Peace in the Middle East?

There's a bright future ahead, but we're going to have to walk through a tunnel with scary mirrors of twisted reflections and fears to get there. If we walk together, we'll be alright.

Won't happen.

(In our lifetime...)

Maybe a few centuries from now, when all the religious freaks are dead or something.

Yeah right...does anyone here really believe that civilization will still be around in a few centuries? If we don't blow everything up ourselves, something natural will wreck it for us.

Sure it can happen overnight if certain people realize that the Jewish people have established a homeland that is no threat to their neighbors. What exactly do the foes of Zionism wnat? Do they want the Jewish people to lay down and die?

Damn mr the glass is half-full.

I doubt we'll recognise whatever the world will be in a few centuries; we're headed towards a make-or-break period that'll change the face of human civilisations in most profound ways.

Obviosly there are people who do want that.
Tell me, do americans and jews want the muslim world to just lay down and die? obviosly there are those that want that too.

Ummm, Yes, actually they do.

BAH! Lets just nuke it all & start over!!!

Peace in the middle east......
That won't come about till the machines take over.

It won't take long. We just need to assemble all the armies of the world at Har Megido.

Indeed, Garoad. That would also apply to the religious freaks on the Israeli side of the equation. They're not exactly blameless either. You do realise that the semitic muslim population that have inhabited that region for the last 2,000 years isn't just going to roll over and die merely to accomodate a group of pushy squatters with nebulous claims to the land. But then again, they're just the 'injuns' to be shot, put on reservations or exterminated, eh? There's more than a whiff of 'Israel Uber Alles' in much of the propaganda I have come across over the years. Maybe if the Israelis had stuck scrupulously to the 1947 borders and shown a bit of gratitude instead of their overwhelming air of entitlement things might have panned out differently.

As I understand it, there has been a significant Jewish, Christian, and secular population in that area for the last 2000 years as well. Hardly squatters, I'd say. I only state this, as any real solution must be built upon the understanding that the land does not belong solely to just one group.

No. I know plenty of Jewish people who are most certainly not Zionists. Do not allow propagandists such as Garoad, Jellin et al confuse the issue. Judaism and Zionism are entirely separate phenomena. Being opposed to Zionism is not the same as being 'anti-semitic' though there is bound to be a substantial overlap between the 2 categories. For instance, I am opposed to Zionism but I have no problem whatsoever with Jewish people. From my POV, they're just a group of people following a particular religion much the same as any other group of people who subscribe to one or another of the many religions in the world today.

Uma, I think you misunderstood me. The 'squatters' was in reference to the new arrivals who pushed the local population aside to pave the way for the creation of the modern state of Israel. It is my belief that it was poorly thought out by a mish-mash of extremists and well-wishers.

I understand now and agree with you.

My immediate answer is no. In addition to religious differences the parties involved have different notions and justifications on who the land "really" belongs to. Add to this a "what they did to us" crap list that must be avenged.

Then again, I recently browed a book about English history. Holy crap! In addition to violence from invasions there were savage civil wars about who "really" should be king. The illustrations from the time showed battles, dead bodies, severed heads, more dead bodies, and at least one guy getting skinned alive. Even when things got more under control one could still be locked up or killed if they practiced the "wrong" religion.
If a space alien visited at the time she'd think "Wow, this place is a zoo. Thes people are a bunch of crazy savages. There'll never be peace here!".

Of course, peace doesn't mean a happy ending for all involved. People get killed, cultures get destroyed and only those who survive get to enjoy any period of peace. Not that I advocate killing people or destroying cultures, but that's often what happens.

This thread reminds me of a song by Gordon Thomas called Peace, Peace.

http://www.gordonthomas.com/html/music.html

There is a clip of it there. It's quite possibly the worst music I have ever heard.

(Sorry for the silly post contributing nothing, but I can't get the darn thing out of my head)