re: #11 Samson

I simply will not trust Likud. That’s the plain and simple of it. They have done nothing to distance themselves from their past, and have in fact attempted to whitewash at least one of the attacks.

And I actually do remember seeing a story about settlers wrecking a graveyard, along with semi-regular stories about vandalizing of Mosques on the West Bank.

In addition, look at what happened from the Arab point of view in regards to the expulsion of Jews from the Middle East. In their eyes, in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Arabs were fled out of fear of massacre (Deir Yassin had just happpened) or being forced out by Irgun. So, in the most base reaction, the Arabs retaliated against innocent Jews in the area. Was it rational. No.

Was it normal though? Unfortunately yes. There are many instances in history of an ethnic group being expelled from an area due to circumstances. The Expulsion of Jews and Muslims in Spain in the late 1400’s, what happened to Germans in what is today Poland and Kaliningrad after World War II (No, the Germans living there did not deserve expulsion. They were not individually responsible for what happened).

What I see is a situation that has been needlessly exacerbated by the actions of Arab World in a very misguided want of revenge for something only TWO (Irgun and Lehi) relatively small groups was responsible for. These two groups actions, especially at Deir Yassin, added fuel to the fire.

Yes, I realize that visitation to sites in the West Bank important to the Jewish people will be limited. However, we both know that any settlement will mean the same being true for Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. My goal is to have definite borders put down so we can get to getting both sides (yes, there are issues on the Israeli side, though more minor in scale) to cool down and to get a better relationship for generations after mine. Things can heal. It may take a while, but it can happen. Europe used to be just as nasty as what we see now in the Middle East. But now the ethnic rivalries are only aggressive in the Balkans.

In addition, I distinctly remember a hit piece you did against the Community Center in Manhattan several months ago. Since then, I pegged you as Anti-Muslim.

re: #10 Bob Levin

In the case of Hebron, I would have to imagine that the actions of the settlers would increase resentment.

Continued issues involving water also feed it overall throughout the West Bank (among other things). It might sound good to say the Palestinians should do things regarding water, but Israel has spend a major amount of money on these projects. Money the PA simply doesn’t have. In addition, perhaps the settlers and other people using the water could cut back on consumption just a little bit.

In regards to the air control mentioned, Netanyahu said he wanted Israel to have complete control over airspace above the West Bank.

And again, the Palestinians are afraid of being surrounded by Israel and being fragmented by the settlements. To them, a fragmented West Bank will be unsustainable because they think Israel will make it hard to go from town to town. In addition, I’ve known Palestinians here, and they tend to talk ALOT about Deir Yassin. They are paranoid of a repeat occurring.

Also, the current abysmal relations between Jewish and Arab communities are a recent an unusual anomaly. Most of this uptick started in the 1870’s though there were issues before.

Things may not have been perfect before that period, but they certainly were better. I wish to work towards restoring than building something better out of it.