Indeed, this is the central questions that has kept this struggle for many decades. The Palestinians agreed to have their own state at less than 22% of Historical Palestine in spite of the fact that the majority of them still believe that the entire land belongs to them. Israel, on the other hand, does not accept, and will never do, a reasonable solution for this struggle. Why? It's the power game! As long as Israel is keeping its power, the Israelis will never accept a fear and just solution. In fact, the Palestinian will never accept any solution less than a complete meaning of a state on the borders of 1967 including East Jerusalem. Of course, Israel will not accept such a deal, as a result of power and occupation mentality, and the struggle will continue. I'll return to the Israeli Prime Minster talk before a couple of days: Israel will be gone if it continue occupying the Pas people. Period! Of course it is much better for Israel, the country that was recently built before 60 years over the lands of others, to accept peace deal, otherwise we have to wait for the Holy Koran promise and support religious ideologies who believe that sooner or later this state will evaporate!

If our sovereignty depended solely on US support, we'd be out of land to dispose of within the next few years. Enough with the sellouts already.

I remember clearly how one of the main promotions of the Gaza/Northern Shomron Expulsion campaign was that it would buy us years of international and US support. Where is all that support? It seems the more we give, the more we lose support worldwide. Its only natural. If you beg to be stepped on, you will be stepped on. If you straighten your spine, the world backs off. We can thank Mr. Ahmadinajad for that valuable lesson.

If Ramon is promoting the agenda of the usurpers of Israel's liberated biblical and historic homeland of Judea and Samaria, then he is in the wrong place. Patriotic Jews should defend Israel's Eternal, Indivisible Capital-City of Jerusalem from being dismembered no matter how heavy the pressure is from the world of Antisemites and Islamist-Jihadists. Jerusalem is the spiritual Capital City of all Jews since the time of their forefathers 4000 years ago. It is also the spiritual Capital City of all Judeo-Christians around the world. Jerusalem must never be dismembered and divided with Pagans and Islamist-Jihadists whose reigious teachings are an Antithesis to the Ten Commandments and the Holy Bible. The GOD of Abaham, Isaac and Jacob and Judeo-Christians is different from the god of Islamist-Jihadists. Hence, Jerusalem MUST always remain the Eternal, Indivisible Capital-City of Israel.

That makes a lot of sense to give up parts of Jerusalem so Israel will not lose US support. Now that the US has walked away from Iran will Israel also do the same as not to lose US support?Ask yourself, why have an Israeli government just have the US government make all the decisions. I pray the Israeli people are a lot smarter than it's present leaders.

Jews have just as much claim to Mecca, if not more, than Muslims do to Jerusalem. So let Israel give up Eastern Jerusalem to another Muslim terrorist nation with no purpose but to help in the destruction of Israel ONLY WHEN ISRAEL GETS A PIECE OF MECCA!

us in anerica are really giving up on you, i mean you elected him so he must be representing your opinion

a classic SAP = sad & pathetic

Cede means to give over, surrender or relinquish. Mr. Ramon, by what right are you empowered to negotiate a surrender pact involving the very cornerstone of Israel's faith. I appeal to 'all' Jews who still identify with being Jewish, to unite to overturn this wicked government that does not care for its people, be they right, left, teachers, students, religious, secular etc. In other words, against the same group of Jews that are subject to the flames of anti-semitism world-wide. G-d may be hard to see for many, but Jerusalem is not. What more do you want to trade in before the very definition of being Jewish is bereft of all meaning, and making a stand is impossible, as there is no land left under your feet?

If Mr. Ramon is talking about political support, we get that anyway. US has noone else in the middle east. If you're talking about financial support, that's on of Israel's biggest mistakes. US wouldn't be telling us what to do if we didn't take money from them. Like Bibi said when he was prime minister,"phase US money out over a 10 year period". We don't need them telling us what to do.

