Israeli-Palestinian peace would neutralize Iran threat

let me remind you that not so long ago, in one of your sane moments, you admitted that israel needs nuclear weapons in order to protect herself. let me point out that the only reason israel needs nuclear weapons is because her neighbours have been attempting to annihilate her for the past six decades. p.s. why is iran under chapter vii sanctions? why is the us administration trying to get further sanctions on iran?

way. They have even spoken about it. The only way this comes about is mass war. Iran is not interested in Israel its interested in a new Islamic World Caliphate.

Then what would you do? What would hold Israel together? Why would anyone champion it? Don't kid yourselves. You WANT the Iranian threat -- and you'd be lost if you weren't able to abuse the Palestinians. This is what Israel is all about -- if not for you, for your supporters. We don't give you three billion a year for nothing, you know. We expect action. OUR Israel is not an Israel that is at peace. You can forget about that. Then you're just Togo in the desert.

Anyone out there want to explain why Ahmadinejad has favored the IAEA deal since it was proposed? Yup, he has, and the Ayatollahs have overruled him repeatedly. The last time that Ahmadinejad tried to accept the deal was just days ago. But he was overruled. The reality is that the government of Iran is VERY divided and under fundamental threat by Iranians. Ahmadinejad is a man who's spent too much of his time playing to the Iranian public and too little dealing with the world. He is now paying the price. Israel has spent too much of it's political capital playing to it's extreme right. And now it has to pay the price. Israel has chosen to destroy any hope for peace with Palestine. Ahmadinejad has chosen to paint himself into a corner with no escape. The same difference.

Cipora you find peace both desirable and impossible. Your position is based not upon any reality, but a view of paranoid denial. Reality never intrudes upon your paranoia Cipora. Nor will you ever acquaint yourself with the knowledge necessary to comprehend reality. I could give you a reading list for atomic weapons development. I could supply a reading list to let you have a clue as to the physics and engineering of nuclear weapons production. But you have a mind made up from total ignorance. And thus would not pursue knowledge because it might contradict your opinions. You 'know' what you believe. And you 'believe' what you want to because it agrees with what you want to know. Your positions are most well described by your 'beliefs' of what the 'beliefs' of the people running Iran are. And ignore the reality of engineering and physics. I will bet that physics trumps religion. That is because I KNOW physics is true and religion is belief.

Israel-Palestinian Peace would be a god-send to America. It would be a relief to Israel. This is the time of night when I am supposed to be cranky and hostile to Israel's intransigence. I do resent the absolute refusal of Israel to consider the interests of the United States. I also understand that Palestine is adjacent to Israel. And I understand that the ONLY Israelis that matter, those of the extreme right, believe that they are entitled to force all Palestinians out of Judea and Samaria, then annex those districts into a Jew only Israel. I have no idea what those right-wing Israelis hope to do with the Palestinians living in the West Bank and they make no proposal of how they are to be dispossessed. Nor do those right-wing Israelis propose how they will dispossess 1/5 of the population of Israel and cause them to leave their nation. These ruminations are clearly 'anti-Israel' to the Israeli right. But they are questions the Israeli right refuses to cope with, or answer.

Iran has consistently endorsed the idea that Israel is in possession of Muslim land and that it should be retaken, even by force. Some even think that the nukes that Iran is working on are intended for Israel. If Israel and the Palestinians made peace and both sides announced publicly that they were satisfied with the final settlement then Iran would lose a pretense for attacking Israel.

I'm about as hardcore Palestinian as you'd find, well slightly shy of suicidal bombings, but I agree with Zionist Forever. Iran does not give a rat's yahoo about the Pals and is only using them to justify and bolster their position in the region. That's like Osama Bin Laden taking up the cause for his own justifications. They've got a radical regime in power and use their radicalism to further instigate the situation with Hamas and the like. Hamas should know better and realize that these Iranians are only using them. You want peace in the middle east, stop demonizing Hamas and bring them into the political arena for good. Only they can set Fatah and Abu Mazen straight and rid those fools of their corrupt ways. If I were PM Salem Fayaad, I'd be courting Hamas indirectly and together shake all the corruption out of the PA. The Pals didn't elect Hamas because the Pals are radical Islamists; they did so because Fatah is that screwed up and Hamas is known to be upfront with its people.

