Comments on: Israel: Time For Soul Searching

by: Laurence Malsky

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 18:07:05 +0000

I am no expert on the history of Israel and Palestine, but I think that now is the time for all parties to strongly consider a “one state solution” instead of the “two state solution” that the United States has been trying unsuccessfully to negociate for twenty years.

The two state solution have proven politically impossible to implement. A separate Palestinian State would not be economically viable, and the security concerns of a separate Palestinian State and Israel are insurmountable. Israel cannot survive as a six-mile-wide sliver of a country, and Palestine could not function with the West Bank and Gaza as isolated enclaves. Moreover, why create another miniscule country that is dependent upon foreign aid for its survival?

A better solution is for Israel to give all Palestinians full citizenship, and rename the country Israel-Palestine. Share the land, let all refugees return, and guarantee religeous freedom for all in a new Constitution. Jews may fear becoming a minority, but is this worse than the fear of constant war? Neighboring Arab countries would be much less likely to attack a country that gives Muslims full citizenship and religeous freedom. Israel-Palestine would be a model for the Middle East and the whole world.

by: jeff

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:18:22 +0000

If you haven’t realized it, what you are suggesting is what barak offered Arafat at Camp David and you called “Peace with dishonor”. Of course you took it a bit further, but it was his opening possition. What the Palestinians must realize is they are no threat to Israel. Yes, there terror hurts, and costs lives, but it can not destroy the Jewish state, any more then Hizzbulla can. Unlike Nasralla and his thugs, however, the Palestinians don’t ahve a soon to be nuclear power behind them.
If in 1947 the Palestinians had agreed to Partition, they would be sitting in Ber-sheva, Haifa, jaffa and about 40% of pre 67 israel (they weren’t given Gaza by the way, that was Egyptian land). Had they agreed to peace in 67, they’d have received the entire west bank minus e. Jerusalem. Today they need to realize that as time goes on they are offered less and less, not more and more.
What Israel needs to do is to unilaterally leave all teh areas in the West bank that they don’t need. IE: all of it except teh major settlement blocks. They then need to explain to the world that at teh first cross border attack, of any kind, Israel will destroy the entire state of Palestine via air and land forces. THe mistakes made by Barak and Sharon wasn’t teh withdrawl from Gaza and Lebanon but not carrying through on the threats made before the redeployment.
As long as Palestinians don’t want to talk, but insist upon firing rockets into Israel and blowing their children up, they won’t get peace, but rather sepperation.

by: BearCountry

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:19:10 +0000

I realize that I am late with this, but I just now saw the essay. It is not necessary to hypothesize about American Indians emigrating to Europe and returning to claim land in New Jersey. There is a situation in the Finger Lakes region of New York where decendants of one of the tribes are now claiming land. There has been a great deal of legal and political manuvering by the Indians and by the current land owners and local governments. The final outcome is still unclear. Fortunately there have not been any military actions related to the problem.

by: osama ibrahim

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 13:33:21 +0000

Mr Kroeger,
Such a touching article, and i couldnt agree more with what you said.
The palestinians, arabs, and muslims would probably settle for much less like the United States apologizes to the Muslims of the world for mis-reading their grievance. Once that is done everything else would solve itself because in the end the Palestinians are only asking for their minimal rights

by: Diane McLoughlin

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 18:08:51 +0000

Dear Mimi, with respect I fail to see anything whatever antisemitic about the article, ‘Israel: Time for Soulsearching’. What you are doing is a classic kneejerk defense of Israel. You do this because you care about Israel. But in defending Israel right or wrong, you are helping push her toward her own destruction. The author is the opposite of antisemitic. This is a foul and sickening accusation. The author is trying to find the way forward toward a just and lasting peace, Mimi.
Further. You say you have heard reasonable arguments on both sides. Not relevant. What is relevant is what is right, just and true? What is the truth? That is the only thing that is relevant. It is not relevant that the Jews in Israel are intelligent. So what? Germans weren’t intelligent? The fact is that smarts don’t mean you see clearly the picture all the time. Smart can still be mislead. Smart can still be blind.
Yes, the Jews in Israel fight. The problem is that they defend the indefensible; they are in the wrong in torturing and occupying and starving the Palestinians. They are stupid in continuing to create enemies for themselves. I will give you this, Mimi. I deduce from your comment the suggestion that a one-state solution might be the way to go. If so, my hat is off to Mimi. Because Mimi might just be right. Real democracy, one shared state, full and equal citizenship for all. Might work.

by: Mimi Mauro

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 21:09:46 +0000

Both the article and comment are riddled with simple “anti-Semitism.”

