US Middle East envoy George Mitchell talks to American interviewer Charlie Rose and implies that indefinite occupation is bringing Israel to disaster (if one believes in a two-state solution, that is). “Jewish democracy” in Israel can only be achieved at the barrel of a gun:
Charlie Rose:
And how much incentive is there to do something now because Israelis look at demographics. And they look at a window that may be closing on a two-state solution.George Mitchell:
Yes. I think that’s a huge incentive for that and other reasons. I think there are other reasons as well. But let’s take the demographics. If you count the number of Arabs in Israel, in Gaza and in the West Bank, they are about equal to the number of Israelis, Jewish Israelis. And the birth rates among the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs is rising more rapidly, so the demographic lines are crossing in about 2010, 2011. That poses a very serious problem for Israel because if they can’t get a two-state solution, and they’ve got a one-state solution, they want it to be a Jewish state, a position we support. But that will be difficult if they are in a minority. The second reason is technology. If there is an iron law of human history, it is that weapons are rapidly disseminated. And the invention of new weapons quickly spread around the world. Right now, what you have are rockets being disseminated, an estimated 30 to 40,000 rockets held by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border, Hamas having, I don’t know the number, but a substantial number of rockets. And while the technology of particularly the Hamas rockets is crude, there is obviously an ongoing campaign to upgrade –
It’s Israel own fault if it becomes dissolved by the Arab population. Who the hell told them to colnize the West Bank??
Maronite
You are correct in using colonize. We have to stop using settlements and say colonies.The change of one word can alter the conversation.
Actually the most appropriate term would be liberators. These Jews are the direct descendants of the original settlers of the land. Jews predate Arabs in the region by nearly two thousand years. If anyone is a coloniser or stealing land, it is the Arabs. The Jews are simply taking back what was stolen from them. Shabbat Shalom all.
Shaun:
I take it then that you would have no problem with the Native American Indians claiming back their ancestral homelands? What about the Aborigines?
‘The Jews are simply taking back what was stolen from them.’
This one goes in my file, in case you ever here claim to be in favour of peace.
You are essentially justifying a modern day crime on the basis of an alleged crime that took place x,000 years ago.
I suddenly seem remember that one of your ancestors slapped one of my ancestors in the face, x,000 years, ago. What should I do, Shaun? Take it out on you?
The land that we now know as Israel/Palestine is an historically fluid entity. For the past 4000 years this land has been occupied by imperial states and governed from outside. Until 1948, that is. The Israelites were part of a long list of occupiers, roughly 77 years (1000-923). The Zionist narrative references this historical period as a justification for the need to re-conquer and re-occupy mandatory Palestine. The Zionist narrative does not claim indigeneity over mandatory Palestine, but emphasises its period of imperial conquest, in a ‘millenial-like’ fashion.
regards.
Shaun,
you raise the aspect that I have referred to before, the Arabs were Semites were they not? My history knowledge on the sons of Abraham going one way and another going another way is a bit rusty, nevtheless they were Semites. (?)
They are a separate lot to the descendants of the Ashkenazis, are they not? So what if the Ashkenazis went and reclaimed their ancestral area in Southern Russia and left the Palestinians, Arabs, Semites, whether Jews or whatever, alone.
By the way, I want my forebears castles, titles, monasteries and lands back that were taken in Ireland, Scotland, England and in Prussia,
of all places (Yep, probably gives me some rights to move to Israel too, nah, probably, originally ashkenazi!).
‘Compensation’, I say and I only have to go back about 1,000 years.
Not to mention my pair of granparents who were unfairly sent to Tasmania as convicts…… love turns up in many strange places Shaun.
Mitchel tells it like it is….the two state solution is a spent idea.
The far right Zionists of Netanyahu’s camp have themselves to blame for this current debacle.
Even that Israeli war pig Erik Scheineman saw the writing on the wall & started to process of returning the occupied territories to their rightful owners by vacating GAZA.
The ageing Aussie ‘Zionism can do no wrong’ lobby led by Frank Lowy, Mark Liebler et al have a lot to answer for as far as their contribution to the demise of the two State solution.
Mitchell tells it like it is….the two state solution is fast becoming a spent idea.
The far right Zionists of Netanyahu’s camp, and their rabid diaspora supporters globally, have only themselves to blame for this current debacle.
Even that Israeli war criminal Erik Scheineman saw the writing on the wall & started to process of returning the occupied territories to their rightful owners by vacating GAZA.
An Israeli contact of mine believe there’s emerging the possibility of a schism between the far right & moderate elements of the IDF, which could see a civil war in Israel. I hope the zealots don’t have the nuclear weapons codes.
The ageing, increasingly irrevelent ” Aussie ‘Zionism can do no wrong” lobby have a lot to answer for their contribution to the steady demise of the two State solution.
All round, it’s a very worrying situation.