AB, your kidding, right?

Peace could do many things. And not only to Jews. In particular it could help Palestinians to live a happy and prosperous life (even without Jerusalem), very similar to Israelis. But apparently something else is more important to them. You, as the author, should realize that not everybody shares your values.

... extremists. If the tension people live under would, be lifted, they would react differently. Right now the pressure the Zionist politicians are under is huge. And one human being gives his pressure to another. Nobody is really completely evil and no one is purely good. People can only do the best they can. Maybe there is a way to help.

published by the Palistinian Historical society, founded in 1990.You have been really duped by the mideast dopes.For starters, read:(if you care to confuse your information base with facts) FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL BY J. PETERS. THAT'S ALL IT TAKES FOR OBJECTIVE STUDY. regarding refugees,most of them (nowhere near your number)fled Israel at the command of the fearless leaders with the battle cry: "you will return after we wipe out the Jews:.They started & lost the war&the right of return. the rules of warfare.While the Jews were kicked out of their arab lands and their homes, business and wealth were stolen by their govts, they were respectfully absorbed by their brethren. Unlike the pals who were treated like lepers by their brothers&never absorbed in the countless arab countries, the arab hope with the eyeblinking approval of the UN was to let this group fester and put pressure on Israel for their unprecedented return.Put blame where it belongs! they belong in Jordan,Syria, Iran,etc.

The Arab Israeli conflict can not be blamed entirely on "arab governemnts"...it is in fact, not a "created" issue. Talk to the 3 million Palestinians who have had to live under the sole of Israeli boots for 40+ years. Noone forced Israel to move civllians into the territories into Jew Only colonies and set up a dual system of laws and justice and human rights. There's enough blame to go around. Israel is an expansionist state and has yet to prove a willingness to reconcile the fact that Palestinians were there BEFORE Israel was created, they are humans and deserve the same rights as Jews.

Your posting makes some excellent rare points, but has some flaws. 1) The Sunni-Shia split is important, and useful to diplomats. Unfortunately, Israel's (public) face lacks diplomatic sophistication to understand the importance of it. 2) Your minimizing of the value of "peace at all costs" shows you have the brains of the 'right wing', something elusive. Very few on the left understand that well enough to articulate a response. I am not able to articulate a response, but would point you to the abundance of data available on the internet. 3) Most importantly (for you personally) it is essential to view Iran as not just a regime, but as a regime plus other aspects. If you develop those 'other aspects' you will have a better view.

It may come as a big surprise to you, but not all of Switzerland is made of mountains...:)

Israeli-palestinian problem is being hijacked not only by iran and created enemies for israel where iran is just one of them. Iran is a problem that goes further than israel and can't be solved by an Israeli-palestinian peace. Those who are claiming peace between the palestinians & israel will solve or even neutralize iran, they are either have their own agenda or totally ignorant of both problems; i.e iran & the palestinian-israeli conflict !

....and Hezbollah + Co. would all of a sudden turn into "nice guys", if Israel would start behaving in a slightly better way. But what I know for certain, is that Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi-Arabia etc. would become "nice guys", if they would see a different, more compromise willing and less expansive Israel. And if Israel would be surrounded by friends, the extremists on the Muslim side (no matter whether in Iran, Lebanon or among the Palesti- nians) would have no other choice but to adapt their position, whether they would like it or not....

Give the palestinian people their rights to live in their homeland-palestine- in peace and human dignity and forget fore ver the fear of being a virus that must be nutralized or extriminated.

