June 12, 2009

Suddenly, The West Bank Seems A Lot More Like Bermuda

Eli Lake is reporting that Netanyahu's speech on Sunday is going to be something of a concession speech:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a major shift, will accept the notion of a Palestinian state -- a policy pushed by the Obama administration but resisted until now by Mr. Netanyahu, Israeli officials and Americans briefed on the Israeli leader's thinking said.
This comes across as a major concession, considering not only Netanyahu's position till now, but also the backing he has from Israeli opinion, based on a poll that just came out.

However, this concession comes with conditions:
• Any Palestinian state must be demilitarized, without an air force, full-fledged army or heavy weapons.

• Palestinians may not sign treaties with powers hostile to Israel.

• A Palestinian state must allow Israeli civilian and military aircraft unfettered access to Palestinian airspace, allow Israel to retain control of the airwaves and to station Israeli troops on a future state's eastern and southern borders.

• Palestinians must accept Israel as a Jewish state, a nod to the hawkish side of Mr. Netanyahu's governing coalition that has raised concerns that the Palestinian Authority, which nominally governs the West Bank, does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Of course it remains to be seen whether Netanyahu's conditions fare any better than Sharon's 14 reservations.

Ed Morrissey notes what the consequences would be if Netanyahu's conditions are met:
That won't mean independence for the Palestinians; it will mean a greater degree of autonomy, but still leave them in a de facto protectorate status, much like we have seen with Bermuda and the UK this week.
Which kind of makes the West Bank and Bermuda comparable.

This week it was announced that Obama wants to send the Muslim Uighurs who are detained at Guantanamo Bay to Bermuda.

John Hinderaker writes at Powerline:
The Obama administration has now found some of the the Uighurs, at least, a home--in Bermuda. As far as I can tell, they will be free there, the only constraint being that they can't come to the U.S. But then, why would they want to? Bermuda may or may not be Heaven on earth, but it's my nominee. If you haven't been there, you should go. But, if I'm not mistaken, you can only buy a round-trip ticket. Bermuda doesn't allow riffraff to hang around. You have to apply to get in if you want to stay for more than a week or two. Except, I guess, if you're an Islamic terrorist who has become an embarrassment to Barack Obama. It is a very weird world in which we live.
Apparently, not only would Bermuda and the West Bank be protectorates (with the US theoretically assuming the position the UK has with Bermuda), but both will be a welcome home to terrorists.

And the advantage of the West Bank: terrorists already come included!

by Daled Amos
Posted by daledamos at June 12, 2009 1:28 PM
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Comments

i think israels biggest fear is for a arab country to become strong enough to behave in the same manner as the jewish state, while seeking peace.

Posted by: sass at June 12, 2009 3:28 PM

The Palestinians can have with Israel a status similar to the Basques, French Canadiens and Chechens. That is the most they can realistically expect to get from Israel. With a home rule government, its not all that different from Wales and Scotland in the UK, which have their own Parliaments and regional governments. What's wrong with that solution? So they have a flag? Autonomous governments around the world have all the trappings of statehood - just not the formal attribute of independence.

Posted by: NormanF at June 12, 2009 3:58 PM

Such a solution should be acceptable unless one's true goal is the obliteration of Israel.

Posted by: Laura at June 12, 2009 7:12 PM

If indeed Arab countries behaved in the same manner as the Jewish state instead of the tyrannies and terror states that they are, there would be peace.

Posted by: Laura at June 12, 2009 7:13 PM

Demilitarization is a fantasy. They can't keep Gaza "demilitarized". Why should it be any easier for Judea and Samaria?

Posted by: zee at June 13, 2009 12:34 AM

your solution is just rebranding the same old product-colonialism
how this for a solution-israel settles this conflict by following international and humanitarian law.

Posted by: sass at June 13, 2009 10:59 AM

How can the native people of an area be colonialists? The only colonialists are the arab invaders of Israel.

