Why does Ettinger not mention that the settlements in the Palestinian WB and E Jerusalem are illegal under international law? Why does Ettinger not mention the acts of terror the illegal settlers have perpetrated upon the Palestinians in the WB for decades? Why does Ettinger not mention that the ‘freeze’ is only a *partial* freeze on the illegal construction of Israeli settlements? Why does Ettinger not mention that Palestinian-Israelis are treated as second-class citizens? Why does Ettinger not mention the Apartheid Wall which is built to encompass the illegal settlements and steal Palestinian land? Why does Ettinger not mention the Apartheid system in the WB (Jew only roads, Jew only settlements)? Why does Ettinger only present a one-sided account in order to try and ‘legitimize’ the illegal settlements?

yorma, first bibi wilts under pressure;that is his MO. He also has barak in the coalition, a secular dilettante who goofs everytime he strays from idf issues. Coalitionpolitics are on bibi's mind. Bibi wilts under pressure and so a lot of people say he should simply be a spokesman and not P> As bad as he is, he is a 1000 times better than our sellout coward olmert along with beilin, ben ami, ramon, livni are oslo dumbbells without one iota of practical experience.

...how exactly does it help Israel? Every objective observer is well aware of these colonial arguments put forth by those who support Israel's illegal colonization of the West Bank and elsewhere. The Gaza Disengagement Plan is a case in point. It is basically a plan for the Gaza Ghetto, I encourage everyone to read it then study the tit for tat history since its implementation. If a state wanted to ensure a violent vacuum, there was no better way then to do what Ariel Sharon did. It was simply a way to take the world's eyes off of the colonists in the West Bank and focus them on Gaza where Israel could cynically say "see what they have done when we [gave] them land." What Gazans got instead was a crippling siege, a crime against humanity, and it is still ongoing.

Etttinger is right about Obama and his latent agenda. Israel's only antidote against Obama is being resolute and strong in defending the Land of Israel. Obama's administration is machinating a divide and rule policy. Israel should guard itself against this sinister plot. The dark forces are crusading their Jihadism on Israel. The fact is there is NO peace among the Islamist-Jihadists. Their ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. Israel must not be fooled, deceived by Obama and the Islamist-Jihadists.

why American taxpayers are supporting indirectly, through the tax-exempt contributions, a process that the government condemns. why the Americans' tax money is used to feed the settlers and shelter them? Free shelter provided by the Government for Jews, even they cross the green line every day to attend their Jobs in Israel? then why the Palestinians faces road locks inside their land? Every dollar that goes to settlements makes Middle East peace that much harder to reach.

It is all true of course. And this type of appeasement, like Oslo, usually results in Jews being killed when the appeasement fails and another intifada breaks out. Israel, assert your historical rights to Judea and Samaria.

If it was a plan for a Ghetto, why did Israel leave behind functioning multilillion dollar hot houses to give Gazan agriculture a kick start (which Gazans immediately destroyed to get better firing positions)?. You confuse cause and effect. The seige is on because Gazans are firing rockets at Israel, not the other way round. Why should Israel do anything to facilitate an enemy regime's military ability with raw materials. Its not a crime against humanity and there is no human crisis. And what will you say when Israel withdraws from the WB. Just another symbolic act? BTW why does Egypt enforce it's seige on it's border? Oh that's right, Israel told it to, so the standard reply goes. Poor little Egypt, does what every one says! I guess Israel controls Cairo too!

every year. Thats about 10x more than Israel *Arab countries have few to no rights for women and minorities. they are as oppressed as african americans in pre civil rights USA *Jews and certain religious groups are not allowed to live or even visit there : saudi arabia * synagogues not allowed to be built *1,000,000 Jews ethnically cleansed and property confiscated from Arab lands. Property that is 4 times the size of Israel. *wahabi terrorism and 9-11 ideologies yea lets support this and drop support for the only democracy in the middle east, a nation sharing religious ideals of the US *female clitoris removal *

You should send it to e barak,meretz,piece now and,"yesh din"

the right of a people to national self-determination and independence, the right of a singled out people, the right of the Jewish people. After all, the League of Nations, in decisions made in 1922 and 1923 did so. The United Nations that took its place voted in resolution 181 of 29 Nov 1947 to establish a "Jewish state" in the Land. Even Shulamit Aloni who "speaks the truth" according to this catholic school graduate, has been speaking all her life for the right of Israel to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people. She expressed it when she served in uniform, then as member of Knesset representing the Labour Party before she moved to Meretz, also a Zionist party, and headed it. When people who are obsessed with Israeli and being critical of it begin to state clearly that Israel is here by right as the nation-state of the Jewish people will I have any respect to anything else they utter, certainly not before! Never Again!!!

