I would hate to my extensive personal encounters with Palestinians in the West Bank (Shomron and Judea) as evidence for a claim, however empirical research does purport that an overwhelming number of Palestinians in the WB (Shomron and Judea) seek normalcy in their lives. Do not be fooled by the minority of extemists who seek to derail peace and stability with acts of terror against the Jewish state. It only takes a few bad apples to give an image that the whole crop has gone bad... Palestinians are moderate in their religious views (in contrast with Shi'ia Muslims and even Sunni nations like UAE where women are forbidden to drive), instincts are paramount in Palestinian decision making which is not driven by religious fanatacism (again few are or are seeking and end to "occupation" rather than the Jihad bliss of 72 virgins), if this was not the case, how would Israel handle 3 million "fanatic" Palestinians rushing towards the border with bombs strapped to themselves and Jihad fury in their eyes....well it wouldn't be pretty. The status quo speaks volume in favor of the Palestinians. Again, instincts would play a dominating role which is driven by security, prosperity for their children and economic gains (especially for the women, empower them and the society changes dramatically - hint: microfinancing) I would gather that the Palestinians in the WB (Shomron and Judea) would support the declaration...many Palestinians outside of Israel/Middle-East act more Palestinian than the actual ones living here...just as the Jews outside of Israel tend to be more Zionist and ostensibly more Israeli than the real Israelis (sometimes for the neglect of what is beneficial for Israel as they are outsiders) Cheers Bret

Though I don't know it if matters, I am Jewish and VERY pro-Israel...I don't see a contradiction in being pro-Palestinian. I do not support terror activities. I also feel that since I am critical of Israeli government and politics (healthy criticism with solutions and not just complaining or something like that) that does not automatically categorize me as a "self-hating Jew", so please don't label me as one :) Cheers Bret

Playing both sides of the field just won't do. I've read your defamatory anti-Israel remarks before, including yesterday ("white" this, "non-white" that") and justifications for Palestinian "resistance", including referring to suicide bombers as "rational" (yeah, I did notice). So by all means, criticize Israel all you want, it's a free country. But don't pretend that you re "VERY pro-Israel" because some have not forgotten your previous remarks.

Unfortunately, the substantial "minority" are the heavily armed guys who call most of the shots - as heavily armed people tend to. I would also add in my - also non-scientific - experience, at best the Palestinians were willing to simply tolerate Israel as a fait accompli which doesn't exactly bode well for the future. The ones outside Israel act more "Palestinian" than the Palestinians living in the territories for rather the same reason Zionist foreign Jews seem to be super-hardline - talk is cheap when it other people doing the bleeding. What the Palestinians need to do is show that Gaza isn't the future we can look forward to if Israel pulls out of the West bank. Again past experience doesn't exactly bode well - look at Lebanon, look at Gaza. I also live in Tel-Aviv and I would certainly not bet MY life on Palestinian moderates. As for #32, no it doesn't matter and if I had a problem with people criticising the goverment I'd move to a place like Syria or North Korea and I'd recommend that to people who do.

I can only laugh when I read all the "facts" presented by the Kosovo-Albanians . 3000 years of Albanian culture?! There were a lot of different settlers in the Kosovo region through the centuries, but only one nation established its legitimate kingdom. The Serbs trace all their cultural, national and relious roots from Kosovo. All mayor churches, monasteries and monuments, the basics of serbian culture were established in Kosovo. Everybody is invited to go and have a look. All serbian monuments built before 1389 or older. Muslim, Albanian buildings? NIL! The Ottomans started to build mosques in the 15th and 16th century after conquering Kosovo. But Kosovo is more than the serbian Jerusalem. It is an idea and and common memory that nobody can steal from the Serbs. Ideas and memories are much stronger than any temporary illegal "state" established by tribal people. By the way the Albanians even haven't got an own name for Kosovo.Kosovo is serbian and derives from blackbird!

Yes Barry, with their stolen water resources finally returned to them, their airspace again free, their port reopened, and the nasty Israeli settlers returned to Israel where they can continue to suck off of Israeli society, the Palestinians will surely thrive and prosper as they are a hard working and educated lot whose services will be in hot demand. And don't forget all the billions in reparations that they will receive from Israelis for their suffering and losses due to Israel's failed attempt to ethnically cleanse them from their homeland. Yes, I'm sure the courts around the world will be busy for many years’ seizing Israeli assets to pay for the many crimes.

