It`s amazing that so many people still regard the settlements as such a major issue. Israel offered the Palestinians a state in 2000 and got the second intifadah. Israel withdrew its army and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and got Hamas and its rocket barrage instead. And let`s not forget how Israel got the West Bank, Gaza Strip (and Golan Heights) in the first place: During the 6-day war in 1967, when Israel fought yet another war for its existence, before there was a Palestinian issue and before any occupation.
The fundamental cause for this conflict is that Muslims don`t like seeing any part of what they regard as Islamic territory being controlled by non-Muslims. This is why Christians are being persecuted all over the Middle East, and this is why many of them still want to drive the Jews into the sea. If anything, the settlements are a good thing, because they make it harder for them to accomplish this goal, which is why the Palestinians (and Arabs) hate them. |
|
