Opinion
Debunking the 2-state myth
Yoel Meltzer
Published: 28.04.11, 18:12
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1. A breath of sanity
Norman   (04.28.11)
2. Yoel
Michaelpielet ,   boca,usa   (04.28.11)
Yoel, you are a man with a brain. The problem is that the Israeli left, their leftist media allies and naive heloni leftist women have bought into the narritive that Israel must always capitulate or the wrath of the world will be upon us. The exact opposite is true. The more we act in our own self interest the more the world will leave us alone. A weak israel will be destroyed a strong Israel will live foreever.
3. logical conclusions
i. zwick ,   nyc   (04.28.11)
these are very logical observations and conclusions. Why can't all of those astute Israeli leftist intellectuals and artists see that?
4. Yoel,you are wasting your time and energy
chaim.s ,   54th st. brooklyn ny   (04.28.11)
you just cannot argue with insane leftist's,leftis'm is a severe mental disease,and is suicidal,.the only thing we can do,is to try and help tham,by convincing them to get psychiatric help,and some medication
5. If a two-state solution were indeed implemented..,
Jewish Warrior   (04.28.11)
It would quickly unravel. First off, no Israeli leader will ever give up Jerusalem or let millions of Palestinian refugees into Israel, and there are some Palestinians (like Sari Nusseibeh) who understand this, and are highly flexible on those issues. But no Palestinian leader can give up on these issues without being called a traitor, and civil war would break out between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas would be the likely winner of such a conflict, as it is supported by the Arab public. The Hamas government would launch a new terrorist campaign against Israel. Secondly, the new state would be swamped with seven million refugees from the entire Arab world, sick of life in refugee camps and demanding orderly resettlement. The residents of West Bank refugee camps would also demand resettlement. Palestine would be unable to cope with so many refugees. and would try to incorporate Jordan. The Hamas government might also use terrorism against Israel as a tool to get more land.
6. Madness and Appeasement
Ralph Levy ,   USA   (04.28.11)
Madness and Appeasement what idiots are driving Israeli Policy Maybe Peres, Barak, Livni certainly not Lieberman. Eugene Rostow Under Secretary of state author of UN resolution 242 wrote in 1991 that Israel and Jews had a right to settle the West Bank, and that the British Mandate cannot be rescinded. He also said that Israel was not required to go back to the 67 borders.
7. just 3 words
vitenberg ,   France   (04.28.11)
very good and pertinent! bravo!
8. Yeah, what we have NOW is sanity, right!
Michael Steiner ,   Bahrain   (04.28.11)
Who says that a Palestinian state would improve Israel's security?!? I never heard anybody seriously suggesting that. Nice attempt at a straw-man though. Really, the only argument in favor of a Palestinian state is that the current situation is SIMPLY NOT VIABLE/TENABLE, and it is hence in OUR LONG-TERM INTEREST for their state to be established. A Palestine is inevitable. Could be five months, five years, five decades or even five centuries; it WILL happen. The ONLY question is whether we participate in the process as part of the solution or as part of the problem. If you can't see that, then maybe we deserve another two-millennium bout of wandering around the world, which we surely will if a solution ends up being imposed on us one day.
9. Nobody respects the weak fool
Zev ,   Israel   (04.28.11)
and holding back is not strength when your citizens are being bombed.
10. Gd forbid
JS ,   NY   (04.28.11)
This is so true, and yet smart Jews all over, wanting to be Nobel peace price winners and accepted and loved by everyone, ignore such simple basics facts in order to gamble with Israel’s existence. If they get a state, Israel is TOAST. Anyone with any brains can come to this proven conclusion. In a few years they will have an super beefed up sophisticated army, millions of missiles, even nuclear weaponry etc (all provided free of charge by the entire international community that so much loves Israel) just waiting for the first opportunity to be used. Then these smart Jews will look back and say, how could we have been this blind and stupid to allow this to happen….only then it’s too late. I trust Gd will not allow this happen.
11. Madness
Irv ,   USA   (04.28.11)
The madness is in top leadership. It has been for decades. Dayan, Rabin, Barak,Sharon and others were military heros entrenched with the people of Israel as they defended our homeland. Once they all became political leaders they became pussycats and disconnected themselves from the trenches and the people. We need the leadership to lead not retreat in the face of enemies who want to destroy us.
12. #8 a partial list
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (04.28.11)
Shimon Peres Ehud Barak Yossi Sarid Yossi Beilin Haim Ramon
13. Knew this long ago
Bashar Sukkar ,   Groningen, Holland   (04.28.11)
2-state will never bring peace. Empower the palastinian moderate and involve them in the state of israel, this will work.
14. A++++++ article. Nail meet head........
Hezki ,   Israel   (04.29.11)
15. Nobody can impose a hostile "solution" on Israel.
Chaim ,   Israel   (04.29.11)
#8 Michael. Your imposed solution is a straw man if ever there was one. Nobody can impose a hostile "solution" on Israel. Since you mention that result of an imposed solution would be Jews "wandering around the world", you are actually talking about a war. Michael, you forget, Israel is powerful. We are more than capable of defending ourselves. Moreover, let us never lose sight of the fact that we have hundreds of millions of friends worldwide. The U.A. Republicans made is clear Israel would have virtually wall to wall support, for them, for rejecting the evil Two State Final Solution. The European right is also, for the most part, highly pro-Israel.
16. Lunacy of Two State Final Solution is obvious from a map.
Chaim ,   Israel   (04.29.11)
The lunacy of the Two State Final Solution is obvious from a cursory glance at a map. Israel would be rendered absolutely defenseless, with an 8 mile (15 minute tank ride) waist. Every Israeli city and town would come under constant terrorist rocket bombardment. On top of all this, Israel would be flooded by hostile Arabs. No Israeli Jew, outside a lunatic asylum, should support this madness.
