finally! we should all support secular humanism. Religious zealots are, and have been throughout history, the cause of hate and bloodshed.
13
We spend too much ink, time and treasure on Israel than is healthy for us in this country. Any objective measure will make is very, very clear, but we’re all in a bubble.
Some objective measures of comparison (People, GDP and area):
Israel: 9 Mil, $390 Bil, 8,522 Sq Miles
US: 330 Mil, $21,000 Bil, 3.8 Mil Sq Miles
The ratios are: 37:1, 54:1 and 446:1
The headline news is that Israel means far, far less to us than US should mean for Israel – if only we let it.
Israel is not strategic to the USA; Israel is strategic only to the US politicians.
If only our politicians grow some spine and *disengage*. There are 50 other countries on which this attention would be better spent to the benefit of America: try Canada, the UK, Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, ….
Sometimes on a quiet weekend, when I have the luxury of time, I fantasize how we would be treated by the rest of the world if we right-sized our relationship with Israel. We wouldn’t be burdened with the tsunami of ill will that flows our way, we wouldn’t fight others’ wars for them, we wouldn’t make others’ enemies ours, we would have the energy and attention to build real beneficial relationships with other consequential world powers, and we would have had an extra $150 Billion to use on our own schools, hospitals, roads and military.
Bottom line: Vote out any politician who puts any other country above our own. *Disengage*
16
Not a perfect outcome, but I'll take it. Time for Netanyahu to go. Hopefully, to prison. That would shake up Trump.
"Mr. Gantz and another party leader, Mr. Netanyahu’s former deputy, Avigdor Liberman, who won a kingmaker’s role, have advocated a broad coalition that would govern from the center and sideline the more extreme elements of Israeli politics.
That would mean that after a Netanyahu government beholden to the hard right and the ultra-Orthodox, a less polarizing administration could take shape that heeds the desires and interests of a broad majority of Israelis, many of them more secular in outlook."
24
May Gantz prevail.
Not a good omen for Donald Trump, is it?
Divide and conquer?
Maybe not.
Thank you, Israel.
47
Indictment and presumably jail for Netanyahu and his wife, should force Trump and his partners in crime, to look at their own likely position in 2020-21. It will soon be plain viewing!
39
@Parth Trived
Locking up your political opponents will surely unite the people.
The dictators sitting in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran must be so happy to see the disintegration of the Western Democracies.
2
@Roger
Political opponents are not being "locked up", neither in Israel nor in the US.
Corrupt leaders, aka criminals, though can be locked up both in Israel and the US of A once they are not in office any more.
15
Why doesn’t this article mention that Giants got the most votes?
1
I have to laugh. The far right always calls for unity after they lose.
33
Netanyahu was indicted and if convicted this will become a moot point.
7
@William He wasn't indicted yet, he will probably be indicted on October 2nd.
4
@William
Bibi will most certainly be indicted, but even in the Israeli parliamentary system there is a fairly new law that a sitting prime minister can't be kicked out and serve time in prison. Unfortunately the same charade exists here in the US, although it's not even a law.
A member of parliament can be indicted and go to prison, and/or a retired PM, as happened to former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert on corruption charges while he was mayor of Jerusalem.
4
Netanyahu is more corrupt than ever. Israel needs a change of leadership to be fair and to survive. Not a pardon.
It's about time, and Israelis need to stand up and give others the opportunity to make an honest change.
22
All national "unity" discussion exclude Israeli Arabs, 20% of the population, so "unity"?, not so much.
9
That is because the joint list does not support the state of Israel and seeks its demise. They say things and meet with individuals that all would seem treasonous in the United States.
8
Israelis are divided, so too are Americans.
There are many important basic divisive issues/
problems that I suppose will continue ... for
decades.
The elections in our realities, are
not meaningless, though chaos seemingly is
normative.
Meanwhile, contradictions r us, somehow we must
avoid going too far, which is an ambiguous, but
what phenomena are not subject to disagreement!
If the votes of the religious fundamentalists are discounted, who would have been the winner?
2
And we know how well the call for unity went in the US. Unity will never happen again in the US.
5
Interesting how Lieberman is portrayed here as a type of moderate because he opposes religious extremists when he so obviously hates Palestinians. I guess that is of secondary concern to the NYT.
14
Did we read the same article? There is a quote in which Lieberman says he will never sit with an Arab Coalition "in any universe.". I would I think that includes Palestinians?
13
I laughed when I read “long promised Trump administration peace plan.” Oh, Jared, you silly boy.
54
5:00 AM 19 September
Front page headline of (Hebrew print) left-wing ha-Aretz:
Dead End: Netanyahu and Gantz far from a majority (to form a coalition) - Fear in parties of more elections.
“Right now there are about 428 possible scenarios,” quipped Abraham Diskin, a veteran political scientist."
He is, of course, correct.
Everybody wants unity, but politicians usually want the other side to make the compromises that are necessary for it.
With Mr. Netanyahu there cannot be unity and even without him it is not a done deal.
Indictments are not a question; the question is just how soon. Possibly October, although it is important to remember that indictments do not automatically mean guilt.
The question is also if Mr. Netanyahu is willing to take the Likud down with him. There are voices today in the Likud calling for him to step down. They are behind the scenes. That too can change.
13
Israel is going to be a mess for decades, this election is just a blip. It's not about the politicians, it's about the system of occupation, the South Africa of the middle east. Even our media hero of the moment (Gantz) is opposed the Two state solution, favors the occupation and settlements, and is opposed to the Iran nuclear deal.
They're all Trump! Please spare us the illusions.
32
@Marco Philoso. The Arab Joint List will have the third largest number of members in the Knesset. How does that compare with the Parliamentary success of Africans in apartheid-era South Africa? You need to abandon discredited talking points.
