I have a real mistrust of any long term achievements from this potential plan. In fact I have short-term concerns about it if a deal was signed on something similar to this. However I'm hopeful and if a full treaty is made I'd like to see it and decide then if I support it or not, partially based on how much I trust or don't trust at that time that the Arab world is trying to close this chapter in their history and commit to peace. Long term peace works far better for Israel, especially with the iranian threat. Thats why i'll reserve any full judgement until the treaty is ready and we see progress in terms of cultural movements towards being peaceful.

... Go go go !!

In one Side A Zionist in other side Zionist erected governments and Zionist puppets to shake hands with Israeli puppet master. To Arab Puppet: You will be very popular visiting resort in Monkey's cage in Israeli Zoo,

The Arabs of the Land of Israel consistently demonstrate that they don't want, can't make and won't maintain real peace. They do want, however, to weaken Israel by gaining territory without 'giving' anything tangible. They ignore that "possession is nine tenths of the law" and that it's rather the Arabs who should come forward and spell out what they offer Israel in return for what they want. They also pretend not to get it that in this case "land for peace" is both immoral and unworkable. The Arabs had used the 'territories' to threaten, pester and attack Israel before we took these territories in self defence. They continue to plan, prepare and perpetrate genocide against Israel and pretend not to see that it would be suicidal for Israel to concede anything in response to their threats and aggressive action. The Arabs must realize that the only way toward peace is that rather they themselves should offer, accept and be convincingly satisfied with 'painful' territorial compromises.

be somewhat different.

Reduce Israel to indefensible borders so that she may be destroyed at a later date.

While it is good to hear the Saudis are willing to establish a compensation fund for refuges, an issue that could have and should have been resolved in the 50s, this article neglects to mention what the Iranians put forth this week. The Iranians want eveyone to vote whether the mainly Jewish state of Israel should continue to exist-- knowing full well the birth rate since 1948 had given the majority of those alive in 48 and their descendants a majority in any vote. as long as the Iranian proposal is on the table, it is difficult to see how the Syrians could reject it. it is also difficult to see how the plan could go forward without the Syrians. and finally, this whole offer can be seen as a way to maintain a pure immage of victim. so verify verify verify. this offer may be a trap. do not rush yet again into a trap.

In ten years, I bet not one current Arab regime is still in power. This includes Egypt & Jordan. The whole Arab world (& most non-Arab Muslim countries) will become failed states. Look at Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Algeria. Among the non-Arab Muslim states, look at Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia. What is the future of Egypt after Mubarak? Libya after crazy Gadafi? Syria after Assad? What will happen to Iran? Does anyone really think the regime in Saudi Arabia is stable? So, who are we kidding here? Treaties with the Arabs are worth nothing. Trading worthless promises, pieces of paper, for our security is short-sighted & irresponsible. Creating another failed terrorist state in Palestine is nothing short of lunacy. Let the Arabs collapse into Islamic anarchy (which nothing can stop anyway) & concentrate on security & our own economic & political development. We don't need them, we don't need their "peace", & we don't need a Palestinian state.

To the Arab Islamist-Jihadists, this is just a first step on their Road Map of annihilating Israel. Hence, Israel should NOT fall for this crap. Allowing the wolves to usurp your GOD-given and hard earned liberated biblical and historic homeland is making it closer for your enemies to push you to the precipice of oblivion. They could not accomplish it through wars. Now, they do it through deceptions, pressures and manipulations, taking advantage of Israel's weak government. It is time Israel wakes up and NOT fall into their trap.

Are the Arab countries prepared to guarantee that Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and all their merry men are going to stop bombing Israelis towns and settlements, that they will stop carrying our terror attacks and that they will release ALL our MIA's and Udi, Eldad and Gilad? How do they define the "Occupied Territories"? Pre June '67 or Pre 1948? Normal releations with Israel when it is moved to Uganda? I am sure that with "all their good intentions" they will say that this sort of guarantee is impossible. So, again, they get the oil and we get the terror! And this is a rare opportunity for peace? This is another Arab ploy to bullshit the world that they are the good guys. The problem is that the world will probably fall for it!

For all the comments here about how untrustworthy the Arabs are; I'm sure you're all aware that the feeling is reciprocated. While the Oslo accord was signed, Israel blatantly defied the agreement with impunity by further expanding the settlements it was forbidden to build. Plus the illegal wall Israel is building, plus all the UN Resoutions that Israel continues to break. Israel isn't exactly the bastion of truth and trustworthiness either! And who's to say if the tensions in Israeli society won't erupt, just as you predict the Arab world will. Even now the Orthodox Jews have a disproporionately large voice in the shaping of Israel's laws! Before you judge others, look to judge yourself first!

If they don't recognize it as a Jewish state then they just recognize an entity with the name Israel. Is that the best we can get from them? It's worthless. Even Egypt and Jordan don't. It's absolutely useless and worthless to talk about recognizing a country called 'Israel' if you are thinking that this country will have an Arab majority in future. All of those states support the right of return for Palis to Israel proper while keeping Israeli Arabs in Israel and removing Jews from the WB. What does that tell you? NO ARAB STATE recognizes a state with a Jewish majority and it's right to continue as such. They accept in principle that an area of 'Palestine' will be called Israel. They accept that it will contain a Jewish minority with some rights and that only that place can contain Jews. Their proposal is that we gradually lose our power so as not to get totally massacred as the Israeli- Palestinians manipulate democracy in order to destroy it and take power with the aide of the purely arab neighbouring state in the WB.

some of these letters are insane. I though these comments were moderated. 'zionist puppet masters'. What is this - the Syrian News Agency?

