RE: Israel isn't fighting for acceptance

Submitted by John (United Kingdom), Apr 2, 2006 at 17:36

Israel is fighting for land and water, and has been since 1948. Acceptance by the Arab world isn't a luxury Israel needs while the state continues to enjoy US support. This is why Sharon/Olmert can afford to wall off the Palestinians rather than destroy them - the territorial concessions involved are small, and a Palestinian Authority of some sort keeps non-jews out of Israeli politics. Water, international borders and airspace are still controlled by Israel. The Palestinans provide a captive market for Israeli goods. The endgame that is being worked towards is a situation where the the non-jewish 50% of the population between the Jordan and the sea occupy around 5% of the territory, in walled urban areas. This is a stunning reversal of the early days of jewish settlement, when jews controlled less than 7% of the territory of mandate Palestine. Any full-scale war would jeopardise this endgame, without providing any additional land for the state. ...Conquest can be achieved using less drastic methods.

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