Posted by: Laura at June 13, 2009 11:54 AM

your ignorance of the palestinians is matched only by your ignorance of the where the jews originated from.
how can the jews be called 'native' when they conquered 'the land called canaan'.

http://ifamericansknew.org/history/origin.html

Posted by: sass at June 13, 2009 7:54 PM

like all colonial enterprises of the past, which needs need a sponser, the zionist first sponser was britian -for its creation; and now the USA -for its expansion. take away the sponserships from the zionist colonies in palestine and the jewish state would crumble under the weight of this costly venture into a arab country.

Posted by: sass at June 13, 2009 9:21 PM

What do the Canaan's have to do with anything? The issue is who has a greater claim to the land of Israel, Jews or arabs, and the Jews were in Israel LONG before the arabs. It's time to expel the arab invaders from Israel.

Your ignorance of history is only matched by your vile disgusting hatred of Jews.

Posted by: Laura at June 13, 2009 9:36 PM

Zee,

If nothing else, Netanyahu's conditions--assuming the report is correct--will draw attention to the innate problems with the two state solution.

Posted by: Daled Amos at June 13, 2009 11:39 PM

obviously laura your understanding of palestinian history, and for that matter jewish history, is based on the zionist version of history, which is full of myths and distortions. books such as joan peters 'from time immemorial' which was proven to be a total fraud from start to finish, yet is still a best seller for the purblind orthodoxy in america is a perfect example.

implicit in jewish mythogy, and actually stated in some zionist propoganda, is the notion that the arabs first came to palestine in the 7th century, at the time they were being converted to the moslem faith. this is simply not true. the moslem conquest of palestine did not involve any mass immigration from the arabs of the arabian peninsula into palestine or any colonization of that country . the number of invaders was very small and they were assimulated by the indegenous population. many of the orginal inhabitants were converted to islam and ,as a consequence, the predominantly arab christian population became predominantly arab moslem.the palestinians are the continuous inhabitants of israel 'from time immemorial'. where as the first israelite occupation was only an episode in the history of a arab country.

i have explain this all before and all you do is spurt the standard propoganda line, which has been proven to be false and is pure mythology

Posted by: sass at June 14, 2009 12:50 AM

"obviously laura your understanding of palestinian history, and for that matter jewish history, is based on the zionist version of history, which is full of myths and distortions. books such as joan peters 'from time immemorial' which was proven to be a total fraud from start to finish, yet is still a best seller for the purblind orthodoxy in america is a perfect example".
................................................
Proven by who? I'm curious about your sources. My understanding of history is based upon facts, archeological evidence. The Jewish presence in Israel goes back almost 4000 years. Yours is based on muslim mythology. But why even attempt to reason with a pathetic moonbat.

Posted by: Laura at June 14, 2009 12:21 PM

when joan peters book, 'from time immemorial:the origin of the arab- jewish conflict over palestine' was published in the US the critics were united in awe at the epic scale, thoroughness and the accuracy of her reasearch and scholarship.
when joan peters book was printed overseas it was swiftly and igominiously demolished. 'ludicrous and worthless' concluded the historian albert hourani;'preposterous',enjoined sir ian and david gilmour in a 8000 world hatchet job in the london review of books; in israel ,the labour party daily davar likened it to more lamentable of the country's past propoganda exicises; and avishai margalit, head of the philosophy dept at the hebrew university, called it 'a web of deceit'.
then you have what norman finkelstein concluded- her investigation had been neither first hand,original or rigorous, but merely a delving into 'half a century's zionist propoganda tracts'. the result was 'among the most spectacular frauds ever plublished on the arab-israel conflict'; 'no mean distinction', he added, 'in a field littered with crass propoganda, forgeries and fakes'

the list goes on and on ,yet its still a best seller in america, especially with 'know nothing american zionis such as yourself.

Posted by: sass at June 14, 2009 6:15 PM

Finkelstein? LOL just as I expected, your sources are radical left moonbats just like yourself.

Posted by: Laura at June 14, 2009 7:21 PM

Finkelstein is also BTW a holocaust denier.

Posted by: Laura at June 14, 2009 7:24 PM
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