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settler politics revealed

Reader comment on item: Gaza cease-fire

Submitted by paul murphy (Ireland), Dec 2, 2006 at 12:43

Last Thursday night, 'Newsnight' , BBC 2' s political-analysis programme hosted a live debate on the future of the peace-process in the light of the cease-fire.

The Israeli side was represented by a junior minister in the Olmert government and a former chief of the Israeli intelligence service. The Palestinians were represented by a Fatah spokeswoman. Outside comment came from the EU negotiator of the Lebanon cease-fire and a representative of the West-Bank settlers.

By and large the debate was hopeful and reasonable. The mainstream representatives all agreed that the solution must lie in two independent and viable states for the Israelis and Palestinians with borders roughly following the 1967 ceasefire line. The disagreement was as to timing. As usual, the Israelis claimed that they needed to have a stable negotiating partner and the Palestinians were saying that the occupation was of itself creating the instability which the Israelis were using as an excuse for refusing to negotiate. Both sides recognized the rights of the other to exist. However, moderator, Gavin Esler, drew a blank when he asked the Israelis why should recognition of Isreal by Hamas be a precondition of settlement talks when a significant number of Israeli politicians equally refuse to recognize reciprocal national rights for the Palestinians.

The wild card in the debate was the settler representative. Over the course of the debate (and much to the visible discomfiture of the mainstream Israelis) it became obvious that this man wanted to remove all the Palestinians from what he called 'Smaria' and dump them in Jordan or Egypt. He became evasive when challenged as to how he might go about removing more than a million men women and children from their homes and farms. He seemed to suggest that if their infrastructure were destroyed, their water diverted and their schools closed down they might be prepared to go 'willingly'. His (increasingly shrill and fundamentalist) position was an eye-opener for the 5 million or so Brits who watch this programme.

And therein lies the crux. There is no question that the majority of Palestinians and Israelis would enter final settlement talks in the morning. The problem lies on the Israeli side. The Israelis are afraid that their fundamentally divided society might descend into civil war if it attempted to remove the fundamentalist settlers from the West Bank. They are also unprepared to accept the fair and proportional re-allocation of the water resources of the West Bank which a settlement would inevitably entail.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (33) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
(More generally) A Response to the Baker/Hamilton Report, and a prequel to any weblog entry Dan Pipes may write to that report [1627 words]Ron ThompsonDec 9, 2006 15:4568926
settler politics revealed [413 words]paul murphyDec 2, 2006 12:4368039
Settler's politics revealed [28 words]davodDec 5, 2006 13:3768039
two sides [117 words]paul murphyDec 6, 2006 07:4868039
Settler's Politics [28 words]DavodDec 6, 2006 21:4868039
Paul Murphy, you better open your eyes! [375 words]MosheDec 8, 2006 05:1268039
of course they would like to destroy the state [89 words]SamDec 27, 2008 23:2268039
To Mariana [12 words]RoniDec 2, 2006 07:4868017
To Roni: Thank you. HELP! Sunday Morning. [454 words]marianaDec 3, 2006 16:4068017
ceasefire in gaza [115 words]lily FlacksDec 2, 2006 04:4268012
re:amir's rant [154 words]snakeDec 2, 2006 02:1368009
Cease Fire in Gaza [126 words]Edward PurizhanskyDec 1, 2006 07:2867941
3what ceasefire? those who die, their loved ones take revenge [66 words]Amir Ali TayyabNov 30, 2006 17:3667895
Snake answers Amir Ali Tayyab's rant [74 words]MosheDec 1, 2006 02:4367895
huh!!! [5 words]Amir Ali TayyabDec 1, 2006 18:1367895
Tayyab, are you trying to tell us something? [4 words]MosheDec 2, 2006 11:3567895
who is this US in your question? what do you want me to say? [19 words]Amir Ali TayyabAug 7, 2008 04:3967895
gaza cease fire [49 words]snakeNov 30, 2006 12:5167871
Hudna Chutzpah [234 words]DrRJPNov 29, 2006 18:3467792
Cease this [191 words]dfwhiteNov 29, 2006 16:5967779
Gotta love this headline [17 words]J. MacomberNov 29, 2006 16:5467778
abu el oun [61 words]BobDec 2, 2006 14:1367778
Deja Vu [259 words]David SabghirNov 29, 2006 16:1067769
Where Are Our leaders This Time? [166 words]Maura CollinsNov 29, 2006 21:2967769
What Cease Fire [90 words]Stuart BliwasNov 29, 2006 13:4267754
Doing the same thing whilst hoping for different results [114 words]David W. LincolnNov 29, 2006 12:0667740
Cease-fire only strengthens the "Palestinians." [85 words]Ron AnderNov 29, 2006 09:0967714
Ron, you are completely CORRECT. [150 words]Josh GDec 1, 2006 03:2667714
Cease Fire? When? [103 words]maura collinsNov 29, 2006 09:0567713
Peace or "peace." What's the difference? [109 words]Jeremy KarekenNov 29, 2006 08:2367706
The hostage exchange [23 words]akNov 29, 2006 15:5567706
Why would Hamas want a cease-fire? [93 words]Joel S.Nov 29, 2006 07:5467703
CYNICAL, NAIVE or ILL CONSIDERED? [357 words]marianaNov 30, 2006 10:4567703

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