Palestinians: National priority map is blueprint for settlement expansion

You know as much about US aid programs as you do about other topics you comment on: nothing! Your statement that US aid to Israel and other countries is confined to the purchase of arms is absolutely false. You either know better and are lying, or you made it up to be anti-American enough to prove your disloyalty if you are an American, if not, an enemy. Of the over $3 trillion the US has given Israel since 1949, approx $60% has gone to military purposes. Israel is to buy 75% of its weapons in the US, but no one monitors that. Israel may also use the aid to buy military systems from other countries, and to develop its own weapons. US gives aid to Jordan and Egypt, and no other Arab nation. In Egypt, aid has been used for water and waste water systems, low interest micro-loans, and agricultural development. Approx 60% for military purposes. In jordan aid focus has been on water resources, economic growth, health care and youth.. Approx 40% goes for military purposes.

As usual, you have no idea what you are talking about, but you are willing to lie about it to make a Zionist propaganda point. In August 1993, in a mutual exchange of letters, PM Rabin insisted on changes to the Palestinian Charter. In response, Arafat wrote that the PLO recognized the State of Israel. It also declared it recognized UN resolutions 242 and 338, and that the PLO commits to the ME peace process and to peaceful resolution of conflict thru negotiations. It said the PLO renounces terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility to prevent violations and discipline violators. Arafat wrote, "those articles of the Palestinian covenant which are inconsistent with commitments of this letter are now inoperative and no longer valid." 9 Sept. 1993. The charter was changed to read "A.The Palestinian National Charter is hereby amended by canceling the articles that are contrary to the letters exchanged between the PLO and the Government of Israel, 9-10 Sept. 1993."

This is more efficient collectively than individually. SDHD, you have to learn only two words about Palestinians from the 1st century: Jebusites and Palestinians. Palestine is where the Palestinians originated and where they belong, and they predate Jews and Romans in Palestine. When Israelite tribes crossed into Canaan, Canaan, also known at the time as Palestine, was occupied by (among others) semite tribes, Amorites, Hittites and Jebusites. The words Jews and Arabs weren't known yet.The Jebusites had built Jerusalem and inhabited it for 100 years after the Israelites arrived in Canaan. The New York University School of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences have discovered that Middle East Jewish men have common genetic signature with Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese men, and not with any other non-Jews in the world. In the academic world, many noted historians and scholars claim to have determined that the Jebusites are the forebears of the Palestinians.

You quote article 49 accurately. There was no preamble that mentioned Nazi Germany as the intention of the Convention. But protocol 1 of article 85 declares the transfer of occupier's civilian population to occupied territory is a grave breach of article 49. The UN ICJ ruled that providing infrastructure, land, schools, synagogues, water, electricity, roads, etc .,etc., constitutes transfer of civilian population to occupied territory. The following resolutions and court decisions state Israeli settlements on occupied territory are violation of international law. UN resolutions 446,452,465 and 476 declare settlements illegal.The International Court of Justice ruled settlements in violation of international law and to be illegal. So did Amnesty International, the Human Rights Watch, and the European Union. The Conference of the Convention of the High Contracting Parties of the Geneva Convention declared in 2001 the Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal.

The Missionary Thomson was an objective observer who spent 45 years in the Holy Land and travelled extensively in a systematic region by region manner documenting his observations in a 592 page book published in 1882. There is no other eye-witness account as detailed that I am aware of. His findings are consistent with other objective observers such as the U.S. Naval commander William Lynch whose 19th century "Expedition to the River Jordan" contains the header: "Unrelieved Desolation". When you begin to read original sources you may one day learn the difference between the truth and propaganda. Otherwise you merely show your "Hand and Foot" of bankrupt ideas.

abbass and obama are dumb for believing isreal wants to states

to insure the involvement of international community in the establishment of a palestinian state as defined by the 1967 borders... and is almost sure to end up losing the carte blanche protection once guaranteed by the u.s. veto power in the unsc. in other words, it's begun to push the limits of world restraint long provided by memories of the holocaust and its atrocities.... not that the memory has faded, nor has the world's resolve to prevent it from ever happening again; but the business of invoking its memory to silence world conscience over israel's activities against the palestinians, and attempt to shame those who refuse, is rapidly becoming defunct. the growing tendency in the world today, of recognizing and voicing the injustice and oppression carried out by israel against the palestinians, is of course perceived and denounced as "anti-semitism" by israel and its defenders, but is actually an enlightened response to the realities of israel's agenda, which have long been hidden by it's almost complete control of the information made available to the outside world! every move like this, by the israeli government, only highlights the need for more direct international involvement.

All of the land of Israel west of the Jordan must be made a national priority and not pick and choose what and where. Meanwhile the PLO demonstrates it wants ALL of Israel to be Judenrein as they consider ALL of Israel to be Palestine.

..travel book from the 18th cent. so he didn't see anyone therefore the country was empty and ok to colonise? LOL like Ashdod was 'only' a fishing village and other great propaganda, if you believe it then it makes it easier to steal the land eh Steve? And now quoting romans from 2000 years ago? why not start history at when the Jews invaded and conquered the land that was Cannan? by the way you should have taken a 'jewish' name like Zev Davis and all the other American uber-zionists did.