...an Israeli leadership vacuum devoid of morals and sense of Jewish identity; a so-called "government" that is more concerned about the Arabs than about the people and country that they were elected to serve. At the rate that the Gang of Three (Peres, Olmert and Livni) is going, all of Israel will have been given back to the Arabs before the Mideast meeting ever takes place in the next few weeks!

The devil is an 800 pound gorilla. None of these Arab states represent the will of their people. One by one their governments will be displaced. Successors may well be Hamas types who will renounce any agreement while Israeli concessions cannot be reversed. Unless you believe George Bush's nonsense that we are winning in Iraq, the Middle East is headed toward chaos whose outcome is unpredictable. The best policy for Israel would be to maintain a strong defense and watch calmly.

Your stupid comments showed why Israel must never let the Muslims be the majority in Israel. Sorry to break the news to you. Israel is not living under Sharia Law.

refused it. It's no longer on the table. Now the deal is: arabs leave wb and gaza; the arabs from those areas are absorbed by Jordan and Egypt. Then everyone goes about their business. The end of the era of bullying the Jews is coming to a close. Deal with it. I know reality sucks for the arab world in general.

the Jews give up land, something that will be very difficult to recover if the arabs revoke the peace treaties, something very easy for them to do. In fact brainiacs, in Egypt various govt officials have called for dissolving the peace treaty with Israel. Huh, and to think that Israel gave back the Sinai for that worthless piece of paper. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Take care fools.

A pack of dictatorships with sub-standard societies. Israel shouldn t bother about them til they become democracies, they accept the return of the arab settlers and recognise Israel´s current borders + Aza strip.

As Mike at WRH astutely states: "This is misleading. The Arab states have always been willing to recognize Israel ... so long as Israel recognized Palestine. The problem all along is that Israel demands for itself that which it refuses to give to others." Norman Finkelstein's well researched "Beyond Chutzpa" clearly illustrates this fact.

Impossible! The Saudis passionately support jihad against Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. The idea of the Saudis doing ANYTHING in support of a permanent Jewish Israel is preposterous, and anything who can't understand this is a fool.

You are smoking crack !!! The arab states want nothing more than your complete destruction!!!! nothing more , nothing less !!!!

It is reported that Arab cars have 5 gears for reverse and 1 gear forward since they are constant going full speed in reverse. Israel and the Western world assess a situation, identify objectives, and try to navigate from the current position to the best achievable objective through negotiations and other strategies. The Arabs on the other hand work in reverse. They say to Israel "We must first achieve all our objectives as a precondition and then we will consider giving some token concessions to some of your objectives - maybe". The wonderful recognition offered has as much value as the epitaph on the tombstones in the Kidron value just before they were taken by Arabs and used for latrines. After the Disengagement, we are still subject to kidnappings, attempted kidnappings, and constant Qassam launches, the idea of relinquishing any land is beyond ludicrous, especially if HAMAS (IJ or PRC) are anywhere in the playing field. The steps towards reconciliation and peace must come by building trust. The greatest contribution to building that trust from the Arab side was the PAL police saving the life of the IDF soldier who accidentally entered Jenin and would have been lynched by the mob had the PAL police not intervened. That single act of heroism and kindness reflected the most responsible action by the PAL govt. that we have seen so far. Hopefully, the PALs will learn this valuable lesson and approach the peace process with realistic and positive steps demonstrating that peace is really possible. The grandious contrived "Recognition" is totally without merit.

You write :"Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states want to take part in a compensation fund (to help the Palestinian Arab refugees financially) ...". Mr. Halabi, the Palestinian Arab refugees can NOT come back to the West Bank. THOSE Arab refugees can go to the Kingdom of Jordan, which was especially created for the Palestinian Arabs in 1922. BTW regarding the Compensation Fund -- there is NO need to put it under American and Israeli control -- it should remain under Saudi and Gulf control -- and those funds SHOULD be used in the Kingdom of Jordan. You write :"We are facing a one-time opportunity ...". AT the present moment I see NO opportunity at all -- watching the Charters of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, other armed gangs, calling for the destruction of Israel. What NEEDS to be done in the coming 30 years is to re-educate the Palestinian Arabs living in Judea & Samaria -- the poison of hatred-of-Jews, the poison of destruction-of-Israel should be removed from their mind-set. And THAT will take one generation. WHY ? Because this generation is a LOST generation. ONLY after this is done - and than we will be in the year 2037 - can we talk about an Arab state in Judea & Samaria, the Land of the Jewish People. And NOT before that time. You write :".. to embark on negotiations ...". WE can't negotiate with groups that have hatred-of-Jews and destruction-of-Israel as their AIM in their Charters. Although Fatah, the group of Mahmoud Abbas, did remove those aims from their Charter -- the Arab people living in Judea & Samaria still have to be re-educated. BTW "all Arab states willing to recognize Israel " may be, and just maybe, a fact -- but the Palestinian Arabs of Judea & Samaria are clearly NOT ready.

[[[ who is not with us is the enemy of us ]]]] but alas it is true and it is the saying of the stronger // as the arab are not the stronger they do not say it ,they want to rocognize israil ,, they beg the peace /// but do you think the sronger will be as it is fore ever ,or for a long time ... sure it will differ in few years ... i think but the idiot saying will remain to have more wars in a different names .. but sure like any war ,,killing ,destroying and hurts