Your assumption that if peace breaks out between Israel and the Palestinians, Iran would have no cause to attack Israel with nuclear bombs. I?m accustomed to hearing this nonsense in Washington DC and NY but it?s quite chagrining when it comes from an Israeli and given credence by being published by HaAretz. Let?s examine the facts. The Iranian regime has stated on numerous occasions that they don?t mind killing millions of Palestinians as a result of dropping a nuclear bomb on Israel. In fact they point out that the Palestinians would there by become Martyrs for Allah. No one in Tehran bothered to ask the Palestinians if this is their wish and choice. That?s because dropping the Bomb would serve their dual benefits. Not only would they kill Jews, they would also, for the same price, kill Sunni Arabs- their mortal enemies. I would suggest you listen to what Imams are saying to their congregations in Cairo, Amman, and the rest of the Sunni world. They are not talking about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. They are talking about the dangerous of the rise of Shiites pose to Sunnis through the Arab world, i.e. Iran. It?s unfortunate that Sunni Palestinians are slow to incorporate these lessons but it does not absolve Israelis from stating the obvious and seeing reality for what it is. And for God?s sake, stop saying this nonsense that if only Peace broke out between the Israelis and the Palestinians all the worlds? problems would be solved and peace would break out everywhere???

Iran won't be invading anyone, whether or not it gets nuclear missiles. One false move by them involving firing a missile and the US air force would blast Iran's military and nuclear facilities to dust. Its air force and navy would not survive beyond 72 hours. The US and NATO are not going to sit back and watch Iran establish some military hegemony over M-E oil or the Gulf region. The main people talking up the Iran threat up are the Israeli government. Israel is used to being the only nuclear power in the region, which it thinks makes it an important world player. Actually the reverse is true, it begs the question why Israel (7 million) should have nukes and not sign the NPT, while a nation of 70 million can not. It is worrying that Jewish lobbies are trying to lead the world in the direction of pre-emptive strikes on Iran so that Israel can remain the sole regional nuclear power. Fortunately, wiser heads seem to be prevailing so far and Israel and its war is parked in the wings.

Yehoshua didn't address the most problematic concern for Israel and the Jewish community and that is the Iranian Revolutionary's belief. The Iranian President Admadinejad and the Revolutionary Mullahs believe that in order for the Islamic messiah's return, the Mahdi, the 12th century Imam, Israel must be wiped off the map. Besides this, they support Islamic radicalism which when fueled with nuclear weaponry is simply unthinkable.

While it would be a good thing to resolve this arab governments created issue, this would not in any way diffuse Iran. The reason for that is that they have a leader who has designs on being a world power. And apparently he has enough backing not only in Iran but surrounding countries to allow him to try. No it is not the Israel - Palestinian issue that fuels Iran that is just an excuse they use. Iran will have to be dealt with to be sure but the peace process is another issue entirely. This issue was created long ago to drive a wedge in Israel and divide her for there was no other way the arab governments could destroy Israel. And that is fueled by a hatred since the time of Jacob and Ismael under Abraham and also in the 30's thru the 50's when it took on nazi-like tendencies and fueled an even stronger hatred. But Iran is another story and another issue to deal with separately.

He should bone up on history, especially that of ancient (also medieval) Persia. Ancient Persia ruled at peak an area extending from Alexandria (Egypt) and Ankara (Turkey) in west to Thanesar and Valsad (both India) in east. Iran, both under Shah and under goonda-mullahs, sees itself as entitled to the territories between these--which include the Holy Land. Iran threat will not be neutralised until its ambitions are put-paid for a time.

we must strive for peace.In any country the majority is usually pro peace. Unfortunately a bunch of extremists, always a minority, tries to dictate the agenda.PEACE.

Some people just do not seem to get the realities of the situation. If Israel ceased to exist then the Western Democracies would be the next target of Islam. Fanatical Islamists just want the destruction of Israel, period. They have openly declared this. No matter how much they are appeased, they will not rest because their agenda is to spread the religious political system that Islam seems to be. That is why wherever they go they try to institute sharia law. They will keep using the Israelite - Palestinian situation as leverage.

... such wise thinkers as you are, Iran would not even have a problem with 'Israel'. Iran has good relationships with it's Jews. They have a representative of their Jews in their government. Ahmadinejad on several occasions discussed with people of Naturei Karta, which in my view are true Jews. The trouble is not that there are Jews living in the Middle East, the trouble is the injustice the Palestinians are suffering of. In Yad Vashem there is a quote somewhere. I haven't seen it myself, but friends told me so. It says: "Thou shall not be a bystander." What is so hard is people, who claim they are 'Jews' force us to be indifferent bystanders. I am so glad with your wise contributions to the debate because of the stubbornness of the politicians to take wise decisions. Remember that by making a wise contribution, you count thousands of times more than those who base their opinions on hatred.