Go to the website for the final statement on the decisions of the sixth Fatah convention: http://www.e-fateh.org/paper_full_3.aspx Put the link into the Google Arabc-English translator and read the results. Nowhere does Fatah state that it's goal is a two-state solution. In fact, their true goal is very, very clear in black and white, but in Arabic since most of the world is simply too lazy to translate the original. Here it is: "Article (12) - total liberation of Palestine and the liquidation of the Zionist state economically and politically, militarily and culturally." That is the goal of Fatah. That is the real reason they refuse to go back to the negotiating table. You are all suckers for believing their propaganda.

"and the people called "palestinian" today have remained on their land ever since that big battle was fought against the romans..." What a bunch of garbage. Name a "Palestinian" from each of the centuries starting from the first century. If, as you claim, there is an unbroken line of such people, you should be able to come up with 20 names. But, you won't, because you can't. There were very few people living there in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Why don't you look at some photos from the early 19th century and see how sparse the land really was.

cannot they accept?? they accepted these terms at oslo and the longer they dally there will be less on the table !

READ MARK TWAINS TRAVELS IN THE HOLY LAND AND MANY OTHER 19TH CENTURY AUTHORS !

No doubt about it. Israel is intent on destroying Palestine and the Palestinian people. With USA support, the Palestinains will be a second class people dominated by zealot settlers. Every action by Israel in expanding settlements proves further to the world that Israel does not want a just peace. Israel wants land and resources at whatever cost to the Palestinians or to historic Jewish values.

When the Missionary Thomson criss-crossed the Holy Land from Dan to Beer-Sheva in 1880-1882? Check out his book "The Land and the Book; Southern Palestine and Jerusalem" on line (for free) for a region by region eye-witness description of what he saw.

SDHD: "Except, it was illegal for Jordan to capture the territories and kick out every single Jew." Just out of curiousity, SDHD, but how many Jews were placed in the "Arab state" (i.e. were going to end up on the "wrong" side) under the Partition Plan? SDHD: "It was NOT illegal for them to reclaim their territories after Jordan attacked Israel again and lost control over the territories." Just out of curiousity, but how many of the current crop of "settlers" can point to a family tree showing someone who was kicked out of this territory 1948-1949? SDHD: "Further, it was NOT illegal for those who reclaimed their properties to sell and develop them." Just out of curiosity, but why does that mean that the territory *must* *be* ceded to the state of Israel? After all, what stops them becoming "Jewish-owned property" sitting atop "Palestinian sovereign territory"?

to insure the involvement of international community in the establishment of a palestinian state as defined by the 1967 borders... and is almost sure to end up losing the carte blanche protection once guaranteed by the u.s. veto power in the unsc. in other words, it's begun to push the limits of world restraint long provided by memories of the holocaust and its atrocities.... not that the memory has faded, nor has the world's resolve to prevent it from ever happening again; but the business of invoking its memory to silence world conscience over israel's activities against the palestinians, and attempt to shame those who refuse, is rapidly becoming defunct. the growing tendency in the world today, of recognizing and voicing the injustice and oppression carried out by israel against the palestinians, is of course perceived and denounced as "anti-semitism" by israel and its defenders, but is actually an enlightened response to the realities of israel's agenda, which have long been hidden by it's almost complete control of the information made available to the outside world; and more importantly, its complete refusal to end it! every move like this, by the israeli government, only highlights the need for more direct international involvement.

and the people called "palestinian" today have remained on their land ever since that big battle was fought against the romans... they've survived the roman occupation, the arab-islamic, the ottoman, the british, and the zionist... yet they REMAIN, steve... and so they will.

will just be piss in the wind when israel is forced to withdraw from palestinian territory... so keep right on pissing...the more it's developed, the better for them.

J: "They forfeited their rights to self-determination when they rejected their own land and instead listened to the leaders of the Arabs to flee their homes and make room for arab armies to push jews into the sea." Someone runs up and down my street yelling "Fire! Fire!". I immediately grab my family and run out of the house to safety. I do not expect that a bunch of foolishly dressed, scraggly-bearded religious nutters can then take it upon themselves to move into my house, claim it for themselves, and refuse to allow me to return. You obviously think it does. I'm curious, then, Jon: am I to assume that all those Israelis who fled south during the 2nd Lebanon War to get out of range of the Katyusha's all "returned" to find that kippah-clad extremists had taken over their premises? And if not, then why not?

"If the "law" defines the return and settlement of Jews on the west bank as "illegal" " It doesn't. It's about Israeli citizens in NON Sovereign territory. "than the same "law" should define "right of return" of Palestinians also illegal" Different laws entirely. "Let not forget that this "international law" claims that all Jewish settlers are "illegal"" ISRAELI. You're conflating Jews with Israeli citizens in NON Sovereign territory

a: "However Article 49 was intended to outlaw the Nazi practice of forcibly transporting populations into or out of occupied territories to labor or death camps. Israelis were not forcibly transferred to the West Bank, nor were Palestinian Arabs forced out of it." arik is claiming that when Article 49 talks about "transfer" it really meant to say "forcible transfer". That can not be true: "Individual or mass FORCIBLE TRANSFERS, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive." "The Occupying Power shall not deport or TRANSFER parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." There can be no mistake: Art 49 DOES care wether force is used in the former, but DOESN'T give a shit about wether force is used in the latter i.e. the transfer of your own popln is UNCONDITIONALLY prohibited.