The Palestinians will most certainly welcome statehood, and independence from Israel, and its laws would be none of Israel's business as they would only apply to the sovereign state of Palestine. And while I'm sure that it will ask for UN or NATO troops to help defend its borders initially, at some point it would have to create its own defensive forces to protect against future Israeli aggression towards them. The vast majority of the settlers will of course have to go back to Israel as they are part of the occupying army and treated the Palestinians horribly during the occupation, but rest assured that as the Palestinian Defense Forces clear the illegal settlements (for security reasons of course), they will treat the settlers with at least the same care and respect (and likely far better) than Israel treated the Palestinians all these years. Being God's chosen, I presume you did unto others as you would have them do unto you...right?

Yes Jake, as horrible as it sounds... Suicide bombers are rational. If that person feels that their life cannot get any worse and if that person sees Israel as the root of that pain and suffering then a logical and rational decision would be to attack the 'aggressor''. I would like to point out (in my opinion) that when an attack specifically targets civilians this is when an attack (suicide bombing) changes from regular guerrilla warfare into terrorism... military targets vs civilian targets. If there is a possibility of changing the future for those Palestinians who remain by weakening the alleged 'aggressor; then based on this process, they are a rational player. (look up rational choice methodology). If you have nothing and you are backed into a corner, you will fight more ferociously for you have nothing to lose and only room to gain. I feel the Nazis would have been less likely to round us all up for slaughter during the years of 1939 - 1945 if we were 'igniting left and right' in protest against German civilians and Nazi soldiers; to save the greater population through terror against the oppressor. Alas, I feel that the Jews, and even the international community could not and did not want to believe or even comprehend what fate awaited those who fell victim to the Nazi machine, therefore I feel this is why there was less protest...I am sure that if it were to happen again, we as Jews would not go down so easily...we would take every last one with us since we have known the alternative. Suicide bombing is an atrocious act of terrorism and it is this concensus of atrocity that makes it much more psychologically damaging and generates widespread panic, thereby raising the effectiveness of the attack from their agenda (still I would argue that there are more effective and acceptable ways to carry out a resistance since unlike the Nazis, Israel is not slaughtering Palestinians by the tens of thousands per month) I am sure that groups like the Islamic Jihad and Hamas clearly understand that Israel cannot come into Gaza and/or the West Bank (Shomron and Judea) and launch massive attacks against civilians. Israel, being a larger entity and member of the international community has less freedom to act in response to attacks. The IDF has the capability of killing every last Palestinian in Gaza and the West Bank (Shomron and Judea) - this would obviously erradicate the Israeli - Palestinian conflict (I do not reccommend this action) but would produce a worse scenario for Israel than the status quo - The IDF then cannot exercise its full might because of the reality that Israel participates in (the global community, the UN etc...) Their form of terrorism works (I do not recommend it and I do not promote it and I certainly do not wish to see it happen again), it installs fear, a great deal of fear. The perception of an unstable infrastructure and security mechanism can drive tourism away and hurt the Israeli economy (less business developers and FDI) as well as destroy lives. Thankfully the borders are less pourous now and events like these do not occur as much as they used to and hopefully will not happen again. As for the alleged post ?yesterday?, it is very easy for someone to post a name if they disagree with what I have said and they want to cause a scene, which it obviously has. I am not schizo and don't have a Hyde personality that attacks Israel with scathing remarks. This was a phony, as I am sure I am not that popular amongst the religious or the right wing. Cheers Bret PS I hardly play both sides of the field, there are evils to both sides. If I were to ignore the corruption in Israel I feel I would sacrifice my integrity, limiting my understanding of reality and ability to exectue educated decisions. It is much easier to attack another group's faults than turn to your own people and judge them (in my opinion).

The words "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" were echoed by Joseph Trumpeldor (It is good to die for our country) at Tel Hai, when 8 Jewish defenders died defending a small outpost in a hail of Arab bullets, vastly outnumbered. Like the 300 Spartans, or the Warsaw Ghetto fighters, this is not terrorism, it is patriotic heroism. Many of the suicide bombers are not poor or uneducated. They are indocrinated by religious fanatics about the glory of being a Shahid, to be with Allah in paradise with a whole catalogue of pleasures, or to avenge a death or to reverse a supposed dishonor. In the ancient Jewish wars against the Romans, there were the Jewish fighters, regiments, guerillas, insurrectionists, etc. who fought the Romans to the death for national freedom and sovereignty. And then there were the fanatic Zealots and Sicarii - in my opinion, terrorists, who brought the downfall of Judaea and 1900 years of curses on the Jewish people.

