

As for your "no one likes Palestinians" comment, if you actually leave the US at some point (which I am guessing from your incredibly unbalanced view you haven't done much) you would see that just about every other nation on earth has enormous amounts of sympathy for the Palestinian plight.

As for Arab world cheering on Israel when it "defends itself" - please cite some examples of when this has happened.

[Anonymous]

How many of the PP are Muslim? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

How many of the PP are Muslim? Just curious.

I am the OP and the 7.41 poster. I don't really like this question, but for the record I am a non-practicing protestant from Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of the PP are Muslim? Just curious.

White Westerner raised Christian here.

[Anonymous]

I'm the original "Carter Fan". I am Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of the PP are Muslim? Just curious.

Non Muslim. Educated life long East Coaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two groups of people living in this one land. One is denied full civil rights as well as freedom of movement within the country. I think Carter does an excellent job of describing how the Palestinian people are denied freedoms that they are due as people in this state.

Wow- we have a Carter fan on the board. I didn't know there were any.

Perhaps you should take a look at what the Palestinians have done to the land Israel handed over to them. They've destroyed it. If you give them freedom, they will exploit it and attack Israel.

Why haven't other Arab nations come to the aid of the Palestinians? Why doesn't Egypt open her borders and let these innocent refugees inside? It's quite simple... no one likes the Palestinians and they certainly don't want them in their country. The Arab world cries foul when Israel defends itself but, behind closed doors, they are cheering.

I like Palestinians. Every Palestinian that I have met has been nice.

I think we should offer them dual citizenship, so they can vote and lobby in the US. Now THAT is fair. We made the mess, we should offer them a "home".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How can this be resolved? The state must either split in two, give everyone full rights and give up its exclusively Jewish identity, or continue to create this internal separation between Arab and Jew.

Of course the first option, the two state solution, is the only viable one. The second is unacceptable to Israel, and the third is doomed to fail under the weight of intractable demographic trends.

Great analysis. And to achieve the two state solution you need representatives from both sides willing to negotiate and deal with each other in good faith. The latter is what has alluded us these last three decades.

Three? Six decades!

Six decades? Hasn't there been continual conflict in the ME for about 2000 years now?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Six decades? Hasn't there been continual conflict in the ME for about 2000 years now?

No. That's a common misconception among those who think the Crusades ended just as World War I began and have no idea about what really occurred between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I like Palestinians. Every Palestinian that I have met has been nice.

I think we should offer them dual citizenship, so they can vote and lobby in the US. Now THAT is fair. We made the mess, we should offer them a "home".

I sincerely hope this was meant as a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I like Palestinians. Every Palestinian that I have met has been nice.

I think we should offer them dual citizenship, so they can vote and lobby in the US. Now THAT is fair. We made the mess, we should offer them a "home".

I sincerely hope this was meant as a joke.

No, no joke. For real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I like Palestinians. Every Palestinian that I have met has been nice.

I think we should offer them dual citizenship, so they can vote and lobby in the US. Now THAT is fair. We made the mess, we should offer them a "home".

I sincerely hope this was meant as a joke.

Not the PP, but I know people who used to do work with Palestinian businesses, and he said they were the most trustworthy group he'd ever dealt with. This highlights the difference between the political Palestinian organizations and the character of the average Palestinian. One friend in particular said it was the one place he would do business without a contract and not worry. Their word was better than any piece of paper he got elsewhere.

As for the dual citizenship thing, I think that helps illustrate how absurd it is to expect neighboring countries to assimilate the Palestinians. Who wants to absorb that group with such a desperate economic and social situation?

[Anonymous]

We should absorb them.