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Originally posted by adamzion
However, as I have said before, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak made an offer to Yassir Arafat which included virtually all of the Gaza Strip, 90+% of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, <b>and</b> PA control of the Temple Mount- the holiest single site in Judaism (as compared to its being the third holiest in Islam). Arafat turned this down.
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Adam, you've mentioned this before. Now, was this actually documented by a major news source, or by the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority? Or, is this just the word around the campfire?
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Rewind to 1948-49. The original partition plan for the British colony of Palestine included three pieces: the independent country of Jordan (aka Transjordan- that part of Palestine which was east of the Jordan river), a Jewish state, and a Palestinian Arab one.
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I don't see the Sinai on there though...
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Immediately upon the partition agreement, Israel declared statehood.
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Actually, didn't Israel declare statehood on the day that Britain's mandate over Palestine expired? Was this partition agreement part of the 1947 UN Resolution?
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Fast forward to the '70s. Israeli PM Menachem Begin established the principle of land for peace when he agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in return for the first peace treaty it signed with an Arab state. Put this in context: has <b>any</b> European state returned land which it captured in a war unless it was lost in yet another war? Did the US return Florida, Cuba, or the Phillipines to Spain after capturing those territories? No. Israel did so, and was demonstrably willing to do so again in the case of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.
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But the Sinai wasn't Israel's to begin with. Nor was Jerusalem (which was an international city) or the West Bank.
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In the case of East Jerusalem, Israel had agreed to sign over part of its <b>capital city</b>.
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See previous mention of Jerusalem...
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The PLO's track record and charter are crystal clear about one thing: the PLO's aim is to destroy the Jewish state. It's pretty tough to negotiate peace with someone whose sole aim is to see you disappear. And Israel isn't likely to negotiate itself out of existance, as inconvenient as this might be to the rest of the world.
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The PLO and other Arabs have markedly moved away from this stance during the 1990s, particularly since the Oslo accords. After all, Israel is now at peace with Jordan.
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We're still here, get over it
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Adam, I can respect the fact that you are proud of your Jewish heritage and your ancestors that have fought so valiantly for their own state. However, this last line you left is what makes it hard for both sides to get along. Arrogance. That, and the PLO talking about an end to a Jewish state. Arrogance on their end too. The Arabs are still here too though. It is obvious that the area of Palestine itself is very sacred to the Jews. However, given that others occupied it for 2000 years previous to the State of Israel, shouldn't it be obvious that the Arabs may have some serious attachment too? Considering it was ruled by the Ottomans for the previous 400 years...
Now shake hands and play nicely...
Still working on getting my casino or discount smoke shop,
Syc
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[Edited by sycamore on 03-17-2001 at 03:00 PM]