Ahem.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Ahem.
“To maximize the moment of potential breakthrough, the three went through the gestures again. This time, they clasped hands together. And, for a moment, Bush stepped back and raised his hands to encourage the other two to come together for a handshake, which they did. It harkened back to a memorable image of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, in one of his own Mideast efforts more than a decade ago. “
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Selling out Israel for a zero percent chance at a legacy.
Ignorance gone to seed.
This is just so much BS. Olmert et al. are in Annapolis today so unless Olmert was talking about US or Canadian recognition of the Jewish State one would have to assume that attending Annapolis had nothing to do with anyone "recognizing" anything. And as for the Israelis withholding their recognition of a "Palestinian" state, is Olmert really so stupid as to think that any Arab would care what the Israelis think?
ML/NJ
Please call today and let them know what you think about the President's efforts regarding the Annapolis conference.
ML/NJ
Right on, goldstategop! Ping to Israel supporters!
Annex the land, end discussions, remove the murderers from the land, and execute the murderers caught red handed.
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT
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Fun meeting, nothing changes.
*The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee in Nazareth unanimously called on the Palestinian Authority not to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
* Salam Fayad, Palestinian Authority "prime minister": "Israel can define itself as it likes, but the Palestinians will not recognize it as a Jewish state."
* Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee: "This issue is not on the table; it is raised for internal [Israeli] consumption."
* Ahmad Qurei, chief Palestinian negotiator: "This [demand] is absolutely refused."
* Saeb Erekat, head of the PLO Negotiations Department: "The Palestinians will never acknowledge Israel's Jewish identity. … There is no country in the world where religious and national identities are intertwined."
Unless the Palestinians recognize Israel as "a Jewish state," Olmert announced on November 11, the Annapolis-related talks would not proceed. "I do not intend to compromise in any way over the issue of the Jewish state. This will be a condition for our recognition of a Palestinian state" ...describing the "recognition of Israel as a state for the Jewish people" as the "launching point for all negotiations. We won't have an argument with anyone in the world over the fact that Israel is a state of the Jewish people." The Palestinian leadership, he noted, must "want to make peace with Israel as a Jewish state." ...The Palestinian leadership responded quickly and unequivocally to Olmert's demand... Saeb Erekat, head of the PLO Negotiations Department: "The Palestinians will never acknowledge Israel's Jewish identity. … There is no country in the world where religious and national identities are intertwined." Erekat's generalization is both curious and revealing. Not only do 56 states and the PLO belong to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, but most of them, including the PLO, make the Shari'a (Islamic law) their main or only source of legislation. Saudi Arabia even requires that every subject be a Muslim... Argentinean law, Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe points out, "mandates government support for the Roman Catholic faith. Queen Elizabeth II is the supreme governor of the Church of England. In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the constitution proclaims Buddhism the nation's 'spiritual heritage.' … 'The prevailing religion in Greece,' declares Section II of the Greek Constitution, 'is that of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ'." ...So, why the mock-principled refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Perhaps because the PLO still intends to eliminate Israel as a Jewish state. Note my use of the word "eliminate," not destroy. Yes, anti-Zionism has until now mainly taken a military form, from Gamal Abdel Nasser's "throw the Jews into the sea" to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "Israel must be wiped off the map." But the power of the Israel Defense Forces has prodded anti-Zionism toward a more subtle approach of accepting an Israeli state but dismantling its Jewish character.That's the crux of the op-ed. Thanks C from E.
There are approximately 50 Muslim-majority countries in the world, and most of them don't tolerate people of other faiths very well at all.
Why does it irk Muslims so much that there might be one single tiny Jewish state? The whole Palestinian refugee story is one of shame for the Muslim countries, as many of them are wealthy with oil and could have pulled the Palestinians out of poverty long ago if they wanted to. Every Palestinian could have been provided with a house and land in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, but then there would be no need for the intifada. No need to feign outrage over Israelis "occupying" their own land.
You have to wonder when they hold these peace talks if the State Dept beaurocrats really believe that both sides can agree on an obviously incompatible agenda. Do they really believe that the Muslim world will rest at ease when the Palestinians own one more chunk of land and strip those greenhouses for plastic too? Do they really believe the rockets and bombs and demands will cease when they own Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem?
I can't believe the diplomats are that dumb. It must be just a photo op so they can say they tried. I'm not too worried about Israel's survival; only Israel can destroy itself by giving itself away until there is nowhere else to hide. Whatever happened to "never again"? They're doing it again.
I agree with what you said completly.