East" - goitrous imbecile from Alps

To the rest of the world it is totally obvious that Must try and make peace with the Palestinians. It will not be easy because Israel has built up so much hatred in the Palestinian population over sixty years and that won't be assuaged for a couple of generations. And remember, making peace with the Palestinians and Islam generally includes bringing justice to the 4.7 million refugees resulting from the creation of Israel. Many of these are cooped up in the Gaza strip. There's not much time for Israel to act. When Mubarak goes in Egypt the "street" will speak, and Israel will be in the firing line.

Wishful thinking is no help. The truth is clear to anyone who hears these people speak to their own people. Hamas and yes Fatah also do not want peace with Israel. If they were to truly opt for a two- state solution the overwhelming majority of the Israeli people would be for it. And they would too force their view on the political leadership. But what is the point of fantasizing like this? eee

....(only verbally) threaten Israel, if Israel would have some friends in the region. But again, that will only be possible, if a majority of the Israeli electorate will find a way to get rid of their chronical stubborness and accept a fair compromise on all the 3 core issues of the Israeli-Arab conflict, namely borders, Jerusalem and refugees. No flexibility = No friends By the way, a wisdom that is not at all restricted to the Middle East....

Interesting approach. Of course your naysayers will squeal about the need to continue the complete subjugation of the Palestinians because a fair and just settlement would only help to better position our enemies for future attacks. But then again most of these people are right wing fascist ideologues and as such should be ignored. But back to the topic. A fair and just settlement would end the raison d'etre for the vast majority of enemies. In fact I cannot think of one that would continue to flourish. Any exception would face the wrath of an entirely united international community. So give it a go I would say. Much to gain and little to lose.

In order to make "Peace" according to the current world opinion, Israel will have to give up a huge percentage of its border to surrounding peoples, land which she has a legitimate claim to. This weakened state will cause the powers that be to salivate for Israeli blood, and a war will ensue. So you see, in fact, the author proposes actions which will precipitate the opposite result.

...and I wish I was wrong.

Israeli-palestinian problem have many aspects & different enemies. Neutralize iran have no interest to most of those countries who made israel their enemy. Neutralize iran is a matter concerning most if not all the countries of the world i.e those who hate israel or love it (if any). Iran must be looked as a nazi state as israel is concerned. It is either to have a regime change or it will be a forever threat to israel,as long as it is an islamic country as it is now ! Mixing the Israeli-palestinian peace with the problem of iran is cheap very cheap and nasty policy that can be practiced only by cheap very cheap and nasty immoral politicians !

It's funny that you mention the term virus here yet Israels actions in the ME seem to be that of a virus, it enters a new area, kills local inhabitants and expands its area of infection. IF Israel indeed make peace with Palestine and create a fair state then I do believe that it would deligitimise most of the Arab claims in the area. I wish israel well in its next few steps provided they don't bring the area into yet another war for the sake of stolen land

do you really think that this claim is at all believable ??

the writer's twisted logic is similar to that of many Jewish communities in the middle ages that thought they could pacify their ennemies by bowing their heads. The result was more often then not wholesale slaughter or expulsion. Thank God Israël doesn't have to bow to their ennemies.

Anothe bigot in the israeli scene. A pseudo intelectual. Israel will never make a fair peace with palestinians. Israel is run by the settlers and the army IDF is their instrument. If Israel makes peace with palestinians, the day after you have a civil war.

If Israel has enemies regardless of its actions, it must be better to confront them as an acknowledged peacemaker and to be seen as such by the international community. The argument that Israel will be seen as "soft" if it ends the occupation is rubbish. It will still have its military capability and be driven by the same ethos - to remain a Jewish state and to defend itself against those who want to destroy it. Moreover, it will have far greater support, not only from those Jews who are ashamed of the way it currently behaves but also from the wider international community. Equally, with the modernisation of weaponry the idea that the WB acts as a kind of buffer region is becoming increasingly redundant. Israel may have at some time to confront Iran. It cannot harm it to do so as a respected country because it has made peace with the Palestinians rather than as an international pariah state.