Gee, what an original sounding name! Any resemblance to the IDF is, of course, purely coincidental. All due respect, I am very sorry that Oslo didn't materialize into the "heavenly Jerusalem" to bring world peace. I guess it was not ordained, so please stop bombarding us with this baloney.

living, being real leaders. they only know how to beg and steal.

I understand that the minority are heavily armed and have the ability to control and discipline those who are lacking. As far as accepting the status quo, I personally find it hard to believe that this would be an easy pill to swallow, it is not a conducive lifestyle to lead - either under the grip of Hamas or Fatah, and under Israeli security measures which can also be labled as 'occupation'. I am not sure I understand your second paragraph. I was refferring to how those outside Israel and the region really lack the gravity of the issue since they do not have to deal with the realities of everyday life here on either side...so then I am in agreement with you - they (outside) are not doing the bleeding and therefore disconnected, naive and freer (wrongfully) to tout their ignorance. To refer to (hopefully it gets posted) the last comment made in the previous post of mine - it is easier to criticize others than yourself - and I would project that to your own people and others. When the visible antagonization - the bigger dog - comes from Israel, I would suppose it is harder to rise up against their own, that unity of solidarity (however cancerous to their own progression) is sometimes all that some have. I agree that the Palestinians should overthrow Hamas and demonstrate that this is now how they want to be categorized and a group to be associated with. The average income in Gaza is 300 dollars per year. This is hardly an adequate income to afford a sufficient education and modern luxuries such as radios, televisions, internet and international news subscriptions, The average Palestinian breadth of the outside is limited. Compounded with an informal (or lack of) education it would be easier to be affected by the poisonous propoganda and hate that Hamas or other militant groups spit out. (sometimes the only form of media that they are exposed to) I am not in ANY way inferring that Palestinians are inherently more stupid or that Israelis are inherently smarter However, the environment that one is exposed to (even in the Israeli democracy - where 20% of Israelis live in poverty, many receive poor education and face discrimination) can have a profound affect on development and how someone interprets their reality. Of course someones interpretation of reality (to whomever it belong) is not a permanent status and can be changed by exposing someone to another environment and their sufficient integration. Humans are an amazing species and our success has been attributed to our ability to adapt and our intellectual capacity (which hasn't changed or augmented itself ((by evolution theory)) for a few thousand years) I have faith in the general Palestinian people, I of course do not have faith in the extremists and members of militant groups - this opinion is also for extremist Jews and those who seek violence. Cheers Bret

Ideally, the major donors to the Palestinians would stop sending such large quantities of money. Why? Here is why: Money of course as we have seen is easily smuggled and rarely reaches the average Palestinian. The money is pocketed by corrupt leaders and militant groups because they feel it is their fair share -or- they do not give a damn about their own people...either way it is a disgusting crime to commit. Proposed solution: Reduce the amount of aid in hard currency and slowly replace it with resources and development projects equal or greater than current moneys received. Basic necessities like food, water and shelter of course are significantly harder to convert to funds, Development projects could be received in the form of building a modern infrastructure (roads, improved energy supply, well equipt hospitals, schools, parks, improved housing, irrigation, greenhouses, farming technology etc....). This could be taken up by foreign firms or national companies thereby circumventing the problem of money laundering (at least from geting in the hands of extremists and militants...foreign companies of course are not infallable). The stockpiles of food stuffs and construction would greatly alleviate poverty issues and promote self sufficiency, reduction in proclivity for the general Palestinian population to rely on terror groups for resources and reduce these groups importance in their society... Money of course cannot be totally removed from the equation, but this method (in an ideal setting) would at the very least starve the militant groups of their power and ability to operate on such a regional level. Losing power of course is not favourable and backlash would be expected from such groups. Progress is rarely an easy venture, often bloody but necessary for survival and overall stability Cheers Bret

The current path to peace is a failure : It is simply not working, wasn’t working, and will never work. After 15 years, billions of dollars in aid, and unlimited diplomatic support,” the Palestinians have nothing to show or to offer. The solution to the presence of the Arabs west of the Jordan should be find elsewere as explained at : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2007/12/oslo-lesson-that-was-never-learnt-part_4002.html