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Mort Zuckerman: For Israel, a Two-State Proposal Starts With Security

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The US President and Congress, as well as the European nations, will learn the hard way that NON of the Newly formed ARAB leadership are our friends. Egypt, Libya, Syria, etc will all end up as enemies of the WEST. ISRAEL is the only true friend we have, and we should never stop believing that.

JAK of NV 1:34AM January 21, 2012

The intellectuals supported anti-Israel terrorism and now they support anti-US terrorism. These terrorists have high-jacked their religions and expect us to co-exist with them in Israel and the US, but we are not allowed to co-exist with them in their own countries. Terrorists are now demanding tolerance by Israel and US, which they are incapable of providing in their own countries. At least Israelries understand that the future of their country is at stake and worth fighting for. I do not believe Americans realize our future is also at stake and sadly, appear to believe it is not worth fighting for.

Nancy of AZ 5:41PM August 16, 2010

I like most Americans have had it with everyone in the Middle East. Nothing has changed in 20 years and 20 years from now they will still be fighting with both sides in their intractable positions. I for one have had it. Why do we keep sending billions of our hard earned dollars to this never ending morass. Let's just save our money and let them have at it. Both sides be damned, they deserve each other.

t atwill of CA 11:40PM August 10, 2010

"And when these lovely things happen, who or what is to prevent a future Israel, desparate for water, from annexing the Litani River (as part of a "security zone," natch)? These are truly extraordinary expectations!"
Really??
Shall we place matters in the proper context of time, space and circumstances...??
Israel has never, let me repeat, never attacked it neighbors for the sake of taking over territory for territory's sake; for the capturing of natural or human resources for resources' sake; for subjugating other people or peoples for the sake of subjugating others. Indeed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been used exclusively in the defense of Israel's sovereignty and the very life of its citizens.
By contrast, Israel was invaded by its Muslim-Arab neighbors on the very first day of its existence as an independent and sovereign state based on UN resolutions, 1948, carried out by a coalition of Muslim-Arab armed forces, for the sake of annihilating it.
In 1964, three full years before the Six-Day War, 1967, the Arab League set up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Its goal was not to "liberate" the Palestinians (a term not yet used in the Arab world) but "Palestine", i.e. Israel, a UN member state. The means to achieve the goal were to be "armed struggle".
In 1967, a coalition of Muslim-Arabs states, backed up by the Arab League of States, initiated another all-out-war against the nation-state of the Jewish people with the intention of achieving what had not been achieved in 1948.
As in all other attempts to wipe Israel off the face of earth, only to be repel by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a new coalition of Muslim-Arab states set out again, 1973, to eliminate Israel, while of course backed up by the entire Arab League of States.
Presently, the Iran-Hizballah-IslamicJihad-Hamas-Syria coalition, led by Iran, has been calling for and acting in preparation for the wiping Israel off the face of earth and with it all traces of Jewish existence in it.
Israel, please note, is a country the size of New Jersey, Slovenia or Wales! Yes, it is that small!!! And its entire Jewish population is nearly six million. That is all.
This tiny country has been under constant existential threat from the entire Muslim and Arab world since its day of inception, while it has been calling for an accommodation of peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jew, between the Muslim-Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, but to no avail.
Hence, the need for a security zone!!
P.S. In 1948 Iraq, not bordering Israel, participated in its invasion. And during the first Gulf War, Iraq launched rockets on civilian population centers in Israel, despite the fact that Israel was not part of that conflict. Please, keep this in mind as well!!!

Jehudah Ben-Israel 3:39AM August 07, 2010

"Israel must prepare for the possibility that even after agreements are signed, and a demilitarized Palestinian state is established .."
This is strange: the regional - if not global - nuclear superpower would have her neighbors lay down their arms so as to "enhance Israel's security." And when these lovely things happen, who or what is to prevent a future Israel, desparate for water, from annexing the Litani River (as part of a "security zone," natch)? These are truly extraordinary expectations !

Pablo Schwartz of VA 12:55AM August 07, 2010

Referring to "Cut to the Chase"
If you read Mr Zuckerman's post carefully you would learn that "just exterminate the Palestinians", as you say would no solve the problem for Israel. He states the problem is with the Muslim-Arab States surrounding Israel, which have used the Palestinians as a focal point in their efforts to destroy Israel since their military efforts have failed.
Any plan to "exterminate the Palestinians" would inflame the whole middle east.