".. think of this problem from a point of REALITY" The reality is, Israel is acting illegally and has done so for 61 years. If we want to worry about legalities then why is Israel not being told to withdraw to the 1947 proposed border under resolution 181 not the 1949 border which left Israel with 78% & the arabs nothing." A) What 1949 'border'? B) Israel has gotten away with it by virtue of the US veto vote in the UNSC preventing any action being taken. It has ONLY prevented action being taken. The law still stands, Israel is still in breech

They are based on the Laws of War which were written BEFORE Hitler. The Laws of War say this: Laws of War Art. 55. ?The occupying State shall be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings, real estate, forests, and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile State, and situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance with the rules of usufruct.

"There were no settlements in 1948." Did I say there were. Try reading 101. "It is illegal to send terrorists into civilian populations" Indeed and the occupiers civilians into occupied territories. "They forfeited their rights to self-determination when they rejected their own land and instead listened to the leaders of the Arabs to flee their homes and make room for arab armies to push jews into the sea." Show me in law that they forfeited because of something someone they DIDN'T elect said. "It was actually the arabs themselves who uprooted the Palestinians, and keep them in camps until this day." Uh huh.. http://tinyurl.com/y8ewves/myths-mis-conceptions-propaganda/#Arab-states-refugees

http://tinyurl.com/y8ewves/myths-mis-conceptions-propaganda/#Jordans-occupation-of-the-WestBank-was-illegal Read the armistice AGREEMENT!! "it was illegal for Jordan to capture the territories.." No it wasn't. Parties may capture territory. " and kick out every single Jew" Indeed. quite illegal... "It was NOT illegal for them to reclaim their territories after Jordan attacked Israel again and lost control over the territories." Er no. It was not agreed that Israel claim the West Bank/Jerusalem as it's own. Only occupy. "You`re talking nonsense and making up laws to suit your purposes" Care to show how I 'make up' laws. C'mon. Don't just mouth empty accusations.

"Our Bedawin guides were careful to keep the animals in what was once a path, before it was hidden by daisies, which were actually higher than the backs of our horses." Rather fertile then. " They said the whole region was full of old wells, pits, and broken vaults; and even they themselves would not venture to penetrate the jungle .." Jungle? Rather fertile then. " The marsh was crowded with buffaloes, cropping the coarse grass, and storks wading about in search of frogs and other prey" Rather fertile , no? " In all that ride of five hours we did not pass a single village." It tells us that in five hours, they didn't leave the beaten track in order to see if there were villages off the beaten track.

to insure the involvement of international community in the establishment of a palestinian state as defined by the 1967 borders... and is almost sure to end up losing the carte blanche protection once guaranteed by the u.s. veto power in the unsc. in other words, it's begun to push the limits of world restraint long provided by memories of the holocaust and its atrocities.... not that the memory has faded, nor has the world's resolve to prevent it from ever happening again; but the business of invoking its memory to silence world conscience over israel's activities against the palestinians, and attempt to shame those who refuse, is rapidly becoming defunct. the growing tendency in the world today, of recognizing and voicing the injustice and oppression carried out by israel against the palestinians, is of course perceived and denounced as "anti-semitism" by israel and its defenders, but is actually an enlightened response to the realities of israel's agenda, which have long been hidden by it's almost complete control of the information made available to the outside world; and more importantly, its complete refusal to end it! every move like this, by the israeli government, only highlights the need for more direct international involvement.

"How could a land as small as Palestine, and with so much waste territory support the vast population assigned to it in the Bible?" Indeed (the population assigned to it in the Bible ) Yet it supported the population that was there for at least 3,000 years. What did they eat? Sand?

Those who destroyed the 'old borders' by the many wars they waged against Israel with vengeance ! Now, they are asking for the old borders back ! And without any guarantee! For 20 years the 'old borders' were respected and peace between neighbors was almost real. 1967 was what the Arab-Palestinians really wanted ! Their fully equipped arsenal; of their five nations, all together marched like the angel of death on Israel ! They were defeated but they didn't learn their lesson ! Now, they want to re-establish the old border 'all the west bank' to the 1967 border; and forget the new reality themselves created ! Isn't that have the Cake & Eat it ! It never happen like that in history !

"The great majority of Jews don`t accept the Palestinian demands." Irrelevant to the the fact that the rights of the Palestinians are quite reasonable and no different from anyone else's rights. "Repeating them over and over haven`t made them more acceptable." Like you do with your fallacies? http://wp.me/PDB7k-Y At least the rights of the Palestinians have some basis in fact.

