...nation-state of the Jewish people. Yet, Mr. B.H.Obama can't bring himself to pronounce his goal "two-states for two-peoples". He would only use the phrase "two-state solution". And this is the Obama 78% of Jews in America voted into office... It is time for a change...!!

What will the poll say when we tell them that recognition of Israel as a jewish state also means accepting there is no right of return? Before we ask them to recognize us as a jewish state we need to get the world to stop calling palestinians refugees because their now dead grandparents or great grandparents left their homes over 60 years ago. If we are going to kill the right of return idea then the west must get out of the mindset they are all refugees with a right of return and tell that straight to the palestinian street. Convince the people on the street right of return is a no brainer and it makes the political process much easier. Every country in the world seems to be wanting to be cashing in on the peace process and play a role its the latest fashion. So they want to do something useful show a global united front that the world will not support a right of return. The arab states who claim to be so concerned about the peace process like Abdullah of Jordan, Hosani Mubarak and the whabis have them tell the palestinians the arab world will not back right of return.

The Arab states give compensation for the Mizrahi Jews displaced from their country, the Israeli government compensates for any Arabs displaced, it would more than work in Israel's favor. Also, there is the telling dynamics of the PA's non-acceptance of having a Jewish component within a "Palestinian" state, which scuttles the whole fantasy and gives us a preview of its desired mode, true apartheid, Islamic totalitarianism. Israel accepts non-Jews and other groups within their borders but the PA wants to be Judenrein.

It needs to be one hundred percent (hello, can you spell "reality?"). In any event, unless the "Palestine" Authority takes its cues from the people it purports to represent, why are we bothering, anyway? Moreover, Prime Minister Netanyahu's quid pro quo was quite complete and not at all ambiguous: 1. Recognition of Israel as the Jewish state. 2. Recognition of the State of Israel as having an inalienable and irrefutable right to exist in its ancient homeland. 3. Repudiation of ALL the vile "Palestinian" charters which have at their core the clearly stated "goal" of the destruction of the State of Israel and the extermination and/or expulsion of the Jews. Well? We're waiting.

But that will spoil all the fun for the leftistlooney who now has to find something else to fulfill his/her time what with mass rapes in Africa going unnoticed by nearby UN/AU peacekeep ers or the same UN peacekeepers having a whale of a time in southern Lebanon ,where they were supposed to disarm and drive Hezbollah and other Iranian/Syrian proxies out of southern Lebanon years ago according to UNSC resolutions or the Shiite madhouse of Iran constantly thumbing it,s nose at UN sanctions or the Islamofascist Hamas exploiting it,s own Muslim brethren by being the sole provider of employment in the region and forcing ,with slave labor ,the locals to dig and maintain those wonderful marvels of Islamic engineering ,tunnels ,where everything is subject to highly inflated Islamic taxes once the goods are in the system ,but no that,s not fun for the lefitst lunatic it,s far to dangerous tangling with the Muslim rabble,let,s rather pick a so called softer target ,Israel who we can blame for anything and everything we can think of ,that,s much safer ?

would pretend to recognize Israel with a 100% majority, this would be pretty much meaningless...

49% vs 48% in support of the existence of a _Jewish_ state is much more support for Israel than we have among the sophisticated western elites who are so above antisemitism and xenophobia. As for the "right of return", note that the Palestinians have nothing else. They think if they hang on to that "right", they have better chances than if they abandoned it. Look at how their Arab brethren and the world treats them! When they are quiet, the world ignores them, and when they murder Jews or whine about Israel, the world gives them money and support. At the same time most of them live in camps and are not allowed to own land or work in most professions. Whatever the Palestinians actually think about this, they know that if they changed sides the terrorist groups would murder their families in the camps and the world would stop financial aid. And suddenly the "oppressed" Palestinian in Gaza would really be hungry and no longer have Internet access and a mobile phone. It's not up to the Palestinians. They have to work with the terrorist groups that rule them, especially with the western-backed one, the PLO, that _we_ (Israel and the world) invited into the country to rule them.

