I think that right to exist is going to have to be forced on them.
Do I think the Palestinians have to be exterminated? Absolutely not! I don't think I even suggested it in my post.
What I am saying is that we are at war whether we realize it or not. The problem is not Israel nor has it ever been Israel. It is about the humiliation of Islam. That is where the fight is. 9/11 wasn't the beginning, nor will it be the end. Wars have to be fought and won. Half-measures... retreat and peace talks don't do any good when one side is not for peace but extermination.
Putting a Palestinian state on Israel's border without addressing this deep seeded seething hatred of the West by the Arabs will only lead another war. But Israel is being systematically weakened by those in the West who think if Israel gives and gives and gives that somehow the Arabs will be satisified. And the Arabs watch our attempts at appeasement and think we are weak and ripe for plucking.
Israel must be strengthened. So must the West. It is war! Declared on us by the Islamic fundamentalists whose cause and strength grows with each passing day.
No, you didn't even hint at it, and I certainly wasn't accusing you of it.
But I think there has to be some sort of resolution of the status of the West Bank and Gaza. Even if the Palestinians don't like it, we have to say, "This is it. Learn to live with it."
The limbo status of those territories ensures that it will be a continuing source of unrest and violence.
I'm not recommending that it be done today. We are in a war with Islam, and we're about to change the dynamics in a big way in Iraq. I'm even somewhat optimistic that the outcome will cascade through the entire Middle East. The ayatollas may be on the verge of collapse in Iran and that would be a huge development. The dinosaurs running Saudi Arabia could be next.
If a new environment develops, it may be possible to forge a lasting peace for Israel. It's a hope.