The gov't has transfered millions of $ to the pa knowing full well that the $ was to be used to fund terrorists and kill Israelis. Hypocrites Rabin started using the term settlers to divide Israelis remember in the eyes of most of the world we are all dirty Jews. If anyone doubts this just look at Sweden Norway the EU don't even bother with the UN.

is an alternative.

"Negotiate with your enemies only until you're strong enough to destroy them." This is a fundamental belief of Islam. The situation in the ME is not unlike the Civil War in the United States where the South believed in their hearts and with the very marrow of their being that slavery was a just system and were willing to die by the hundreds of thousands for that belief. There will be no "real" peace in the ME until the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews. We are nowhere near that place. Only a heart ruled by darkness and hate would believe that the obstacle to peace in the ME is because Israel won't (insert what Israel must do here). The obstacle to peace in the ME is hate.

and the people called "palestinian" today have remained on their land ever since that big battle was fought against the romans... they've survived the roman occupation, the arab-islamic, the ottoman, the british, and the zionist... yet they REMAIN, steve... and so they will.

will just be piss in the wind when israel is forced to withdraw from palestinian territory... so keep right on pissing...the more it's developed, the better for them.

?Eriha, modern Jericho?is without exception, the most squalid cluster of human habitations I have yet seen?.the wretched hovels, and the vulgar reality is deplorable to the last degree. The people, also, appear more squalid and demoralized?results which may have been produced by the influx of strangers, especially of the more abandoned classes.? P. 386-387. It was to Gilgal that the thousands of Israel, worshippers of Jehovah, gathered several times every year to keep the great feasts of the Lord?. No place could be better adapted for the purpose than this, with its warm climate, its abundant supply of water, and its sandy surface upon which to encamp. But now it is utterly forsaken and abandoned. The Hebrew nation has been scattered to the ends of the earth, and the visitors to Jericho and Gilgal come hither from distant and little-known regions and countries to meditate, to wonder, and to deplore. P. 389.

zf: "Now the future of the settlements can only be decided through a final settlement with the palestinians." Why? After all, you are quite insistent that "facts on the ground" determines the fate of these settlements. If that is the case then why, exactly, do you want (or even need) any agreement with the Palestinians? zf: "STOP LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE AS MORAL ONE LOOK AT IT AS THE REALITY ON THE GROUND" Then why insist that the Palestinians have to agree to anything, zf? Just build, and as you build you can proclaim: "It's Israeli territory now!" And when someone asks *why* then you can give them a pitying look and explain: "because Israel has already built on it!". What, exactly, is stopping Netanyahu from doing exactly that, zf?

in the 1970's ever thought they were sowing the seeds of their own downfall? They probably thought that they could rest assured that Nato would never stop backing them, that no one but a fringe element would ever back a violent, terrorist group against a civilised democracy that occupied a strategic position. And, when the first rumblings of the oncoming freight train were heard, they probably dismissed the protesters as just exiled Blacks. Will historians be pointing to moves like this as the write about the end of the Zionist regime?

It is past time for all Americans to wake up and see where their tax dollars are going. Time to disband AIPAC and all other Israeli efforts to run the US government. And it is critical that all Americans lobby our government to get all of the money back that was used to fund any illegal settlement and/or occupation efforts. This farce has gone on way too long.

zf: "The reality is the settlements are there and just because a bunch of foreign governments or the UN say they are illegal." And there were MILLIONS of french in Algiers, zf, and they had been colonizing it way, way, way longer than 42 years. Yet they all had to go, because their time was up. Sorry, but the same thing can easily happen to these colonists, and if they do then "facts on the ground" count for NOTHING. zf: "If we want to worry about legalities then why is Israel not being told to withdraw to the 1947 proposed border under resolution 181 not the 1949 border which left Israel with 78% & the arabs nothing." Because the PALESTINIANS have indicated they will settle for that, zf. zf: "Its to late for anybody to propose that now. " Because the PALESTINIANS have indicated they will settle for that, zf. You really have no idea what's going on, do you?

not disputed. The highest court in Israel disagrees with you. Read the ruling from case #2056/04 in which they ruled the West Bank to be held under Belligerent Occupation. Who are we to argue with them. You do respect the laws of the land--don,t you Arik. Or are you a cherry picker. I have provided you with this evidence on numerous occasions--but you choose to deny it,s existance---. Why is that Arik---why do you refuse to accept rulings of the highest court in Israel--do you have a hidden agenda --Arik---are you not interested in peace Arik---people who seek peace need to start by accepting the truth Arik---why are you having so much trouble with the truth.

from the 82,000 illegal settlers in two of the west banks illegal settlements. They state clearly they were forced to go there--by the Israeli government---why are you so pigheaded--is it the fog. Here is the article from the J POST. "We should be left out of this construction freeze," Rubinstein said, adding that former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin encouraged the establishment of Beitar Illit, as did subsequent Israeli governments on the Right and Left. "They pushed us to come here. They gave us no other choice. We didn't necessarily want to settle in a place beyond the Green Line. But we had no other options inside the Green Line. RELATED Rubinstein said that his family and others who made up the core group of Beitar Illit residents came to the Holy Land long before there was a state, and lived for generations in Jerusalem. "We're true Zionists. We came because of our religious faith; we're not ideologically motivated," he said. Beitar Illit and Modi'in Illit, both located just beyond the Green Line, are the nation's two largest haredi-only towns. Both towns also have the highest fertility rates in Israel and some of the highest in the world.