You should replace the word Jewish by the word israeeli in all places in the article because that's the real problem

It is pointless trying to debate with him, he views the Palestinians as poor downtrodden victims who can do no wrong and Israelis as evil, lying, murdering thieves who can do no right. He hates Israel and Israelis with a passion. Furthermore, he views Israel as the root cause of all the problems in the world and the root cause of global terrorism. There is no reasoning with him and any arguments you make will be countered by half truths and distortions which he constantly claims to be verifyable facts. Do not waste your time and energy on him. See his posts on the Dershowitz story.

...the right to a Palestine State. Eitan it is refreshing to hear you agree that the Palestinians have the right, as a people, to national self-determination and independence. After all you did say previously that this was a “universally accepted right of *all* peoples”. To further the universal right of the Palestinians to establish a nation-state Eitan mentions UN Res 181 which clearly mentions “Palestinian citizens residing in Palestine” and the “establishment of the independence of the Arab and Jewish States”. In short Eitan clearly agrees that both Jews and Palestinians have the universally accepted right to establishment independence Arab and Jewish States within Palestine. It is just a pity that not more people/posters on this website are like Eitan.

We, as a settler movement, want to limit options to come to an agreement with any Palestinian entity. We limit the range of solutions and even the ability to negotiate. We are obstructing a process which could lead to giving palestinians national rights -as members of one bi national state or as an independent state alongside israel. We are not interested in living in Palestine as a minority or in sharing Greater Israel... We, as a movement, are an obstruction. At least we should be honest about it.

Israel has always had a dual identity, sir. There is Israel the nation, and Israel, the people. Remember Jacob's battle with the angel? Jacob, because thou has met adversity and conquered it, Jacob, thy name is Israel. Jacob did father the twelve tribes, i.e., the Jewish people. Israel and the Jewish people are one and the same. You cannot separate the two; they are inextricably linked. No matter where in the world Jewish people happen to live.

Perhaps some who have little appreciation of Jewish history - intentionally or otherwise - should realize that when we, Jews, use the concepts of Hebrew / Israeli / Jewish people or the concept of the Hebrew / Israeli / Jewish homeland we refer to the same. The three terms have been used interchangeably throughout our nearly 4,000 years of history, depending on the historic period and the circumstances at the time and at any given place. It is for this reason that in Russia we are considered Hebrews while in France Isralis and Jews. In America for many years we were considered Hebrews, while in the Arab world as Jews to this very day. The fundamental thing that we must note is: our collective affinity is to a people, the Hebrew/Israeli/Jewish people; to a single geographic area that we call Eretz Israel (Land of Israel) whose center has always been Zion which is Jerusalem; and all of this is found, among many other elements of our civilization, in the teaching (torah), or if you will the accumulation of texts containing information and knowledge that we have developed for all of these thousands of years of our civilization's history. We generally don't receive our marching orders from Sweden or from Faiport, NY.

Matty Groves, the American settler, writes his talkback from occupied native American land. I won't list the dozens of points Matty Groves fails to mention about how he and his family are part of the crime of stealing most of North America from its rightful owners - he knows that himself. However, Matty Groves is not about to leave his home and go back to wherever his great-grandparents came from, handing his home and business over the native Americans and paying them compensation for the genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated against them. Or, Matty Groves, are you going to leave your illegal home and go back to Europe? If would be a great example and precedent for the settlers in the west bank to follow, no?