Who died and made Ramon KING of Israel? He has as much right to give away ANY land from our homeland as Bush has of giving up parts of the US to any and all aggressors. IF Bush or another US leader dared to put US land on the table, the people would have those leaders heads on a platter. In addition, it is against Israeli law to give away any of our homeland. It belongs to the Jewish people in PERPETUITY. Those who scream about 'occupation' are making political statements, not statements of facts. The fact is that not only is Judea/Samaria, Jerusalem ours from over 2,000 yrs, but it is also ours by right of having won our land back in a defensive war. Has Ramon forgotten that to the victor goes the spoils? Has ANY nation EVER given back territory it gained from aggressive wars? Just because Israel's leaders for political expediency and for cowardly reasons decided to cave in to the term 'occupation', does NOT make it so. Facts trump political shenanigans.

"but says Israel should consider handing over the city's Arab areas to the Palestinian Authority so as not to lose crucial US support Crucial US support? Where has he been? Listen my friend if it didn't become apparent at Annapolis and America's betrayal of Israel there -- Israel is on her own and always has been. The support you were talking about walked into Annapolis hand in hand -- The Saudi Pwince and the little Ahmadinejad - suddenly the best of friends. Now get up off your knees and stand up like a MACCABEE!!

to terrorist.

Many, many Christians do not want to see Jerusalem divided. I'm just one of them.

up the Knesset and slaughter Jews, and provoke the whole world into Armageddon which the Bible says will be provoked by the descendants of Ishmael, the sooner Gentile World Rule WILL END. The Jews must be in such a desperate situation that only the Messiah (deliverer) coming can save them, for him to come when they ASK HIM TO BY NAME. THEN Israel will be the CHIEF AMON THE NATIONS!

Ramon was a convicted of sexual assault of a teenager, yet he did not go to jail and the attorney general found no moral turpitide in his actions. Now we know why. Just like Sharon and Olmert, Ramon has learned to avoid responsibility for his crimes by sacrificing Israel's interests. Democracy indeed. Justice indeed.

Joel 3:2 says I will gather all the nations. I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. I will judge them there. They scattered the Israelites, the people who belong to me, among the nations. They divided my land. God take a dim view of violating the covenant he has with his people. if they divide Jerusalem they do it at thier own risk !

Keep this history in mind... On 14 May 1948 the State of Israel was proclaimed according to the UN partition plan (1947). Less than 24 hours later, the regular armies of Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq invaded the country, forcing Israel to defend the sovereignty it had regained in its ancestral homeland The Palestinians left their homes in 1947-48 for a variety of reasons. Thousands of wealthy Arabs left in anticipation of a war, thousands more responded to Arab leaders' calls to get out of the way of the advancing armies, a handful were expelled, but most simply fled to avoid being caught in the cross fire of a battle. Tragically, had the Arabs accepted the 1947 UN resolution, not a single Palestinian would have become a refugee and an independent Arab state would now exist beside Israel. quote :"Since 1948 it is we who demanded the return of the refugees... while it is we who made them leave.... We brought disaster upon Arab refugees, by inviting them and bringing pressure to bear upon them to leave. We have rendered them dispossessed.... We have accustomed them to begging.... We have participated in lowering their moral and social level.... Then we exploited them in executing crimes of murder, arson, and throwing bombs upon ... men, women and children-all this in the service of political purposes ".... -- Khaled Al-Azm, Syria's Prime Minister after the 1948 war PLO forces were defeated in 1971 and expelled from Jordan. Some 200 fedayeen, seeing their comrades butchered by Hussein’s troops, fled across the Jordan River to Israel. Most PLO personnel and their families resettled in Lebanon, where they repeated their Jordanian experience, setting up a state within a state, and launching attacks against Israel that drew firm retaliation.

Why not give them everything , settle in refugee camps and demand to go back to Irag, Egypt, Syria, Libya etc. This country and its leaders has gone mad. We lost our sense of belonging and are leaders start thinking like olur enemies!!!

until Jerusalem is accepted as the Eternal City of the Chosen People.

especially in a divided Jerusalem. It's like having a half lit menorah on the eighth night. Do you really want that?

It seems the various talkback writers have missed the essential point. Yes you may all be right about not giving up the land of Israel as a matter of principle. However, the essence of the stupidity of Haim Ramon (and really all Israeli leaders) is that they announce what they are willing to do before negotiations even start! The shear stupidity of this from a tactical as well as strategic point of view is a manifestation of why Israeli "leadership" is bankrupt.