Israel as Czechoslovakia

N. Simon

The US and EU are happy to sacrifice Israel on the altar of the oil sheikhs. It also proves that in spite of there already being 22 Islamic countries in the middle east, the Muslims cannot abide the thought of one (the only) Jewish state in the whole world. The horrendous reality is that neither Europe, nor the US administration accept, or want, a Jewish state. So where are Jews supposed to go to feel safe?

Bogdan of Australia

Absolutely!!! As a long standing supporter and admirer of George Bush and Condi Rice I'm having my breath taking away! So much for Bush's combating words and promises never to give up to the Islamic extremists. His tough demand put on Israel could be raluctantly accepted if it was coupled an ABSOLUTE guarentee of 100% Israel security. There is none of such a statement coming from neither the US nor from any of the Arab countries, nor any written commitment to even ponder such an arragement. Appart from that even if there was such an arragement it would have not much walue, anyway, nor could it be trusted. Let's remember that during the latest war with Hizballah in Lebanon the so called European powers (ha, ha, ha!) forced Israel to shorten her campaign against the terrorists under the SOLEMN (ha, ha, ha!) promise to disarm Hizballah and prevent it to EVER(ha, ha, ha!) rearming again. We can see today, how they have kept their promise. It isn't even worthy the paper on which it has been written. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE SHAME!!! Speaking about Chechoslovakia, it is worthy to recal the treason that France and Britain commited towards Poland when they refused to rush to her succor (despite being obliged to do so as a formal allies), when this country was invaded and destroyed by Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. And then came treason of Yalta. Taking into account never ending string of betrayals it is simply an act of sicidal madness to hope that those power (EU and joined now by the US) will do ANYTHING to protect Israel. And as for the conduct of the US; it confirms an old saying: "Harmless to enemies, treacherous to her friends." As an unflinching fan of George Bush, I have NEVER felt so betrayed in my life!

BJ

What a strange place is Planet Mel. This latest article bears so little relationship to the facts it is difficult to know where to start. UN resolution 242 refers to "minor and mutual" adjustments to the border and recognises that territory cannot be acquired by war. The Saudi plan was rather more compatible with international law than the Bush letter. Even a full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Territories would still leave Israel with 78% of historical Palestine (not a bad compromise deal). The comparison with Czechoslovakia in 1938/9 is actually quite a good one, however, it is of course the Palestinians who have suffered annexation of territory and occupation!

ExPat

Trust no one. That's the lesson for Israel.

FinanceDoc

Ariel Sharon warned of this just after 9/11 in his famous "Israel will not be Czechoslovakia" speech. There are reliable reports that moments after hearing what have become Sharon's prophetic words, the Bush Administration prepared a package of punitive measures against Israel which would have withheld vital spare military parts. Needless to say, Sharon was never again heard to so brazenly challenge America's authority in the War on Terror. I take no pleasure in pointing out to long-time Zionist supporters of Bush (including Melanie Phillips), that I have been warning since that day that Bush would ultimately feed Israel to the wolves for the sake of political expediency.

M. Moskow

Thank, you, Melanie...for validating my intuition. However, is what we're going to see in Annapolis motivated "stupidity", or in reality, cold-blooded calculation? I think we know the answer. In another context, I believe that reader N. Simon is correct: In a general sense (with extraordinarily few exceptions) the overlapping diplomatic / academic / intelligence / military / "communities" of most of the world's nations almost certainly - in a collective sense - have long seemed to want to turn the "clock" of history back to an era when we Jews were - in a collective sense - powerless and thus defenseless. The motivation is realpolitik in its purest, most refined form, undergirded and complemented by generally unarticulated - but deeply held - religious and political ideologies. Fundamentally, the problem has never been that the contrived, so-called "palestinian people" do not have a state. The problem is that the Jews DO have one.

Anat

I am Israeli. It is beyond me why our government has never insisted on the obvious which is: 1. reiterating the 1949 offer of accepting back 100,000 annualy of the ORIGINAL refugees, and these only. 2. Rejecting in strong terms the use of UNRWA aid registry as proof of refugee status, which it is not. UNRWA registry has doubled between 1949 and 1951, from 4-5k to 9-10k. If UNRWA want to extend aid to whoever claims it, this is their own business and should have no bearing on Israel's obligations towards the real refugees. 3. Rejecting in strong terms the refugee status afforded by the UN to the descendents of Arab refugees from Israel, on grounds that this discriminate against the millions of other descendents of refugees worldwide, including the descendents of Jewish refugees from wherever, who are not afforded this status and the choice between compensation and repatriation that goes with it.