YOU CLAIM THAT THE SETTLEMTS ARE ILLEGAL. YOU REFER TO THE LAND AS PALESTENIAN LAND. WHER DO YOU GET THIS INFO FROM? THE LAND WAS JORDANIAN. ISRAEL WON THIS TERRITORY BY BEATING THE JORDANIANS WHO WANTED TO DESTRY ISRAEL. 78.22% OF THE LAND WAS PURCHASED FROM RICH ARABS. 19.8$ WAS JEWISH OWNED LAND. THERE IS ABOUT 3% THAT SOME MISFITS DID TAKE FROM ARABS BUT THESE WERE FOREIGNERS NOT PALESTINIANS. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. LEARN TO READ & GET AN EDUCATION BEFORE YOU WRITE NONSENSE. WE ARE DOING THE ARABS A FAVOR BY EVEN CONSIDERING THIS RUBBISH ONLY TO SEPARATE FROM A PEOPLE THAT WANT TO MURDER US.

did not accept the right of the Jewish people to national self-determination and independence. Do you? After all, the League of Nations did. The UN did. the "truth" sayer Shulamit Aloni does. His point, if I understand it correctly, is that you position yourself as a racist, as an anti-Jewish racist by denying only the Jewish people's right to national self-determination and independence which has been materialized of course with the Jewish state of Israel. The more you write, Sir, and the more you refuse to accept the right of Jews, the more it becomes clear that your motives are rooted in the dark history of anti-Semitism, regardless of its origin, Catholic education and/or simple hate of Jews.

I am not an 'American settler', just ask anyone here. I guess this scuppers to your post.

Eitan, the poster from Fairport is not interested in facts or truth. It is only interested in vilifying Israel and glorifying terrorists. It is therefore scarcely worth your time. Facts and history mean nothing to it; so why bother? Ignore it long enough and it will go away.

...I know all about those greenhouses Andi. After the squatters left they were looted for the pumps. They were not destroyed at the time. Ironically there is no way for Gazans to ship their produce to market, because Israel forbids it. So they wound up feeding their strawberries and carnations to the dwindling supply of livestock. Ya feel me Mr. Humanitarian jerk? And let's see, should I believe your claim there is no humanitarian crisis or should I believe the facts and figures from the UNRWA and all the other NGO's and world heads of state that says there is a crisis? I'll have to go with the facts Andi and ignore your bogus tripe. And Egypt? Israel has a deal with them on Rafah Gate. Look it up. It's a damn shame you are so misinformed that you didn't even get one right. You folks need to get out in the real world, the bubble you live in has no reality in it...

It's amazing how you can lie right through your teeth when anyone reading my comments can plainly see I use verifiable sources and I have yet to see you actually argue about one fact. Just pointless and lying ad hominem nonsense. When I provide links to Israeli government facts and you claim I am lying, it says far more about your integrity than mine. I post with my own identity and I stand behind every word as truth because I source controversial facts thoroughly before I go entering them into a discussion. What's you excuse for lying and not providing any real rebuttal to facts and reality? Please do review the Dersh thread, it proves what I say is true. GOI broke the ceasefire, it clearly says so at terrorism-info, just ask Cynthia, if she's ever bothered to actually read the damned report...

I am Eastern Band Cherokee and neither Matty nor myself are living on "stolen" or "occupied" Indian land. Our Indian wars are long over here. America grew up, we have a black President. When you get a Palestinian PM then you can talk. Until then know this, America has no UN resolutions against it for occupying Indian land because there is no such thing! As an Amrican Indian, I am sick and tired of fools like you making this false claim over and over. We did not have the Hague Treaty or the Geneva Conventions way back in the day more than a hundred years ago. The Palestinians, the Lebanese and Syria does. Get Over It. No more colonization for you! It's illegal!

I've never seen Matty write anything even vaguely antisemitic. Nor have I ever seen Matty deny Israel's right to exist or it's right to self-determination. The fact is, Israel has illegally transferred a half a million of its citizens onto occupied territory. You might note that this is a big no no. It is a crime against humanity for an occupier country to transfer citizens into occupied territory and displacing it's indigenous inhabitants. Here's where you fail to impress. You do not seem to be able to distinguish fact from fantasy... There is nothing "anti-Jewish" in criticizing Israeli government policy, particularly when it is so clearly illegal. President Obama, PM Brown, the EU, the UN SecGen Ban Ki-Moon, all have informed the world that the colonies are illegal. That means they ARE illegal Meir. Get over it.

Of course I believe that all people have the right to national self-determination and independence. This obviously includes Jews and Palestinians. For example Meir if you believe that Jews have the right to national self-determination and independence then this by default applies to *all* peoples. Simply put anyone who agrees with national self-determination and independence for Jews also agrees with national self-determination and independence for Palestinians. I trust that you believe in this universal right for Jews so I'll add you to the list of people who, like Eitan, agree that Palestinians also have the universal right to national self-determination and independence. The list so far: Matty Groves, Fairport Eitan, Qatzrin Meir, Ashqelon