Comments on: President War says Peace!

By: VK-Legget

VK-Legget — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:14:17 +0000

…
Thats still an independant Palestine…
Although I disagree with the border control, that could do more harm than good.

By: mehmet12

mehmet12 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:28:53 +0000

I’d propose- an independent Palestine comprising of East Jerusalem (and probably even the Dome of the Rock too), The West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, Israel would still be allowed to retain control of the Egypt-Gaza border crossing for its own security, and likewise there would be no military interaction allowed between the Palestinians of the West Bank and the Kingdom of Jordan. Israel would unconditionally remove all settlements from the West Bank and move its capital back to Tel Aviv. Palestine’s capital would either be East Jerusalem, Gaza or Nablus.
Additionally, the Israelis would allow Palestinians to cross from Gaza to the West Bank through their territory without Palestinian passports- but the IDF would retain the right for border checks. Palestinian trade with nations like Egypt, Syria, and Jordan would be checked for weaponry until such a time as the Palestinian leadership is able to build up a sizeable, regulated army and police force which can deal with its insurgents such as those in Gaza and Israel and Palestine would recognise eachothers’ existence as sovereign nations. Israel would renounce all territorial claims on the West Bank and Gaza and Palestine would on Jaffa and the entirety of the Israel-Palestine region save for those it has been allocated. This would leave Israel shrinking back to its 1967-ish borders with a friendly, stable Palestine. Palestinian and Israeli governments should ban political parties with an overly Zionist or overly Arabist or Islamist outlook which would threaten peace and the two nations would exchange diplomatic missions. Both nations would retain their Laws of Return and Israel would add more land to Gaza to help accomodate new Palestinian refugees.

By: VK-Legget

VK-Legget — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:08:02 +0000

The point I was trying to make, Haji, is that Hamas is in charge of Palestine as the people of Palistine are bloody fed up. Of course, now that they’re in, it’ll take a bit to get out, but if we maintain the status quo, as you are advocating, it will continue untill every single Israeli and Palistinian is tot. And nobody wants that (well, some people would be glad to be rid of the Jews and Muslims, but I tend to stay well away from them). Of course peace will not occur overnight, and there will remain the radical factions, but if nothing changes, nothing will change, if you see what I mean. There is still a long road to travel with an independant Palestine, but with it peace is easier than without it.
What do you propose, if not an independant Palestine?

By: mehmet12

mehmet12 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:52:34 +0000

Enschuldigung- but I don’t agree with the whole ‘Independent Palestine= Peace’ line you’re taking there, O Alexis.
Personally, I believe that as long as Hamas runs Palestine there will never be peace. One needs only to look at their coat of arms to see that they claim as Palestine the entire surface area of current day Israel PLUS the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Until they renounce those territorial claims there simply cannot be peace. Gaza and the West Bank (plus East Jerusalem of course) could constitute a proper Palestinian state but Hamas needs to realise that Israel is not an ‘occupation’. What ‘occupation’ consists of six million civilians, with municipal services and elected government? The very phrase ‘Israeli occupation’ is offensive and meaningless.
Independent Palestine would need to stay away from the idea of militarily allying with Jordan or Syria to end Israel’s existence. The citizens of Tel Aviv aren’t going to like being in artillery range of the hills on the West Bank, so Palestine needs to assure Israel that it will not undertake military action against it. Then can there be peace.