" I still believe that the people of Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, if led by courageous leaders would overwhelmingly chose peace." TC from LA Sir, The people of West Bank and Gaza wish to kill Jews as directed by Koran

thanks A.B. Yehoshua for your enlighten article

Oh. You are the only one thinking on different rational. It appears against the logic of Israel's PM and FM including the right government.

if palestinians continue with their terror after withdrawal" when asked (surprisingly prophetic) "Isn't it dagerous to leave territories to pals ?" by the reporter. It was years ago and A.B.Yehosua still hasn't learned his powers of seeing the future are zero and his analyses of dangers are false.

We have to strive for peace. The majority of any contry's population , including Iran desires peace. Unfortunately confused minority groups tend to extremism and try to dictate the agenda.

Israel must not attack Iran on its own ! It would only get the blame from the whole world and unite the Iranian people behind their mad Mullahs, and unite the world's moslems. Islamic extremism is a worldwide sickness , Israel cannot solve it on its own. Previous totalitarian ideologies took many great nations TOGETHER to defeat them. Peace between Israel and the Pals is only a small step towards fighting this totalitarism. It will certainly not be sufficient to satisfy the Iranian Mullahs. And the biggest part of this new worlwide war is theological, social, and geo-political, not just military.

And once thats done, could you cure cancer? Thanks.

Iran doe not give a dam about palestinians or anybody else only their own personal military & political future and for that they need nukes. Yes they use the palestinians as an excuse for Israel bashing statements but thats as far as it goes. The palestinians don't care about Iran they want a state and if Iran has nukes or not doesn't affect their political cause. This article is trying to sell a statement made by King Abdllah of Jordan who made the statement because he wanted to get the US to start pressuring israel on the palestinian front because he wants to kill the idea that Jordan is Palestine. We could even create a binational state in Israel and a seperate palestinian state but it wouldn't stop Irans nuclear ambitions because its not Israel or the palestinians why Iran wants nukes its because they want to rule the region & bully their neighbors. A.B Yehoshua next time you write an article think out the logic behind it first.

Dear Mr. Yehoshua, I appreciate your proposal of "Peace with the Palestinians" even if it comes out of a false analysis. Peace for peace sake. Peace for it is the right thing to do. Peace for it is the natural equilibrium to which we all should strive. Peace because peace can only be established with justice and justice is a principle ingrained in all our DNA. The Iranian nation has been the oldest friend the Jewish faith has ever had. From the times of Cyrus where they were freed by the Persians to the time of Islam were their faith was recognized as a corner stone of the faith of Islam. Even today, Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Middle East who are free to recognize their faith. The Jewish faith is recognized by the post revolutionary constitution and the people have representation in parliament.

perfect logic; not a new idea. Iran has no real quarrel with Israel, it is using this excuse only to unite moslems. So, even if there were peace between Israel and the Palestinians,undamadged , nuked Iran would progress with its aim to be the M.E. super power (and beyond, who knows ?). Peace between Israel and the Pals is only part of the Iranian problem. The complete problem is : are the Arab Gulf States, Saudia and all Arab States willing to let Iran achieve its goals without protest and especially without alying with Israel and the West ? Or will they find the light and the courage to counter Iran, with Israel and the West ? Unless they do, with the majority of the world , and unless the UN could allow the combined military solution of a joint force from US, EU, Israel and any other to destroy the Iranian nukes, nothing else will stop the Iranians in their ambition. The other slightly likely scenario is for the Mullah regime to end.

Mr. Yehoshua is trying to link apples with a plate of Tuna fish. Firstly he ignores all evidence including the public statements by the Palestinians that a 2 state solution would actually bring peace, and second, linking this fantasy of peace with the Palestinians to the Iranian regime who has made it clear that they would happily sacrifice half their own people as well as all the palestinians to destroy Israel - is simply laughable.

The Arabs never showed any willingness to be tolerant or to compromise!! TOLERANCE = ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST AS A JEWISH STATE The day one palestinian leader will admit 1)That Israel has the right to exist. and 2) The Temple mount is the Jews holiest site and Jews can pray there - The minute the Arabs are willing to accept that there is no chance for Israel to dismantle the towns in Yosh and Israel will never go bk to the 67 borders - Then there can be peace. There will be a chance for peace when all the ultraliberal leftests tell the truth to the Arabs - 67 borders are impossible - There are 5-600,000 Jews living on the WB and they aren't going anywhere.

