Wanted: an honest broker

[Classical_Liberal]

Wanted: an honest broker

An Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement is looking more like a will-o'-the-wisp as a cycle of retaliatory violence continues unabated. Last week's assassination by the Israeli military of the new Hamas leader, Mr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi -- less than a month after the killing of the Hamas founder and spiritual leader, Mr. Sheik Ahmed Yassin -- has added oil to the fire. The radical Islamic group is vowing to avenge their deaths.......

Mr. Sharon, trying to set his own terms of peace, appears to be taking a high-stakes gamble. He seems to believe that use of force is the only way to achieve peace. But, as events in Iraq demonstrate, a strategy that relies heavily on military might cannot break the chain of hatred and violence. Mr. Sharon's game plan will likely fail unless it wins support, even if reluctant, from a majority of Palestinians......

Not surprisingly, the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush reacted sympathetically, saying Israel has "the right to defend itself"; it referred to Hamas as a "terrorist organization." At the same time, though, in a veiled warning against retaliations, the White House said the U.S. was "gravely concerned for regional peace and stability."

Still, there is little doubt that Israel's hardline policy has the blessing of the U.S. In his meeting with President Bush last week, Mr. Sharon got almost everything he wanted from him regarding his unilateral peace plans, particularly the plans to keep Jewish settlements in the West Bank while pulling all settlements from the Gaza Strip.....

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?ed20040421a1.htm

[Oak]

1. A broker for what?

There can be no compromise between Israel, a democratic country, and the Palestinian Authority, a terrorist regime bent on its destruction.

[Classical_Liberal]

2. Nice slogan

The Palestinian Authority recognized Israel in the Oslo days.

[Oak]

3. Oh really?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x66436

[Classical_Liberal]

4. Yes, and Oslo is more recent than the Palestinian Charter

.

[brainshrub]

5. I'm not sure Israel is a real Democracy.

It looks more like a quazi-theocratic aparthid state.

[sir_captain]

6. that's dumb

it has an official religion, but the government is elected democratically. give me a break.

[Classical_Liberal]

7. It is a democracy but only like the South was

before the Civil Rights act.

[Muddleoftheroad]

8. Why? Because non-citizens can't vote?

I daresay, most states handle things that way.

[Classical_Liberal]

9. Because a high percentage of people that live in their country

aren't granted citizenship, because they are different ethnic group. Sharon considers the West Bank Israel and settles it's citizens there who also have more privlages than the Palestinian natives.