Yesha Population Keeps Growing

The Jewish population of Judea, Samaria and Gaza has grown in the past two years - the years of the Oslo War - by 12%. Not including the areas officially annexed to the capital city of Jerusalem, the Yesha settlement enterprise now numbers some 220,000 pioneers. The largest town is Maaleh Adumim, with close to 27,000 inhabitants, followed by Beitar Illit and Ariel. Some 30 babies are born in Beitar Illit every week, and 50 new classes were opened there this school-year. The Binyamin Regional Council gained 620 new families this past summer.

"Let's not sink to that level."

Nonsense. But for the Mediterranian, Israel is surrounded by arab states, and cannot contenance yet another that all but cuts her in half.

Any arab wishing to remain should be required to 1) renounce islamism (i.e., the invocation or actualization of jihad to impose sharia by force), 2)have no demonstrable ties to any terrorist organization and 3)swear a loyalty oath to the Jewish state. Any arab who won't, is out. If their Arab brethren won't take them, force them in anyway, into western Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and into the Sinai where they can then beg, cajole, intimidate and/or terrorize those governments into giving them their precious "state."

Frankly, I believe this is Israel's only real hope of survival against burgeoning arab birth-rates...even in a democratized islamism, which I also believe is an oxymoron.

Doug, I am going to assume that you aren't Israeli and haven't lived in the region. I am (dual-national, also American) and I have. Most Israelis, who know the likely consequences of such an action, do not support "transfer" as the far right calls it. Mainstream conservative parties like Likud certainly do not.

The one good point you do make is the very high birth rate among the Palestinians. Israel cannot rule over millions of people who hate them.

I am not advocating going back to 1967 borders. Far from it. I do advocate Israel drawing it's own borders based on current demographics. To me, unilateral separation is the only answer.

Do you know how many Palestinian suicide bombers came from Gaza? Exactly zero. They are walled in and contained by military force. The same approach needs to be used in Judea and Samaria, with areas largely inhabited by Jewish populations annexed.

The people of Israel (including my own family) are refugees, whether from the Arab world, the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, or Europe. We know the suffering this entails. Give us some credit for not wanting to impose the same on millions of people.

The areas needed for defense (Jordan Valley, the high hills in the west of Samaria, etc...) will certainly be retained.

"Give us some credit for not wanting to impose the same on millions of people.

Certainly. And I appreciate your patience by indulging my emotionalim. Yet I find the idea of not "wanting to impose" grief on islamists as frankly suicidal, not only to Israelis, but to Americans as well. That, true, as the majority of Israelis do not endorse such action, is all the more frustrating to this Vietnam combat veteran who might be excused for being tired of nibbling around the edges of our enemies for the past fifty some-odd years, and instead, though consideredly to be sure, go for their throat.

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