Making peace in the Middle East

Diana from Australia

I was talking to a visiting Chabad rabbi from New York last night and he told me that in his view Obama will more than likely be reelected as President. If so, in the rabbi's opinion, Obama will take an even harder line on Israel and the settlements. He says in his first term Obama has only been treading water with Israel and will clamp down much more heavily on Israel re settlements etc if he gets a second term as this has been his intention all along. And still the majority of US Jews will vote for him!

I hope the rabbi is wrong.

Derek BLADES

In this charming children's video that Melanie urges us to watch a Palestinian represented by a pink doll - possibly a teddybear - tells his brown companion that we Palestinians should stop Netanyahu from building schools and supermarkets. His brown companion asks how will this stop Iran's nuclear programme. The pink doll has no answer to this and repeats his message about schools and supermarkets.

As Melanie remarks "Says it all, really."

Really? Yes. Watch it yourself if you don't believe me.

Samson

"In this charming children's video that Melanie urges us to watch a Palestinian represented by a pink doll - possibly a teddybear - tells his brown companion that we Palestinians should stop Netanyahu from building schools and supermarkets. His brown companion asks how will this stop Iran's nuclear programme. The pink doll has no answer to this and repeats his message about schools and supermarkets."

Excuse me, but are we watching the same video? The tan (not pink) bear represents the US, not the Palestinians. There are obviously other reasons why this video is way over your head, but let's start with this one.

Ronnie

I'll say it again.

Peace negotiations normally begin by both sides initiating confidence-building measures that allow both sides to come to the table with some degree of trust and comfort.

We are not even at that stage in the curent round of 'the process' and so I suspect that we will be waiting a very long time before any negotiations on the major issues will be possible or even desired by the parties. That is a pity as peace will not be achieved by the victory of one side over the other.

Robert Leffel

Derek Blades, you got it all wrong. Pink bear represents the US administration and brown bear is Arab leaders. The cartoon exposes the US "linkage" policy according to which it it would be easier for the US to convince the Arab countries to get on board with tough stance vis-a-vis Iran if only Israel would stop the settlement activity. As we all now know, thanks to Wikileaks, this is totally false: not only the Arab leaders need no no convincing to get along with a tough position on Iran, they were in fact begging the US to attack Iran regardless of any Israeli settlements.

Gershon

@Derek BLADES

Neither of the dolls is a Palestinian. Says it all about the worth of your comment, doesn't it?

Derek Pasquill

Peace is undesirable as long as peace "negotiators" are unwilling to address the trajectory of expansionist Islam.

Dolly

As usual, BLADES, you got it wrong. The pink doll is an American diplomat, the brown doll is an Arab leader.

It seems you are unable to take anything in that does not agree with what you already believe to be true.

mark

As usual Blades you got it all wrong.

You actually thought that straw man arguments expressed through imaginary cartoon creatures was an appropriate starting point for rational debate?

"Says it all, really"

non prophet

whoah ! only 8 comments, & already at least 3 different version of the cartoon :-o
must be cryptic :-D...or..
of course a zionist conspiracy lol

Reuven

It has become so difficult to recognize the truth. I suggest to those that don't get it at once, to view two or three times. Then it becomes painfully clear.

celato

I've watched this video four times now.

Arab bear wants USA to bring peace to Middle East by 'doing something' about Iran.

American bear wants to bring peace to Middle East by 'doing something' about Israel.

They don't understand each other.

This is not surprising because they are both only about five years old and way out of their depth.

Moral of story: Peace in the Middle East isn't very likely for a while yet.

Er... that says it all, I think...

Robroy in LA

Yup! We Americans are so smart, with our Harvard PHDS and all, that the whole world is impressed with our stupidity. Hello, look who we elected. But, we have Hillary running all around in smart pantsuits saying that we are shrewed PHDs who just want apiece in all the Worlds' happenings. Goog Luck with that!

Augustus

"If you can't convince them, confuse them."
-Harry S Truman

Anth

The bears are cute enough, but the real no-brainer is that Israel has unilaterally torpedoed the peace talks. No amount of cuddly cartoon idiocy is going to prevent her enemies from using this gaffe to prove that Israel is incapable of good faith or compromise, and that there is no alternative to violence.

Adam B.

Anth, nonsense. For nearly 10 months Israel had a settlement freeze, and during that whole period the Palestinians under Abbas dragged their feet over sitting down to talk. Suddenly, when the freeze expired, they "want" to talk, but the problem is that there isn't a settlement freeze.

Yeah, right. And what are the Palestinians offering by way of compromise? Name one thing.

A.

Adam B.
December 12th, 2010 11:04pm
No doubt you know that during the "freeze" construction barely slowed down.

Adam B.

That's simply not true A.

And did Palestinian terrorism slow down? Obviously building a bathroom extension is worse than killing innocent people.

A.

Adam B.
December 14th, 2010 11:29pm
The evbidence is readily available from the Israeli media. You have simply failed, again, to follow the story. Likewise with casualties of Israeli action (settlers, police, and army) during the "freeze"

Adam B.

No A. Construction stopped.

Unlike Palestinian terrorism, which you haven't addressed. Indeed, the "talks" began with a flourish of murder of Israeli civilians by Palestinians, one a pregnant woman.

A.

Adam B.
December 16th, 2010 11:36pm
You really must do your research before making such statements.

Adam B.

A. I have. More than you apparently.

Personally, I find it absurd to equate construction with racially motivated murder. Pity you think construction is worse.

A.

Adam B.
December 17th, 2010 11:08am
Others have commented on this, but it is still astonishing that you think it constructive to twist what people say.

And the figures on construction in the occupied territories are in the public domain, even if not in the mainstream media and government press releases you so slavishly rely on.