Shy Guy

Contrary to what poster BJ said above, neither the word "minor" nor "mutual" appear in the text of UN Resolution 242. For the resolution's full text and background history on the subject, see: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/UN/242toc.html

N. Simon

Contrary to what BJ believes in his alternate reality, historical Palestine was originally called Canaan, and was much larger than British mandated Palestine, of which most was given to the Hashemites, and Trans Jordan was created. This left Israel with about 12% of the land originally promised by Balfour. Today, Israel is less than 0.02% of land in the middle east, and is smaller than the size of Wales. At it's narrowest is only 9 miles wide, and easy to walk across.

eliXelx

We are going to hear a lot about "international law" and how Israel is breaking or abrogating it coming out of Annapolis this week. Rest assured! There is NO INTERNATIONAL LAW that merits the name that is not honoured daily, world-wide, in the breach! It is only Israel that is criticized for it! Let's just hope that there are no secret negotiations. Let everything be played out on camera, in public, and that way we will witness the death-wishes of both sides. BTW when did the local Israeli-Palestinian conflict become THE ARAB-ISRAELI PROBLEM?

Ivor, Chelmsford

If all Arab land were represented as a football pitch, then Israel would occupy the size of a matchbox in the centre circle. Are people really suggesting that if Israel gave up half that matchbox, peace would come to the Middle East?

Kate Scott

Well, the neighbourhood bully, he's just one man, His enemies say he's on their land. They got him outnumbered about a million to one, He got no place to escape to, no place to run. ... The neighbourhood bully just lives to survive, He's criticized and condemned for being alive. He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin, He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in. (Bob Dylan: Infidels 1984) "What a strange [uninformed] place is planet" BJ. The planet of cultural and religious relativism inhabited by imbibers of Islamic 'taqiyya'. Palestinians did not regard themselves as a nation prior to the imposition of that construct by Arafat's PLO in the 1970s. On March 3, 1977, the head of the PLO Military Operations Department, Zuhair Muhsin, told the Netherlands paper 'Trouw' that there are no differences between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese: "We are one people. Only for political reasons do we carefully underline our Palestinian identity. For it is of national interest for the Arabs to encourage the existence of the Palestinians against Zionism. Yes, the existence of a separate Palestine identity is there only for tactical reasons. The establishment of a Palestinian State is a new expedient to continue the fight against Zionism and for Arab unity."

Manuel

"If I am not for me, who is?" said Rabbi Hillel. We are about to witness this very question being asked of Israel and indirectly of its supposed friends. For when push comes to shove, pragmatism will be shoving Israel for all its worth. Israel's biggest threat has always been from so-called friendly politicians who on coming to the end of their tenure become obsessed with a "legacy" at any cost, thus Bush. 'International law' has always recognised the right of a state to defend itself to the utmost when attacked. In '67 both Jordan & Syria launched massive military attacks upon Israel, which repulsed both and acquired some of their enemies' territories. All clearly legal -no return of lands until a mutually agreed settlement, as 242 specifies. However, Israel's enemies, both in the West (usually anti-Semites) & the islamic world quite deliberately and incorrectly proclaim it is in contravention of 242 (it is not) & holding 'illegally acquired' land contrary to 'International law' (it is not). The arab refugee problem only came about as a result of the 1948 Arab leadership imploring all arabs to get out of the line of fire of the invading arab armies. The arabs created the problem, have milked it ever since and will continue to do so in their unceasing effort to destroy Israel. My BIG question is - why does the West turn its venom on tiny Israel and the Jewish people, paint it and them as the villain of the piece and peace,always demand & expect so much more of Israel than of anyothers and are ready to give terrorism a pay-day?

AKS in Calif.

You people are completely bonkers. Seriously.

Brian

I'm sorry, but I am having a problem understanding your anger...Oh, you expected The Bush admin to offer competence AND integrity?? The only competent person in the admin is Cheney, and he is perfectly capable of such double-dealings, in order to preserve the Oil co. dividends, and his Arab masters.

Vorax

Melanie you feeling of disgust is understood but writing articles in hysterical tone isn't helpful.
Many things changed since 9/11, overall to the better. Bush just implements divide and rule principle.
Don't forget -
1) Iraq is finished as a state sponsoring terrorism.
2) Iran is skillfully lead into the no-win trap.
3) Hezbolla's activism comes to the end, up to them to choose now in which way, Iraq style or Libya style.
4) Hamas is under siege, isolated. Palestinian Arabs are divided.
5) Syria accepted invitation to Annapolis after being BOMBED. Which means to play the role of sad clown.
6) In every part of the world, every sort of Jihadis face serious opposition, - and in most cases NOT the Western one.
Israel and US will show some carrots, about sticks participants are informed separately, through special channels; they all know it certainly. It is not worth over-estimating power of Arabs. Saudi Arabia is de-facto US protectorate, all more or less meaningful weapons that they have, must be under full US control. And they are all afraid, examples of Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza are still fresh. I will be very surprised if the words like "or you are with free world, or you are with terrorists" will not be repeated again.