Mid East Crisis

[Old Greg]

Absolutely agree with you, the whole fact that it does aspire to Western values is why I am Pro-Israeli. I wasn't using an example of the destruction as 'an eye for an eye', more the big boy simply taking back what was his.

However that gets back to the argument that it never was Israeli land in the first place.

It's an argument that won't be solved. Both sides will still fight about it, neither will be happy with what they see as a capitulation.

I think that if sides are looking for a solution, part pf an answer can be found in Northern Ireland. The IRA demanded unification of Ireland, but peace was achievable not by meeting the demand, but by addressing the real cause / fuel of the insurgency / terrorist campaign, which lay (I suggest) in the Catholic working class population's (perceived or real) lack of civil rights and access to housing and jobs on an equal basis as the Protestan working class. Solve that and sort out policing and unification was no longer a 'deal-breaking' issue.

I suspect the same is true in Israel and Palestine. Hamas' rhetoric will be meaningless if Palestinians has a real independent state - they won't be interested in destroying Israel. There will need to be a financial settlement for dis-possessed refugees on all sides, but I expect the peace dividend will largely cover that. However, I think that squeezing the Palestinians so that elements turn to Hamas (due to the failure of Fatah) suits Israeli hard-liners very well and gices them the space to continue making inroads into illegally occupied land.

[Old Greg]

"The gay capital of the Middle East"

A kind of Mecca, then?

[Incognito]

The Israeli's won't give up that land and will not allow a Arab state to form. This is gonna be crap for a loooong time me thinks.

This is what the next wars will be fought about:

ICE Cases: Litani River Dispute

Greeks eye Israeli gas reserves - UPI.com

In the next decade as well. My prediction.

[Incognito]

"The gay capital of the Middle East"

They were quite happy, yes.

[Incognito]

I think that if sides are looking for a solution, part pf an answer can be found in Northern Ireland. The IRA demanded unification of Ireland, but peace was achievable not by meeting the demand, but by addressing the real cause / fuel of the insurgency / terrorist campaign, which lay (I suggest) in the Catholic working class population's (perceived or real) lack of civil rights and access to housing and jobs on an equal basis as the Protestan working class. Solve that and sort out policing and unification was no longer a 'deal-breaking' issue.

Don't bring N.Ireland into this, the thread will kick off big time.

9/11 brought peace to N.Ireland, that's all I'll say.

[lilelvis2000]

This is what the next wars will be fought about:

ICE Cases: Litani River Dispute

Greeks eye Israeli gas reserves - UPI.com

In the next decade as well. My prediction.

I can't see a war there - the Israeli's will just take it. Is there any army in the Middle East that can take them on. I don't think there is.

[Old Greg]

This is what the next wars will be fought about:

ICE Cases: Litani River Dispute

Greeks eye Israeli gas reserves - UPI.com

In the next decade as well. My prediction.

I wonder if there is a map of the Eastern Mediterranean are on the Internet showing the overlap of all the ultra-nationalist movments:

Greater Greece ('Our capital, Constantinople')
Greater Israel
Greater Serbia
Greater Albania
Greater Macedonia
Greater Syria
Greater no doubt many more

[Old Greg]

Don't bring N.Ireland into this, the thread will kick off big time.

9/11 brought peace to N.Ireland, that's all I'll say.

You couldn't make up this one if you tried:

Rep Peter King, IRA supporter, wants to hold hearings on radical islam « Views Across the Pond

[Incognito]

I can't see a war there - the Israeli's will just take it. Is there any army in the Middle East that can take them on. I don't think there is.

The problem lies with the Arabs not knowing when they're beaten, 'Allahu Akbar' and all that.

Syria and Iran are spoiling for another fight with Israel, but they won't do anything without the Arab league. Israel annexing part of Lebanon will cause that.

The problem you have is that Turkey is slowly discovering that the EU wants nothing to do with it and so is engaging quite openly with the Arab league.

[minestrone]

Don't bring N.Ireland into this, the thread will kick off big time.

9/11 brought peace to N.Ireland, that's all I'll say.

Pish