17. Logical assessment
Maurice ,   Los angeled, USA   (04.29.11)
backed by facts but unfortunatey most people make decisions that defy logic and the rest of the world does not let "insignificant" things such as facts clutter their judgment. I agree with you that there is nothing good about a palestinian state for Israel.
18. Well thought out, logical and disciplined
Robert Haymond ,   Israel/Canada   (04.29.11)
article with one (important) exception: The next time, Israel may attack with all due force right to the finish rather than stopping before the enemy is completely incapacitated. Many Israelis are thinking along those lines. Certainly the National Union and Yisrael Beiteinu do. Could there be a sea change going on in Likud? Even Kadima has expressed warrior-like tendencies of late. It may be that enough of us recognize that we cannot win the international community over no matter what we do. The point is, we may again act like the warrior people we once were. Religious zionism is the key and the Yishuveem are the heart and soul.
19. the madness is to think that t
ghada ,   jerusalem   (04.29.11)
the situation now will be forever ,okey there must be changes to more or less madness
20. kol ha kavod, words of wisdom
bob ,   canada   (04.29.11)
21. Why does everyone
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (04.29.11)
... assume a priori that the ersatz "Palestinians" are capable of statehood? They aren't. That said, while I agree with Yoel Meltzer, I think that Israel should adopt the Machiavellan approach: fear is better than love. The State of Israel is living proof. Israel is a Jewish state, and Jews know better than anyone that no matter how hard you try, and no matter how much you contribute to civilization and humankind, you cannot make someone love you. But if you make them fear you, they are likely to behave. The State of Israel will never be loved. As long as the State of Israel is feared, it will be respected. Should that fear ever disappear -- Hamas, Hezbollah -- then Israel should act like every other nation on the planet and retaliate with the full force and credit available which, in the case of Israel, is considerable. Civilian deaths in Lebanon or Gaza? Probably. Israel's fault? No. Not at all. Will the international community excoriate us? Oh, absolutely. Should we care? No, not at all. They do it anyway. Israel is not in the business of making itself loved; Israel is in the business of providing a safe haven for Jews where we will not be persecuted, reviled or slaughtered. And if some civilians in Lebanon or Gaza die because Israel does what it must to protect and defend its citizens -- too bad. The fault lies squarely with the terrorist groups that are so indifferent to human life, they use their own people as shields. Fear trumps love, every time. And because we are Jews, Israel will never be loved. I have no problem with Israel being feared; in fact, I think it is a good thing.
22. More Excuses
Ben-Yehudah ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (04.29.11)
If there were a Pal. State, there would be an increase in the creativity of the excuses made for why it's ok for them to attack Israel, and how we should patient with them, and let their new gov't have the necessary time to get control over the situation, etc. Later, this develop into the same double standards we've come to expect from the EU, UN, and even the U. S. EsserAgaroth
23. Two States - Israel and Judea
Jim ,   Haifa   (04.29.11)
Arabs to Arabia!
24. To Michael Steiner # 8
Yoel Meltzer-author ,   Israel   (04.29.11)
Thank you for your comment. Just to clarify, I never said there are people who suggest that a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria will improve Israel's security (although there are some leaders who do claim such nonsense, many of whom also claimed that the Gaza Disengagement would improve Israel's security). The point of the article is to expose as a fallacy something that many in Israel, be it leaders or "people on the street", like to claim. The claim is in fact close to what Robert (# 18) wrote. I see that you're in Bahrain so perhaps you're not familiar with Hebrew. Many here in Israel (once again leaders and people on the street) like to say that "if the Palestinians have a state of their own and then they make trouble with us, "nicanes be-hem". This literally means "we will enter into them", but the meaning is that we'll have a free-hand and a legitimate-hand ("understanding and approval of the world") to forcefully clean house if need be. This is the claim, which many in Israel believe, that I am trying to expose as purely false and wishful thinking. Israel's behavior over the last 20 years has clearly shown the opposite to be true so such words of bravado are merely words. Thus, to endanger the future of the country based upon words (and nothing more) is, as I wrote in the article, pure madness.
25. Excellent column
Marcella   (04.29.11)
Good job, Yoel. I wish I could write more but I keep getting censored.
26. Good analysis, but...
Leo ,   Phoenix, Arizona   (04.29.11)
...what do you propose? The right wing (to which I belong on this subject) is as responsible for providing a strategy towards a viable, realistic solution as the Left. The left's solutions tend to be naive, but, again, if the 2-state "solution" is problematic, how do you propose to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel, security, and Israeli democracy at the same time?
27. Two state solution, Yoel Melzer
Ramy Dishy ,   Toronto Canada   (04.29.11)
I has been stated and prooved correct, that apeasement is surrender by instalment.
28. Israel should do what it 'has to do.....
tiki ,   belgium   (04.29.11)
STOP listening and caring what 'the World thinks, wants, espects, etc. Israel must do only ONE thing....do what's good for Israel & the Jews. The World coudn't care less about dead Israeli's or Jews. They never did and never will.
29. The author has a selective memory
Leon ,   Ottawa, Canada   (04.30.11)
Iraq: Israel attacked Iraq in the early 80s. Lebanon: Israel created the much hated SLA and violated Lebanese airspace on a near daily basis. Gaza: Israel withdrew its troops and created the world's largest prison by controlling Gaza's airspace and coastline. What the author is missing is that when Israel withdrew from the Sinai and respected national sovereignty (Egypt and Jordan) they were not 'rewarded' with "terror."
30. to 4 chaiem
(04.30.11)
as it is impossible to them in psychatric treatment so your suhhestion is nothing but to keep the disease and secidal
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