Kudos to you, sir! Excellent, excellent point. The Jews who were forced from their homes in the Arab and Islamic worlds did so with little more than the clothes on their backs. There were nearly one million -- four or five times the number of Arabs who VOLUNTARILY left (with vile aspirations aforethought, I might add -- they left the area in order to clear the way for what they thought would be conquering Arab armies throwing the Jews into the sea). The Jews who were expelled from their homes left behind businesses, homes, bank accounts, synagogues with assorted irreplaceable Torahs -- in short -- everything. Why does no one speak of just compensation for them? Besides; they were FORCED out. The present-day Arab refugees constitute a population who LEFT VOLUNTARILY (and their progeny). Israel resettled the Jewish refugees from Arab and Islamic lands. Israel did so while fighting horrible wars, combatting vile acts of terror and living through the tzena. Without a word of complaint, I might add -- Jews are ours; we look after them. Why haven't the 22 Arab countries resettled their brother Arabs? Why haven't they looked after them? Is it a cultural thing? Aren't there enough oil-soaked sheikhs and princes to be able to absorb "Palestinian" refugees and pay for starter homes for each and every one of them? Yes, there are. A few years ago, my husband and I were vacationing in Monte Carlo. We went to one of the casinos there, and watched dumbfounded as a Saudi Arabian sheikh -- drinking very expensive single malt and with two very attractive European beauties on each arm, not to mention an entourage of about fifty -- dropped $800,000 at the baccarat table in the space of about ten minutes. All we could think about was how many college scholarships that might purchase for "Palestinian" children who aspire to something better than what they have and -- despite the billions of U.S. dollars and billions of Euros that have found their way into the coffers of the "Palestine" Authority; despite the multi-billion dollar budget accorded to refugees by the United Nations (about 96% of which supposedly goes to benefit the "Palestinian" refugees) -- continue to live in poverty and despair. (Of course, their "leadership" live quite grandly, but that isn't Israel's fault). So please. The "refugee" issue is an invented problem. People who voluntarily leave do not -- or should not -- have the same right of recourse as do REAL refugees. If you want to know what REAL refugees are, have a gander at the sub-Saharan African continent. There's around 300 million people classified as refugees, who receive NO recognition, NO funding and have NO hope. These poor souls are TRUE refugees; they had no choice in determining their status. On the other hand, the "Palestinians" did have a choice. So why do they get the lion's share of all the funds dedicated to the well-being of refugees? Just more of the same old anti-Semitic and anti-Israel doctrinaire issues we have grown accustomed to seeing. No change there.

the fact they will be affected by final peace.

world to stop calling palestinians refugees because their now dead grandparents or great grandparents left their homes over 60 years ago. that's sooooooo utterly ironic since jews base thier claim to that land on the fact that they lived there 2000 years ago they have every right of return to that land and nothing will make it go away

Really, Sandra? Exactly WHY do you think they have that "right"? Can you name ONE other example in recent history of people having that right? No, I didn't think so. Because only the Pals claim that right and only "useful idiots" support it. Sounds to me like you're living in an alternate reality where all of the Jews claim to Israel is 2000 years old. A *tiny* bit of research on your part would reveal that Jews have had a continual presence in Israel for thousands of years and were in fact the majority religion in Jerusalem going back 150 years. Educate yourself, Sandra. Relying on what "everyone knows" in Scotland just makes you look foolish in the real world.

The Palestinians have been caught in the middle between Israel/US and Arab countries for years now. Israel is one of the smallest countries in the ME but the most heavily armed, in part thanks to France then US along with spending a lot of Israel's GDP. Israel will likely keep a military edge for another 10 to 15yrs, with China and India becoming major weapons exports by then. Turkey and Egypt are wildcards for Israel that could shift balance of power in ME in decades to come.

