Posted on 06/11/2003 12:44:39 PM PDT by Jeff Head
It didn't work prior to 1948 either. Ask the Czech people about the Sudetenland, or the Austrian's about the Anschloss, and the terrorism and political assassination in both those countries by NAZI terrorists prior to both incidents. We are in very much the same position that England was prior to 1939. The difference is we aren't being led by Stanly Baldwin or Neville Chamberlain. The question is are we being led by Winston Churchill?
Make no mistake. If it meant the survival of England Churchill would have danced on a fine line over those situations, even being willing to sacrifice another nations' sovereignty for the sake of England's. In fact he did consider and in some ways advocate negotiating with Germany over the grievances that brought the NAZIs to power. In the end he concluded that sacrificing those people's liberty for supposed security was a losing proposition, on all levels.
I believe that Bush is balancing on a similar line right now. He is interested in holding off a world war. Not only will we be fighting the Islamists, but we'll also be fighting the remaining Communist dictators (Cuba, NK, etc.) as well as the generically anti-American forces, such as Brazil, France and Germany (with guns, without question), much of Africa, Asia and South America. We'll also be fighting (with guns, also without question), the hard core Democrats, DUers, Hollywood elite and their fellow travelers. They'll be joined by the Eric Rudolph "white might" fanatics (the enemy of my enemy, think of OKC) marching alongside the crips and the bloods and every other nut case that just sees a chance to screw those that they blame for their own pain and failures. I think he believes he's risking lives with some questionable tactics to possibly avoid the certain spending of lives in an all out conflict, which is surely the alternative.
If that's the case then I understand it, and am willing to give it some chance. I trust him and his team. Not a chance I'd trust almost anyone else.
:-)
Anti-war conservatives and libertarians were called anti-Semites by hawkish poster ad nauseum on this forum.
Not by me.
Here, on this thread, hopefully we can avoid that.
Best regards my friend. Don't let the foolishness of others determine your mood.
As long as this abject terror continues, Israel should not for a moment consider negotiating with these animals, any more than we would.
If the terror stops and the animals and their infrastructure are turned over to the IDF, then and only then can serious negotiations start for a Palestinian state in what ever is left over.
if they don't stop and the terrorists aren't handed over, then Israeli settlements on the west bank will be a moot point after about 30 terror attacks.
They will either be moved to eliminate the terrorists and hasten the creation of their own state, or they will try and strike out at Israel, thus hastening their own demise.
Years of experience has shown that placating, negotiating, and other olive branches are not working in the least. IMHO it's time for Israel to play hard, and this plan is something short of all out war, invasion and all of the utter carnage that would go with it.
This places the ball squarely in the Palestinian people's court, where it should be...where is should always have been. If, by either their continued support and allowance of terrorists within their midst they show themselves to be in large allied with terrorists...so be it. Treat them accordingly.
OTOH, if they rise up against the terrorists amongst them and dismantle and turn in that network, then the serious negotiations can begin and a true state created after enough time passes (a year or more) to ensure that it is real.
"Once the terror attacks have ceased for a minimum of twelve months and once the above mentioned terror organizations and their members have been turned over to the IDF, Israel will seriously negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state in the remaining lands with elected leaders who are not members or affiliated with any of the above mentioned organization."
Not that anyone, including yourself, would expect the Golan Solution to work, but this would have an effect almost as bad as the pals' stillborn 'right of return'.
I am afraid at this stage that there is little prospect for another solution short of war.
Just my opinion, nothing more.
That terrorist threat, so organized and so close to the Israeli population centers is intolerable. You do not remove the threat by placating it. The Israelis have to stand up to it and fight it hard, using all of the same logic we apply to the same terrorists who are threatening us. You can;t make peace with it, you have to eradicate it and its nesting grounds.
This plan gives the Palestinians a chance to do that themselves. If they cannot, or if they will not, then the threat within Israel's borders must be eliminated IMHO.
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