Citizens of Israel---Arab or Jew. The law does not mention Jews---it states clearly that Israel is not allowed to transfer it,s citizens to the territory it occupies. You are aware that Israel is not populated only by Jews---don,t you Gene. End the occupation of Palestine and Israelis can apply for Palestinian citizenship---just like anyone else. As for returning Jews--there are no where near 500,000 of them. Stop confusing Jews with Israelis. They are not the same.

If Palestinians try to terrorize Jews to change the status quo then Jews will wack them again. The cycle will just repeat itself. The situation is simply a stalemate. As all the leftists and Arabs can see, the US wants a negotiated settlement and won't and can't impose one.

"FORGET MORALS & LEGALITIES ..." That's what Zionism is all about.

you will not last a week.....and we are sick and tired of you

Cut the crap, Arik - there are no 'disputed areas'. They are occupied! Julius Stone et al are a tiny minority. The International Court of Justice heads the majority, followed by every member of the UN - except Israel. Israel encouraged and still encourages all those settlers. Who supplies the roads, the electricity, the water, and so on? Whose army protects them in their land thefts? No, Arik, Israel is contravening Art. 49 in a big and very nasty way. It's a war crime.

Bibi: "This map is intended to close rifts and this time, also to bring in our security concerns." Translation: Since we are using our own civilians as human shields by deliberately "settling" them in harms way, well, the least we can do is to make sure they are as comfortable as possible...... Really, is there any limit to Netanyahu's capability for double-speak?

But there was no UN or security counsil 4000 years ago ,International law doesn't care what is written on Bible or Quran etc , And why do you consider today Jews as the only descendants of the people that lived in the old Jewish Kingdom . And Where on history that the first Jewish family came from a place that no one lived on it but them .What is the historic proof other than Bible that tell you this area should be only Jewish. Another honest question is where have you been in the last 2000 years , see what are Palestinians doing after only 60 years of occupation ,it is hard to believe you lived a forced diaspora for all this time ,And it is wrong to believe that Palestinians have no right to live in the lands where their ancsestors lived any way,What are you clearly missing is that no one is telling the Jews not to live in West Bank ,they are saying that Settlements don't have the right to settle on Settlements that are built to be part of the Jewish state. Sorry for bad English

1) More money is being spent on tactical settlement building to give Israel more cards to play in negotiations. Israel RIGHTLY wants to get as much as it can out of any final settlement same as the arabs RIGHTLY want to get as much as they can out of it. There is no morality in politics 2) Of course Bibi has to call it a tempoary he is finding it hard enough right now standing up to settlers this is political talk 3) Yes Israel won't let them have control over borders or airspace has something to do with a little thing called security. Israel doesnt want a 9/11, terrorists coming over the border with explosive belts or weapons smuggling. Assuming we sign a treaty we won't be having group hugs for years if not decades there will still be opponents & terror. 4) The government says lots of things what happens when the deals are done is all that matters 5) This state will not be allowed a military so what? 6) Any arab entity will evolve into a real state as trust builds & terror ends

otherwise he might be dangerous

in fact in 2047 there will be more INFLATION of Arabs around. Within a Binational State, one man one vote, there will NOT be a Jewish State.

now that we've decided to spread more money on the Illegal SETTLEMENTS in the WEST BANK, can we please have some more BILLIONS from your country, faithfull yours , Hermano Bibi. Gracias

My post was not about my opinion. It was about an "international law". If the "law" defines the return and settlement of Jews on the west bank as "illegal" than the same "law" should define "right of return" of Palestinians also illegal, e. i. it makes Palestinian demand to be allowed to settle in Israel as an "illegal" demand. (Let not forget that this "international law" claims that all Jewish settlers are "illegal", it does not separate Jews on those who lived on the west Bank prior to 1948 and on those who did not) And although Israeli policies coincide with this "international law" in regard to Palestinian refugees never the less they don't promote war crimes as "international law" does since Palestinian refugees did not not become refugees due to the "ethnic cleansing". ( "ethnic cleansing" means that no Arabs would be remaining in Israel as it happened to the Jews on the west Bank and in East Jerusalem in 1948)

"So you support the rights of the Palestinian refugees to return to their villages and towns? In fact, the Fourth Geneva Convention does insist that refugees should be allowed to return to their homes. Israel is committing a war crime by refusing this." If you are such a big proponent of the 4th Geneva Conventions as YOU cite them, you should have no problem with Jews reclaiming lands they were ethnically cleansed from by Jordan, but you do anyway. One thing you may not have noticed is that the area was torn by a civil war and the civil war isn't over yet. Israel isn't obligated to allow people who will attack its citizens into the country, clown. "As far as the Jews are concerned, those who have colonised the West Bank since 1967 are not the ones who left in 1948. " But the ones who left in 1948 are allowed to reclaim their properties, sell them, develop them, and build communities upon them, aren't they? Do you think time stands still because you want a do-over?

us aid to israel and other countries is confined to the purchase of us arms and constitutes a subsidy to the manufacturers so thatthe business does not go elsewhere !

no matter how many times i have challenged this bog dweller to set out this parrotted phrase in valid treaty and legal terms he has always declined ! in any event labarse it doesnt exist its a myth like the crock at the end of the rainbow !