Gary D. 5:12PM August 01, 2010

My previous post of course does not mention Mr. Obama and his administration, but if we were to ask: What is the present American Administration's role in advancing peace-making in the region, I would say:
1) Cease being an appeaser of the historic aggressor, the Muslim-Arab world; cease bowing down to it, both practically (e.g. to the Saudi King) and figuratively, and instead demand of it to first and foremost accept right RIGHT, not only the FACT, of Israel to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, something the Muslim-Arabs world has refused to d o to date. Even the so-called Arab Peace Plan does not accept Israel's RIGHT to be; it will only accept the fact that Israel exists and only if Israel accepts, on-bloc, the so-called Arab Peace Proposal, which as it stands is a prescription to Israel's demise.
2) Cease being an appeaser of the historic aggressor, the Muslim-Arab world and demand of its leaders, local and regional alike, that upon the signing of a peace treaty this will mean the "end of the conflict". To date the Muslim-Arab leaders have refused to accept this demand by Israel as well, only to make people wonder, why...??!!
3) Finally, the Obama administration must realize that the conflict between the Muslim-Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, will end based on international legal intervention. And the international community has already said its piece: It was pronounced in the form of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 of November 1967. This resolution was passed through the Security Council unanimously and was eventually accepted by all the relevant parties. Indeed, 242 has been the basis for all peace talks and agreements to date. It is now time to see to it that it is implemented, as is, at once.
242, while calling upon Israel to withdraw its armed forces from captured "territories", not all of them, expects Israel to withdraw to "secure and recognized boundaries", not to the 1949 armistice lines (1967 "border"). Furthermore, 242 does not call upon the parties in this Arab Israeli conflict to set up an additional state in the region, and makes no use of concepts such as "Palestine" and "Palestinians". Instead, 242 assumes that territories captured and then vacated by Israel will be taken over by the countries that had controlled them prior to 1967, i.e. Gaza would come under Egyptian rule, and much of the West Bank under Jordanian rule.
The Obama administration should focus on 242, as is, and begin to demand its application.
Sadly, however, it may prove to be too tall a philosophical undertaking for an Obama administration to demand of the Muslim-Arab world anything reasonable...!!

Jehudah Ben-Israel 1:57AM July 31, 2010

It was a coalition of Muslim-Arab states, e.g. Lebaon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, that initiated the 1948 invasion of Israel, only to be repelled by the defenders of the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel.
It was a coalition of Muslim-Arab states that is the Arab League, that set up in 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in order to help "liberate" "Palestine", three full years before Israel captured the now disputed territories....
It was a coalition of Muslim-Arab states, Egypt-Jordan-Syria, that initiated the 1967 Six-Day War, only to cause Israel to repel the invading Muslim-Arab armies once again.
And it was a coalition of Muslim-Arab sates, Egypt-Syria, that initiated the 1973 Yom Kippur War, only to be defeated once again.
Isn't it time we recognize the fact that the conflict at hand is one between the entire Muslim-Arab world, local and regional, against the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, thus the Arab-Israeli conflict, and not simply an Israeli Palestinian one...??!!
And isn't it time the Muslim-Arab world shouldered its responsibility and instead of initiating wars set out to achieve peace, by accepting Israel's right to be - not only the fact that it is - to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, based on historic, ethical and legal grounds? And then, based on UN Security Council Resolution 242, as is, encourages Egypt to take over the Gaza Strip and Jordan to take over much of the West Bank, and all as part of fully implementing this UN resolution that has been the very basis for peace making in our region?
P.S. One may ask: and what about the "Palestinians"? Well, 242 doesn't call for the setting up of an additional state in the region, nor does 242 mention concepts such as "Palestine" of "Palestinians". 242 recognizes, rightly, that the conflict is between the Muslim-Arab world and the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, and deals with it in such a way.
P.P.S. At present, the coalition of Iran-Hizballah-IslamicJihad-Hamas-Syria, with much assistance from Turkey has called time and again for the wiping of the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel, off the face of earth and with it all that is Jewish in it. In advancing this process Iran has equipped, trained, financed, and supported in every way the armed forces of Hamas on Israel's southern border and Hizballah on Israel's northern one thus turning these two into units of Iran's armed forces, while it develops some of the most deadly means to annihilate a country and a people: nuclear weapons. This development can also be considered part of the strategic threat on Israel, coming from the Muslim and Arab world.

Jehudah Ben-Israel 1:11AM July 31, 2010

If you take Mr. Zuckerman's argument seriously, you would just exterminate the Palestinians. For only then could Israelis enjoy the true security they so desperately need and deserve.
And in effect that is exactly the policy Zionists have been following for the past sixty years: slow motion genocide.

David G. of KS 1:07AM July 28, 2010