Yes, the recent skirmish, I’d hardly call it a war because neither side invaded the other, was a shock to the Israelli army. On the other hand, Hezbollah did very little damage in Israel as compared to that caused by the Israelis.

The “win” was not a win at all nor was the “loss” it was a cease fire. Israel still has the greater fire power. Now granted with all the buying and selling of nuclear weapons occuring among the Muslim nations, while we could have/should have stopped this proliferration had we not been so stubbornly engaged in a “war against terrorism” which could better be described as the war to show Iraqi’s what terrorism is.”

I have spent long periods of time in Israel I know hawks and doves among Israelis and Palestinians. Each side has a reasonably argument for upholding their side. The real villain here is the Balfour Declaration in which the British chopped Palestine up into two countries in the mistaken belief that it was the best thing to do. The war, which is on-going, began the next day.

The citizens of a country need to invest in their country in order to make it work and the best way for that to happen is through self-determiniation. Unfortunately, all those Israelis, Palestinians, et al who “knew better” and were more than willing to supply arms to both sides have made that impossible.

Unlike Hitler’s Germany, where the Jews had no power, in Israel they do, and they also have determination and are probably the most intelligent people in the world. They are fighting for their lives and for the continuation of their country.

Who’s going to take them in if the Muslims overrun Israel? Or shall we just let the Muslims kill them all as Hitler failed to do? Do we want that on our consciences too?

by: Bob DAmico

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 20:35:48 +0000

Mr. Kroeger,

Thank you for a terrific article, you are absolutely correct. I am an independant swing voter and a Catholic but most certainly not a fundamentalist Catholic which America seems to be full of, support Bushism, helped enormously to put the Booshies in a complete stranglehold of my beloved America, totally support The Bush/Repub/nazi-fascist neocons of in their belief that Muslims are the enemy and should all be bombed to death and blindly follow the Vatican alighnment with the Repub party since shortly after Reagan cam to office.

Suffise it to say that I am totally angered that my religion could possibly support the wholesale killing of Muslims, the total suppression of war dissenters in the US, the destruction of the Democratic party in America and completely ignoring the teachings of Jesus Christ and the laws of God to love ALL of His children as He so loves ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.

The Catholic Church protested almost not at all the Holocaust of WWII and are committing a second Holocaust against Muslims. The Vatican was wrong during WWII and is equally wrong now. The Vatican should either get out of American politics or if it wishes to be involve it should pay taxes on all church properties and income and register as a political organization.

Then it should speak out forcefully against the Bush/Repub/neocon killing of Afghanis, Iraqis and Muslims. It should fully support Israel’s right to exist and EQUALLY fully support the Palestinians right to exist, from whence both sides will be able to live without fear and in peace and prosperity.

The Vatican MUST also develop much humility and MUST stop acting as if the KNOW the mind of God, which they most certainly do not. Only God knows the mind of God.

The Vatican must forcefully speak out against the Bush/Repug intense desire to take complete and unfettered control over America forever and create ‘A New World Order’ by repressing the God given ‘Free Will of all the people in the world.

The Vatican must forcefully speak out against the Bush/Repub party and it’s ongoing efforts to financially destroy the American family.

Kroeger has a clear and reasonable approach to the killing and strife that engulfs the middle east and is engulfing the world to the peril of all life on this planet.

Finally, the Vatican alighnment with the Southern Confederacy mindset which is rampant now in the entire Republican party MUST STOP.

Bob DAmico
Cleve, Oh

by: Jack Hicks

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 16:21:09 +0000

Mr. Kroeger has certainly nailed it. But the obstacles his vision faces in this country is daunting. I am a Democrat and completely agree with him but don’t expect much support from the Democratic party. Most Americans are blinded by the unspeakable evil perpetrated against the Jews by Hitler. They are further blinded by their hatred of terrorists killing innocent civilians in places like restaurants and busy intersections. But they are conditioned to laud our’s and Isreali airmen in jet planes bombing crowded areas as protecting freedom. More and more people are seeing this for it’s hypocracy, but it needs a steady, urgent voice.