Former Israeli defense chiefs draft new Mideast peace plan

1.The 'plan', a restatement of the Saudi plan is too sane and reasonable , therefore it will never be accepted and endorsed by this or any israeli government. 2.Notice that the US government did not jump up and down with joy. It will look close and study it, that is, let it wither.

Israel didnt even consider it then and they have only become more demographically driven since then, so I think this is just another ploy meant to do, I don't know what, but a ploy. Bulldozers are moving as we speak which is hardly a confidence building measure. Why doesnt the world understand that Israel has not changed in decades. Sharon back in the 70s was talking about semi-autonomous village leagues and that is what this government wants as well.

As we all hopefully remember, lsrael offered many plans each is more generous than its predecessor, but for no avail. l am waiting for an offer from these "experts" that will bring back the original arab demand of the '48 partition and may at some point toy with the idea of the final solution. Eyes that don't see and ears that don't hear.

Israel give up Judea & Samaria with some land transfers and giving the arabs a territorial corridor. Divide Jerusalem, give the Golan to Syria .. WHATS NEW HERE. I really think that it makes any difference if these guys were in Mossad and the military ... what is the difference between Mitzna and his palls saying lets do it this way or if its Barak or one of the other ex generals who support the basic oslo formula? This is not a new initiative its just the same plan being proposed by new faces.

The only thing new here is that Israel has, at long last, responded to the Arab initiative. More accurately, some Israelis have responded. The government that Netanyahu assembled is too divided to take a positive step toward lasting peace.

1) The problem is substance, not image. This so called "plan" is almost certainly just more empty fluff designed to trick people into thinking Israeli leaders want a peace agreement. Israel controls all of the land, it has the only military force, it runs the economy directly or indirectly for all parties. Israel knows what would be accepted by the Palestinians and what would not. The time for negotiations is long gone. Put a finished package on the table immediately, knowing that the Palestinians will accept it, and stop bullshitting. 2) The threat to Israel is far beyond "world image". Without a secure Palestinian state Israel ceases to exist shortly. Look at the countries around Israel. All the cosmetics in the world cannot protect Israel from the situation that is fast developing.

Thanks goodness for reasonable people in Israel, who are looking for the well-being of Israeli people and are promoting reasonable peace proposal as a starter.

Well, my mother and I went to hear former Kadima MK Ami Ayalon deliver an address last week which included some of these peace proposals and gave a reasonable perspective of the situation within the Middle East. It's a very difficult period at present but the status quo is not acceptable as the situation could become more chaotic. The peace initiative is worthy to partake for its benefits to both Israelis and Palestinians and would be a logical step towards negotiating the endgame of the regional conflict. The majorities on both sides seem to comprehend this necessity of resolving the dispute.

the p.a should not comment on the proposed draft of peace plan .unless the israeli government accepts it and commits it,s support for it by officially prosing it to the quartet and to the security council of the u.n.proposing it

as fanatics do not care so much about this. they will kill israelis when they have the opportunity and the others will kill any arab...so what will you do about those people. for some hartred is part of their education so it is not a simple task and all of you will have to deal with this as it is not a neglectable issue at all if you want this peace to really work.

Amram Mitzna is the one candidate for PM Israel shouldn't have squandered to become mayor of Yerucham. Mitzna coming with a peace plan deviced by the heads of both Mossad and Shin Beth, has a legitimacy and power no other segment of Israeli society can muster. I pray this will be adopted, if not by Netanyahu, by Mitzna himself as Prime Minnister of Israel, asap. The advice of the ex-general accompanied by the intelligence coomunity both internationally (Mossad) and in the Palestinian territories (Shin Beth) is one that simply can't be squandered either.

The Paletinians have waited over forty years for Israel to get serious and be willing to talk sincerely about peace. The Palestinians and the rest of the world are fed up. Time for action. Palestinians should declare a state and announce they are kicking their oppressors out of their land, just as the oppressed in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya have done.

We need Israelis like this to gradually lead the country away from decisionmaking based only on FEAR and "the world is against us", and to "If we come from a place of hope and not fear, and behave like menschs, the world will welcome us".

he is not going to be happy!!

Bibi wants to remain Prime Minister. They can afford to push peace. He cannot. Bibi's coalition will not survive any move which might be perceived as favoring peace. He was bounced out of office by the fanatical right once. He was returned to office by an even more fanatical Israeli right; and will not expose himself to destruction by being seen by them as pursuing peace.

