Well, I can't speak in Black Baron's name... but I'm a "frontliner", too. [img]smile.gif[/img] It seems that (most) of the people here are rational people that try to look at the big picture before taking any decision--which is something I truly appreciate and try to do the same myself. I'd be more than willing to share my thoughts with you on this matter.
I'd start with a disclaimer, though: I'm a secular individual, so the so-called "promised land" issue isn't close to my heart as it is to others, and my opinions accordingly. Secondly... you'll have to excuse me if I do many grammatical/spelling mistakes--as my spell-checker isn't working lately, and English obviously isn't my mother tongue.
I'd like to point out one important issue that is oft twisted by the media (as hard as it is to admit it,
every station has its interests, purity of journalism or not). Israelis--well, most of them--are not interested in holding on to the annexed territories forever. We've seen too much bloodshed, felt too much pain, lost *too* much lives of innocents because of them. Most Israeli soldiers are actually willing to use controlled force
against their own people in order to evacuate the settlements if ordered to. However, the evacuation must be a part of an agreement that deals, *in depth*, with the number one issue for Israel--security. Imagine this: Israel returns the annexed territories to the Palestinians, against the will of hundreds of thousands of its citizens--and a week after that, a suicide bomber kills 20 people in the very heart of Tel Aviv. Is that such a fictional scenario? You'll be the judge. While you're at it, think of Israel's response.
The crux of the problem, as it is reflected from the scenario above, is *trust*. They don't trust us to ever give them their lands back. We don't trust them to have the ability to restrain their radical groups (if you can call them radical at all--as they form more than half of their population). However... hope's far from being lost. Seeing the constant failures of our leaders in achieving
anything, new initiatives crop up in both sides. After all--trust between leaders is nothing, trust between people (and on the larger scale, societies) is everything. The most impressive project is that of Amd.(ret) Ami Ayalon (the former head of the GSS, so no one suspects he'll agree to something that risks Israel's safety, let alone suggest and promote it) and Dr. Sari Nusseibeh (the head of the Palestinian university, if memory serves), called "
The Peoples' Voice". I honestly suggest you take a look if the matter is close to your heart. It's a promising project.
Projects such as this one are, in my opinion, the way to go. I don't know if The Peoples' Voice will end the feud--au contraire, I believe it won't. But it plants the seeds of compromise in both sides--even on the subconscious level--seeds that'll hopefully grow to fruitful trees in the near future. Isn't that poetic? :-\
Well, I can go on and on, but I feel I've rambled enough for now, let alone striding off-topic. Anyway, thank you for reading. [img]smile.gif[/img]
[ 01-11-2004, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Alson ]