... is a fool and an anti-Semite to think that a) there's some sort of deception (oh yeah, the jews are of course good at that) at play and b) to think that the Jewish refugees were Zionism's fault. The Arabs kicked them out! Don't fabricate your own history. Whether or not this was in response to Zionism doesn't mean the said Arabs aren't culpable.

are real dim. Sure, Israel "doesn't want peace". Israel doesn't want peace as much as it wants peace. It doesn't have a decided-upon agenda! With a government that runs the gamut from wanting to create a "Greater Israel" to wanting to dismantle the state completely, how could you think "Israel" truly wants anything? There are no conspiracies! It's just whoever's running the show now. Just remember, this same Israel who "doesn't want peace" is the one who worked together with Palestinians in 1993 without any of the help of you idiots in Belfast or Copenhagen or elsewhere in Europe. They did it themselves, yet you think you have such a good grasp of the situation from your positions across the Mediterranean. Please stop trolling the site of this fine publication.

Forget LEGALITY and think of this problem from a point of REALITY. The reality is the settlements are there and just because a bunch of foreign governments or the UN say they are illegal. If we want to worry about legalities then why is Israel not being told to withdraw to the 1947 proposed border under resolution 181 not the 1949 border which left Israel with 78% & the arabs nothing. Its to late for anybody to propose that now. Its also a FACT that no Israeli government on the right or left has the muscle to end the settlement program because of the coalition system and any government that tried would be brought down. Already there are calls to bring down Bibi over this freeze which is a first. Now the future of the settlements can only be decided through a final settlement with the palestinians. If thats agreed on all side have to accept the reality of some are going to stay & others will go. STOP LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE AS MORAL ONE LOOK AT IT AS THE REALITY ON THE GROUND

The 4th Geneva Convention, Article 49 states that an occupying power "shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." However Article 49 was intended to outlaw the Nazi practice of forcibly transporting populations into or out of occupied territories to labor or death camps. Israelis were not forcibly transferred to the West Bank, nor were Palestinian Arabs forced out of it. Jurists like Julius Stone, Eugene Rostow, Stephen Schwebel and others have suppprted this vies which was reaffrimed aslo by president Reagan.Settlements are not non legal. WE might say, and I agree with the idea that settlements in DISPUTED AREAS obstruct the ODDS for peace. That is another story

The Palestinians should have thought about it too, in 1948. As for settlements, check out a history book of when they were started, you sound ignorant. There were no settlements in 1948. It is illegal to send terrorists into civilian populations. They forfeited their rights to self-determination when they rejected their own land and instead listened to the leaders of the Arabs to flee their homes and make room for arab armies to push jews into the sea. It was actually the arabs themselves who uprooted the Palestinians, and keep them in camps until this day. You want to see how Palestinians voice their intentions? See guidelines of PLO and Hamas.

What was Oslo, Camp David, Taba for? To determine what kind of Palestinian state will be established. Where the borders will be and the relations with the state of Israel All Otherwise what was the peace process for? Not in vein the peace process was based in the 242, which originally has nothing to be with the palestinians but became the basis of the territorial dispute with the PA. The palestinians will have a state or not depending in the result of negotiations. Namely this status quo may last another 100 years. In the meantime the palestinian right to self determination is meaningless.

"Security burden? It is illegal for Israeli civilians to be in occupied territories, let alone be used for security." Except, it was illegal for Jordan to capture the territories and kick out every single Jew. It was NOT illegal for them to reclaim their territories after Jordan attacked Israel again and lost control over the territories. Further, it was NOT illegal for those who reclaimed their properties to sell and develop them. You're talking nonsense and making up laws to suit your purposes.

"If "international law" does not allow people to return to the places from which they were forcibly expelled then this law supports "ethnic cleansing" since it rewards the culprit who committed a war crime." So you support the rights of the Palestinian refugees to return to their villages and towns? In fact, the Fourth Geneva Convention does insist that refugees should be allowed to return to their homes. Israel is committing a war crime by refusing this. As far as the Jews are concerned, those who have colonised the West Bank since 1967 are not the ones who left in 1948. Americans, Russians, Poles, Ethiopians ... these settlers have no moral or legal right to steal Palestinians' land.

isreal has no intentions of peace and no intentions of a two state resultion

Gene, I don't think you will find many Palestinian anywhere, if any at all, that will disagree that all should go back to where their families were in, say 1946.