Did you carry out survey among Rotary Club &Freemasons of Palestinian regions? They are traitors but I am sure even they will oppose Zionist State with 80% majority

Why is it that Israel is so against the right of return for palestinians but so supportive of the right of return for jews? Nary an Israeli would object to jews moving to Hebron from Brooklyn after 1500 years but a palestinian move from Beirut to Haifa after 50? That is considered crazy.

There was always a Jewish presence, but the Jews who live in Israel don't make aliyah. It's the Jews who don't live in Israel that make Aliyah. 80% of Jewish Israelis are the children or grandchildren of people who were in exile. If they can come back after 2000 years why can't the palestinians after 50?

Just another bout of classic double speak arab stylay! Funny how they forgot to mention that Judah and Shomron must be ethnically cleansed of Jews first - while arabs continue to reside behind the 1949 Armistice lines. Israel you must begin talks of arab repatriation to any future 'palestinian' /Iranian proxy terror state sworn to your destruction on your doorstep. Protect yourself from the INSIDE OUT. Shalom.

The Arabs who remain refugees to this day left Israel voluntarily in order to ease the way for the "conquering Arab armies" to throw the Jews into the sea, as promised by their leadership. It is not the fault of Israel that the Arab leadership could not deliver on their promises. It certainly wasn't for want of trying -- Israel has had to fight six major wars; all of which were initiated by the Arabs. The fault lies with the twenty-two Arab nations which have consistently refused to resettle the refugees. It might also in part lie with the bad acts of those refugees which WERE resettled -- keep in mind that they have been thrown out of Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Kuwait, Oman and Muscat. I also remind you that there were tens of millions of refugees in Europe following World War II -- they all found homes. I further remind you that nearly one million Jews were expelled from their homes in Arab and Moslem countries following the establishment of the modern State of Israel. Israel took them in. Israel is a Jewish state, and Israel looks after its own -- including the rescue of Jews from Ethiopia and Eritrea. Why cannot the Arabs look after THEIR own?

No, they don't have a right of return -- they were not expelled; they left voluntarily. Thomas Mann had it about right -- you can't go home again. Sorry; that's just how the world works. Would Scotland absorb the millions of their natives who came to the United States during the clearances? Doubtful.

"the PA wants to be Judenrein" No, that is not true. There are already Jews living in the WB and have been for centuries. The Fatah Council has a Jewish member. What the PA wants rid of are the ISRAELI settlers, although some may be allowed to stay if they become Palestinian citizens.

Do the nearly one million Jewish refugees who lived in Arab countries for thousands of years have the "right" to return and reclaim their homes, money and other property that were stolen from them when they were expelled? And the Jews who managed to escape with only the shirts on their backs were the lucky ones. How many Jews were killed by Muslims in Arab countries after 1948?

An absolutely wonderful response. Your highly informative and well-articulated arguments would come in very handy for me in future discussions. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your kind words, Tahl. My pleasure.

Wrong. In 1948, the Jordanians expelled all Jews living in Judea and Samaria -- including those families who had lived there for thousands of years. There are no Jews on the Fatah Council, either, by the way. Judea and Samaria are considered non-sovereign territory, and Israel acquired them in 1967 in the course of fighting a defensive war. The settlements are fully legal. See here: http://www.globalpolitician.com/24388-israel-jerusalem Although you would benefit from reading the treatise in its entirety, feel free to skip down to the section titled "Law on Israel's Takeover of 1967 Lands." Read both subparagraph 1 and 2 -- the first examines the issue under Security Council Resolution 242 (and confirms that SCR 242 it is neither binding nor enforceable, as it was issued under Chapter Six of the United Nations Charter, and not Chapter Seven). The second section discusses Acquisition of Non-Sovereign Land in a Defensive War and concludes that international law does not preclude Israel from retaining AND settling Judea and Samaria and, in fact, fully supports Israel’s right to do precisely that.