The region is more unstable and unpredictable now than it has been in a long time with dictators falling and us not know who will replace them but these idiots want to start giving up land in such unpredictable times. Gaza is a giant rocket launch pad and Hamas are developing more and more sophisticated rockets to fire into Israel. ( Hamas at least are not serious about peace ) We gave away Gaza hoping it would become a model of what a palestinian state could eventually become on a larger scale but it became the capital of terror. Lebanon dabbled with democracy but that ended up being replaced by an Iranian satellite state run by Hizbollah. Assad clinging onto the presidency but we don't know who will replace him, what if its the Muslim Brotherhood or Hizbollah? There is a risk that he might decide to start a war as a last ditch attempt to survive. We don't know what Egypt will turn out like and what happens if the Jordanian monarchy is toppled and replaced by radical palestinians... Just think palestinians with the capability to fight a full scale war. Abbas himself is on his way out and we have no idea who will replace him. Until there is unity between Fatah & Hamas things will be even more unpredictable. All this land for peace is based on the assumption that the arabs will be committed to real peace and that their future leaders will continue to honor these treaties. Certainly for now we need the land for security because we can't say to the arabs we want you to return the land we need for security because you didn't honor the peace. The theoretical idealist world doesn't work the same way as the complicated and less peaceful real world.

I personally would agree with annexing the settlement blocs, and withdrawing from isolated communities in the West Bank, but two things stand out. Firstly; Israel must maintain military control of Jewish holy sites. Secondly, Jerusalem cannot be divided. Such a division would create a militarized city where people have to pass through checkpoints and roadblocks just to leave their neighborhoods. And even 51% of Jerusalem Arabs don't want to live in the PA.

In light of the enormous instability, and uncertainties for the future, in the countries around Israel as well as the internecine Hamas/Fatah/PA conflict these old failed politicians are putting it mildly - "naive.' The tragic murder of a well intentioned Juliano Mer-Khamis yesterday is illustrative of where this typical naivete ultimately leads.

This initiative could be a step forward.very experienced and prominent Israeli figures issued it. Would our current leadership act positively and reconsider its own attitudes towards peace. Despite all difficulties , I beleive a small light can be seen at the end of the tunnel.I wish many Israeli segments follow in their footsteps and eventually cause a dramatic change in Israeli life.

Why on earth should Israel then withdraw from the west bank so that the Arab entity can launch another war? get back to Jordan where you belong.

The most important thing about being an independent state is having complete control over the state. Any peace plan offered by Israel would give Israel significant control over what the Palestinians could and could not do. In effect, it would not be an independent Palestinian state, but a rehash of what already exists. If the Palestinians are not independent of Israeli control, they have nothing.

Egypt is proving, and Gaza has already proved, that the "land for peace" concept is an illusion the world hopes the Israelis will fall for. With the strife and anarchy in Syria, and their close ties to the jihadi Iranians, giving up the Golan is a suicide move. Time for the retirees to stay shut and not try to make themselves relevant in a world they no longer comprehend.

just do it. Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire world knows that occupation cannot continue, that israel must define its boarders, and UN resolutions must be implemented. the U.S. nudge (to both parties) is the only way to achieve it. Stop the occupation; Stop the Settlements; Free Palestine!

or the fanatic religious parties? Or the diehard colonists who will have to give up their squats?

We received that from Egypt when we gave back the Sinai. Now, every candidate for Egyptian leadership is discussing how they will engage in a war against the "Zionists," again returning to the days when the Egyptians refused to refer to us by our statehood of Israel. ANY plan based on the Saudi initiative is understood to be a Carter/Saud plan with our suicide the goal. There is a reason they lost the election in 2002. And a good reason why Labor has become a failed party.

American democracy today is based on the democracy that was set up by the founding fathers in 1776. None of those founding fathers would recognize or approve of what happened to their creation. If Israel was to offer a plan that was very close to the 2002 "Saudi plan" they maigh have something. Personally, I don't think that the Saudis would recognize their plan inside of Israel's presentation. I would love to be mistaken.

What's the point of all this when Palestinians refuse to negotiate peace agreement anyway?

And like similar occurances in the US and Europe, once retired, these guys are freed to express themselves. What's truly unique here, is that THIS time it's coming from within Israel! Kudos to these men for their pragmatism and the courage to express it!

Should we give up Tel Aviv next? I dont understand what incentive Israel has to give up any more land. There is no possible peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And Israel should just stop trying to negate itself. In a span of 60 years Israel has become a top industrialized country and created one of the best military in the world. Stop weakening yourself and stand strong. Enough of listening to the lies for peace. Hammas and Iran back these so called Palestinian diplomats. Enough is enough.

This is the first baby step towards rebranding Israel as the Peace Leader in the Middle East! Nothing but good can flow from Israel following through on becoming the Peace Leader in the region!