Settlement building has been accelerated over the last year. More money is being given to the Settlers. The government has repeatedly stated the 'freeze' is actually just a temporary chill. The government authorized further building moments after announcing the 'freeze'. The government has stated that it will accept no Palestinian 'state' which has control over it's own boarders, coasts and airspace. The government has stated that Settlements will remain deep in the 'state' and will be connected to Israel by roads within sovereign territory. The government has stated that the 'state' will not be allowed the capability to defend itself. There is nothing in this that indicates the government of Israel has any intention of allowing an independent Palestinian state. Rather the 'occupation' will transformed in name only into 'statehood.' Bibi is playing games. He knows that the Palestinians cannot accept his terms.

?Our Bedawin guides were careful to keep the animals in what was once a path, before it was hidden by daisies, which were actually higher than the backs of our horses. They said the whole region was full of old wells, pits, and broken vaults; and even they themselves would not venture to penetrate the jungle for fear of falling into them? The marsh was crowded with buffaloes, cropping the coarse grass, and storks wading about in search of frogs and other prey. In three and a half hours we crossed the great highway from the north to Ludd, Ramleh, Gaza, and Egypt. The plain of Sharon is here not more than five miles wide from east to west; but as we rode over the hill near Bakah the view southwards was boundless. In all that ride of five hours we did not pass a single village.? P. 79-80.

William Thomson, a missionary for 45 years in Syria and Palestine, wrote a comprehensive 592 page book "The Land and the Book: Southern Palestine and Jerusalem" published in 1882. (You can read it for free on line) His meticulous region-by-region description of unpopulated landscapes includes the following: "How melancholy is this utter desolation! Not a house, not a trace of inhabitants, not even shepherds, to relieve the dull monotony. Was it thus when Peter came from Joppa to Caesarea?" Thomson continues, "Much of the country through which we have been rambling for a week appears never to have been inhabited, or even cultivated; and there are other parts, you say, still more barren. How could a land as small as Palestine, and with so much waste territory support the vast population assigned to it in the Bible?"

You are right Israel is a western state done by Western people it is related to European pre WW2 standards and way of thinking and not even 1% of Eastern Arabic way that it is even hard to explain to Westerns and European Jews why and how the society pre Israel in this area was better especially for Jews , And Arabic Jews ( please Arabic is not an ethnicity it is a cultural term) were the second victim of Zionism after Palestinians cause they were forced to live a western society while clearly they are not westerns. For example One difference is that Saying what you really believe in ( whatever it is ) and doing what you have you said you believed in is more appreciated within our culture than deceiving people , I really dont know why European Jews thought and still think it is smart to deceive people , it may be smart if you are a slave cause you dont have other choices but if you are a free man/woman you will not lie and lie and lie . Why don't you just say we don't want peace .

Netanyahu is only interested in seeing his name on the door of the Prime Minister's Office. Won't be there much longer, even his brother has joined calls for his resignation. And with these latest machinations over the settlements on the West Bank a breakdown of relation with the White House will do for him like it id Yitzhak Shamir

them disappear. Their rights are enshrined in International law---why would they or their supporters abandon their rights. That would be so convenient for the Zionist side---would it not.

We will continue to occupy Palestinian lands because we call it Judah and Samaria but we want people to think we want peace cause those goyims call it Palestine .

If so called "international law" defines Jewish presence on the west bank as "illegal" then this "international law" promotes war crimes and crimes against humanity. Jews were expelled from the west bank by Jordanians and Palestinians in 1948 in what is defined today as "ethnic cleansing" and 'crime against humanity". If "international law" does not allow people to return to the places from which they were forcibly expelled then this law supports "ethnic cleansing" since it rewards the culprit who committed a war crime.

The great majority of Jews don't accept the Palestinian demands. Repeating them over and over haven't made them more acceptable. That's reality.That's the real world. So, if Palestinians keep repeating them they will get the same result.

Every American citizen, even those with Israel or dual citizenship, should write their congressperson to reduce the American Aid to Israel by the amount of aid provided to the settlements in the West Bank. We must put pressure on these fanatics who are ruining our beloved Israel.

tens of thousands of Palestinians by 1949. It's easy, just threaten to kill them. Then raze their homes.

are legal? 4 years after deportation from gaza 9000 have not been porperly resettled" Slack Israeli Goverment. " at that rate 450,000 would take 200 years !" Should have thought of that in 1949. ".. all settlements are legal and will remain so until the end of time !" Which end?

Why continue to give people who will eventually be living in another country (Palestine) Israeli taxpayer money? This is totally ridiculous! The sooner Israel decides to drawer the border and unilaterally pull out of 95% of the West Bank, the better off this country will be. The Palestinians will finally be forced to declare their state and begin to function like adults instead of children. If they act up, then like the "children" of Gaza, we will spank them until they cease.

"The Palestinians can speed things up with an acceptable plan but they wait forever for Israel to capitulate to their unacceptable demands." All they want is their rights. Their right to self determination. RoR. There is NOTHING un-acceptable in their demands. They're the same rights afforded the East Timorese. The same rights that should be afforded everyone. Israel's intention was voiced on 31st Aug 1949. http://wp.me/pDB7k-ki#all-the-palestinians-territory

Israel has perfectly organized the land theft and the displacement of the indigeneous population. Referring to the Bible as the only valid document of land property, then invading the land by hundred of thousands of land thieves and then claiming that these amount of people can not displaced, is really a perfect strategy. The only disadvantage is that the world community will not accept it and that Israel will never become a peaceful country for the Jews. Sorry for you !

