Israel seizes Arab land near Jerusalem:
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel has ordered the confiscation of Arab land outside east Jerusalem, the army and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday, reviving fears that the occupied West Bank could be split in two.
Hassan Abed Rabbo at the Palestinian local government ministry said the late September order covers 110 hectares (272 acres) in four Palestinian villages between east Jerusalem and the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim.
The land could create a bloc of settlements incorporating Maale Adumim and nearby Mishor Adumim and Kedar, he said, and “prevent Palestinian territorial continuity” between the West Bank and Jordan Valley.
Most Israelis say no to sharing Jerusalem:
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Most Israelis oppose sharing Jerusalem with the Palestinians as part of a final peace deal, an opinion poll said on Tuesday after an Israeli minister sparked uproar by suggesting the idea.
Asked whether Israel should agree to “any sort of compromise on Jerusalem” as part of a final deal to end the decades-old Middle East conflict, 63 percent said no, according to the survey in the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot.
Sixty-eight percent oppose transferring Arab neighbourhoods in occupied east Jerusalem to Palestinian control and 61 percent said Israel alone should have sovereignty over the holy places in the Old City, revered by the world’s three leading monotheistic religions.
But then again this has been obvious for a while.
On the first item, you’re right. One critique I have of the “diversity of opinion with Israel” line of pro-Israel argumentation is that the right has, by and large, dictated Israel’s trajectory over the years.
The second item, however, contradicts some other polls I’ve read, such as one last spring that put 56% of Israelis as willing to divide Jerusalem, which was apparently actually down from previous years. Even the poll you cite also found that 52% said they would be willing to make concessions on Jerusalem in exchange for “real peace.”
Part of this may be tied up in the sampling of different polls, on which I have no information. One conventional bit of wisdom here in Israel, however, is that while peace is more important to Israelis than control of East Jerusalem, they don’t see the proverbial “real peace” as in the cards right now. This also makes a difference in terms of asking the question in the abstract during the 40th anniversary of 1967 and asking it when Cabinet ministers are talking specifically about Ehud Olmert handing it over to Mahmood Abbas’s government.
“revered by the world’s three leading monotheistic religions.”
THE SIKHS, GODDAMNIT! DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE SIKHS!
One could also involve the Baha’is in that protest.
I think the Israeli people WANT peace. I am one of them.
As an Israeli actively working towards absolute equality within my country, I am not offended but I am disappointed in the headline of this post. Using your tactics, I could just as easily pull a FoxNews/Jpost and cite some statistic that proves Iranians want to “wipe Israel off the map” or that Palestinians support suicide bombing. But I won’t. Not because I can’t, but because its irresponsible and it promotes the neocon/militant-islamist fantasy of a glorious “clash of civilizations” that people of all backgrounds should be fighting against.
I recognize the ridiculousness of asking for a “partner for peace” considering the dearth of enlightened leadership within my own government, but you simply cannot ignore the many sensitive issues on which we agree. These agreements are like a collection of fabrege eggs, delicate and valuable, and they should be cherished and celebrated and not thrown about as if it were Easter on the White House lawn.
Why should the Israelis want peace with the Palestinians? The Palestinians are in a weak position and have no military. Power comes from the barrel of a gun. Israel enjoys the full support of the USA including militarily, financially, and diplomatically. The Israelis are in a very powerful position.
As long as America remains the hegemonic superpower of the world, Israel will not see any compelling reason to seek peace with the Palestinians.
The vast majority of the people on earth believe that the Israelis are the bad guys. However the vast majority of people on earth have little control or impact on the military might of America. Eventually the tide will turn, as it always does. Someday the Jews will be persecuted again when they do not have a superpower to protect them. And like so many times throughout history, they will cry about the injustice of the persecution and wail for generations.
When their time does come, we can only hope and pray that those doing the persecution next time are more humane to the Jews than the Jews have been to the Palestinians. No people on earth should ever be treated the way Palestinians are treated. If any American were to be caught treating a dog the way Israelis treat Palestinians today, that person would undoubtedly be sent to prison.
“Someday the Jews will be persecuted again when they do not have a superpower to protect them. And like so many times throughout history, they will cry about the injustice of the persecution and wail for generations.”
Thanks, thanks a lot.