The writer is fully right. Iran, Lebanon and Syria may loose 10 mio in ANY upcoming war and still, they can exist further. Should Israel loose 3 mio, it is gone for good! A real vision of what may come upon us-

There is absolutely no reason to either print nor take his comments to heart. AB Yoshua's ability starts and ends with writing fiction ( or his own version of fact which is always slanted left). AB made many wrong calls including telling US Jews that their contribution to Israel is minute and insignificant. AB supported all the Left causes from Oslo, to not supporting right wing prime ministers, ever, to leaving Gaza and to wanting to divide Jerusalem. AB Yehoshua is an arrogant intellectual who is unable to think outside of the single track that he is on. Says something about just how intelligent so called intellectuals actually are.

however, with all due respect, iran's nuclear weapons program has nothing to do with the palestinians. the islamists in iran want nuclear weapons to assert their hegemony on the middle east. they have pretentions of becoming major players in world affairs. furthermore, the revolutionary guards and their supreme leader have a religious belief in the superiority of shia islam.

if the peaceful resolution between Israel and the Palestinians would neutralize the Iranian leadership against the Jewish State. According to the Mullahs' recent statements and hostile rhetoric, they have not convinced the world that they don't really believe that their Prophet will return upon Israel " being wiped off the map of the Middle East." Such talk and development of nuclear weaponry do not go hand in hand unfortunately in this day and age. The average Palestinian is generally not in their league of thinking, and this Iranian regime is a new phenomenon to contend for the world. My father, an Iraqi born Jew, who's read all of A.B. Yehoshua's books and understood the region extremely well, would not agree with the final assertion Yehoshua makes regarding neutralizing Iran. However, I would like to believe and hope A. B. Yeshoshua is more correct.

Immediate peace on terms broadly acceptable to Palestinians is Israel's only hope. Most of the rest of the article is nonsense. The author has the same toxic tendency to blame all legitimate criticisms of Zionist acts on anti-semitism. Most of the anti-semitism that exists in the world today is a direct result of Israeli actions, or of actions by Jews outside Israel in defense of Israel. The author would like Israel to represent Jews. It does not. It represents Israelis.

Have you lost your mind? You seem to think that peace is better than war. While it was never better to "dead than red",the problem was why were those the only those choices? The same is true regarding Iran. All wars are due to failure of our political leaders, who are too old to serve but young enough to send others to die. Seldom are wars started by a demand of the people. I still believe that the people of Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, if led by courageous leaders would overwhelmingly chose peace. It's their leaders that need to look in the mirror and practice what they are going to say to their maker when they lead their people to destruction.

from an Iranian perspective would be the end of Israel. While Israeli leftists and western intellectuals call for an end to Israeli occupation as a means of achieving peace, the Arab battle cry during the Intifada was ?Khybar, Khybar!? This is a reminder of the defeat of the Jewish defenders at the Arabian Desert oasis of Khybar by the forces loyal to the prophet Mohammed. Palestinian Sunni, Lebanese Hezbollah, and their Iranian Shiite sponsors put aside their religious differences and view the current struggle with Israel as a continuation of the Prophet Mohammed?s battles with the Jews of Arabia that took place in the seventh century. The election of Hamas in Gaza and its candidates? victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections of January 2006 (76 of 132 seats) leaves little doubt that it is a popular Islamist Arab leadership that confronts Israel. In this context, any territory evacuated by Israel will simply become a base for endless armed conflict.

mr.a.b.yehoshua has a great future as a stand-up comedian.iran doesn't give a hoot about the pals.They are only cannon fodder for iranians designs,only a tool to harass Israel...and the gulf arab states,inclusive saudi arabia are softer targets for the iranian harassement.They are as much risk as Israel...

If Israel and the Palestinians ever made peace that would give Iran the excuse to drop a nuclear bomb on Israel. They would say that they are not just killing Jews but Palestinians who are guilty of making peace with Jews.