No Israeli government has the capability of removing 500,000 Jewish citizens from their homes in built up neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and the large settlement blocs of Maale Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion. Even if by some freak election, a government coalition of irresponsible misfits was formed and had the will to return to the old armistice lines of 1949, who would enforce it? Is it conceivable that IDF soldiers living in Judea or Samaria would evict their parents or Israeli policeman from East Jerusalem neighborhoods would evict their friends, neighbors and relatives?

The Roman historian Dio Cassius describes a desolate Judea after a half-million Jewish soldiers were killed in the fiercest revolt faced by the Roman Empire. Roman losses were so heavy that Emporer Hadrian found it necessary to omit from his report to the Senate the customary introductory statement "I and my army are well". The Romans renamed the Land of Israel "Palestine" which was conquered by invading Arabs in the 7th century. Palestine remained a sparsly populated and neglected province of distant empires and was never an independent nation. Palestine was not the only territory overrun by expansionist Islam. It took the Spaniards eight centuries to complete the reconquest of Spain, yet no one denies the legitimacy of Spain or its right to exist in the community of nations. You can boycott and blacklist us from Ireland to Australia, but we will continue to build our homes in Judea and Samaria because it is our land. Our nation's history lies just below the surface. Read Josephus.

4 years after deportation from gaza 9000 have not been porperly resettled at that rate 450,000 would take 200 years ! apart from which the hysterical posters like lintwit must understand that all settlements are legal and will remain so until the end of time !

Although I agree to what you said, I refuse though your calling Israel a nation.It was not by birth, it is not now and it will not be in future.It is a military bridgehead, built by colonial powers after WW2 and was filled in with mislead Jewish individuals who they were indoctrinated to believe this land was theirs.The real people of Palestine, including Palestinian Jews, will survive this terrible injust and will remain in future as the only survivers.

There is no 2 state solution that leaves a Jewish Israel as one of the states, anywhere in sight.That means no deal possible. So, those Jews who care about settling the biblical homeland aren't going on vacation. They will continue planning, freeze or no freeze. As they did in the past, the majority of Jews who want peace, will take action when there is a peace treaty to implement. The Palestinians can speed things up with an acceptable plan but they wait forever for Israel to capitulate to their unacceptable demands. People can dream up scenarios if they wish but no change in core demands means the status quo.

Well it's that time of the year when many Americans open their wallets for charitable activities. Guess who's getting nada this year! No money to settlements, boycott settlement-produced goods and services. Don't buy Israel bonds.

it is my hard earned tax dollars that you and your outlaw gov. is wasting on criminals and illegal enterpprises and its not ok or a drop in the bucket

Israel was/is and never will be interested in a just peace. They are waiting for the mass emigration of the Palestinian people. Keep dreaming folks --they are not going anywhere.

and here is the proof. Why give millions of shekels to communities whic are to be evacuated on implementation of the two state solution? Unless of course you have no intention of implementing a two state solution? Surely this money would be better spent in Israel proper preparing apartments and housing for the illegal settlers?

abusing him... now backing him.... You couldn't make it up.

The huge underwriting by the Israeli government is none other than aiding and abetting the already ajudged International Crime... the ongoing ocuupation... Obama and the USA are warped by all the 'Israelis' who hold sway over the M.E. foreign policy. Sanctions against Israel to get them to 'Toe the International line' would be the best immediate measure so let's hope that the Goldstone Report and further revelations serve to polarise opinion AGAINST the dangers of giving in to further Israeli emotional and otherwise blackmail...

But of course the israeli government wants to keep the funds flowing to the settlers. Just like these land thieves also get protection from the military and very seldom face prosecution for their racist attacks on palestinians. They are doing the work of the Israeli government, changing the 'facts on the ground' and stealing more land for the great state of Israel

What netanyahu is proposing is simply moving the funds from one extremist group to another. Oh and by the way---I thought all these "returnees" were volunteers that Israel does not support or aid and abet. Yeah Right. What,s it like looking in the mirror and always finding a thief looking out at you???.

Would that those two would do a lot of things wrongly, so as to get the right results...

still refers to Palestine as 'Eastern Israel'? It is incredible that the international courts, Israeli High Court, UN and 191 of its 192 members have judged that Palestine is Occupied Territory, but still the Likudnik-Feiglinite posse claims daily that black is white. Chaim probably thinks the sun rises in the West and the earth is flat as well!

poor chap.

We are going to need billions in order to properly develop Eastern Israel but this is a start.

The whole Israel Zionist experiment is based on on deceit, hegemonism, expropriation, ethnic cleansing, abuse of rights of Palestinians, intimidation of even friends of Israel and jews alike of being self hating jews ti being anti-semitic. What comes to mind, how long will the world stand by idle listen to this hog wash and seing Israel and it;s neo-conservatists bring the world closer to annihilation.

occupied territories, let alone be used for security. The Israeli Government never ceases to amaze me. It's capacity to break the law is infinite.