Once the Palestinian Arabs acknowledge the existence of a Jewish people, their historical ties to the land and their right to self-determination, peace will have a chance - assuming they ever get to vote in anything approximating the free and open elections Israel has.
Why the Arabs are not satisfied with ruling over 99.75% of the Middle East lands of the former Ottoman Empire (and all the indigenous peoples within them) but demand 100%, is a question worth asking.
36
@Charlie in NY:
"Why the Arabs are not satisfied with ruling over 99.75% of the Middle East lands of the former Ottoman Empire (and all the indigenous peoples within them) but demand 100%, is a question worth asking."
It is said that there are four character types among people. (a) One who says, "My property is mine, and yours is yours," as an average person; (b) One who says, "Mine is yours and yours is mine" is an unlearned person; (c) One who says, "Mine is yours and yours is yours is scrupulously pious; (d) One who says, "Yours is mine and mine is mine," is wicked.
I leave it as an exercise to determine the source paraphrased for the preceding paragraph.
A more important exercise is to infer which of the four character types applies to which of the peoples in the Middle East.
(To conclude by saying that "my opinion is mine, and our opinion is yours" would make me... average, I suppose.)
4
@A. Reader. Under your four options, you would find the Arabs to be "wicked" as they seek the complete restoration of all the lands acquired during their imperial colonization of the Middle East and the continuing subjugation of all the region's indigenous peoples - even though they lost control by the 12th century and only regained control thanks entirely the British victory over the Ottoman Empire.
None of your categories fits the Jewish people's real world circumstance of "I accept your controlling 78% of my historical homeland, please leave me in peace on the remainder." I suggest it makes them accommodating and more than fair.
2
I hope an indictment is around the corner for Netanyahu and that it will put more fear into Trump at what will happen to him after 20 Jan 2021.
62
@stefanie Three indictments are coming on October 2nd.
2
Israel is unified in a profound sadness that will never go away. If Israel has the right to exist, it has the right to exist sad. A sad, sad, sad country.
12
@Louis Anthes
Are you aware that Israel consistently places among the countries in the world with a high rate of happiness, and a good place to live, acoording to residents?
Try figuring out the difference between what you think is true and what actually is.
16
The hawkish Gantz is to the hawkish Netanyahu what the hawkish O'Brien is to the hawkish Bolton:
Basically a new, less tarnished face for the same discredited, counterproductive policy.
15
@Martin
If the Arabs laid down their arms, there would be peace. If the Jews laid down their arms, there would be no more Israel. Fact.
33
Who will then fight against the occupation of Palestinian land and for right to return of Palestinian refugees?
8
@yulia
The refugees aren't returning to their 1948 homes, which no longer exist. When you refuse to make peace for over 70 years, things change.
Israel has a population about 8 times greater than in 1948. Many of those are Jewish refugees from Arab countries who immigrated to Israel. They aren't going back, and neither are the Palestinian refugees.
As far as the "fight" against the occupation - that's exactly what's gotten the Palestinians to where they are today. Fight wars and conduct terrorism instead of making peace.
All they've accomplished is to make their situation worse and convince even moderate Israelis that they aren't interested in peace.
They need to give up the "fight" and adopt non violence as a tactic. That's the only way they will ever accomplish anything.
15
If Netanyahu is ousted as prime minister that would be a small step in the right direction as far as this American is concerned. Israel's domestic politics are its own business, of course, but I have been uncomfortable knowing my tax dollars have helped the far-right Israeli government and its deeply troubling encouragement of the inflammatory and illegal West Bank settlements.
Plus, for me, Bibi has been persona non grata ever since he accepted Boehner's stunt invitation to address Congress. For Boehner it was an opportunity to embarrass Obama; for Bibi it was a chance to enlist Republicans as bit players in a free commercial for his reelection (and, well, an opportunity to embarrass Obama). If you feel the need to visit the U.S. again in future, Bibi, don't pretend to be outside our politics: register as the Republican Party functionary you are.
87
@G Obama blew it .He should have immediately invited Ms. Livni, the opposition candidate, to speak. That would have boxed N and Boehner in. More importantly, it would have given a strong woman leader a chance to speak on the world stage increasing not only Livni's chances to beat N but helping Hillary when she ran. We should never be afraid of dialogue.
14
It’s not certain yet who will be the prime minister of Israel. Right now Likud has 32 seats tentatively. Adding 9 seats from Shas and 8 seats from United Torah Judaism makes for a 49 seat coalition. 7 seats from Yamina world bring the coalition to 56 seats. Bringing in 5 seats from Democratic Camp means that the coalition would have 61 seats, the minimum to have Binyamin Netanyahu stay in power as the prime minister.
Right now they are still counting ballots. It’s possible that Likud could have 31 seats instead of 32 seats, necessitating a defection from Labor-Gesher or Yisrael Beytenu. A lower number of seats for Yamina would cause problems, but someone might move across the aisle in order to avoid another election.
Ehud Barak should be viewed as an alternate to Avigdor Liberman as a kingmaker. The last 5 seats matter and he is a good choice to recruit for the sake on national unity. He has changed parties in the past and is probably more flexible than Avigdor Liberman in most issues.
I hope that Israel avoids a third election and I encourage the New York Times to cover Democratic Camp developments. It’s going to be close but it’s probably going to work.
5
@Nicole
Are you talking about the Democratic Union? That is a bloc of progressive parties that will never enter a coalition with the slue of right wing parties you mention. In fact, when the party was formed from a merger of several small parties this summer, the agreement included the statement, "We will not lend our hand to a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu, and not a right-wing government headed by the puppets of Netanyahu in any situation, in any scenario, in any way."
5
Dear Amir,
I meant Democratic Union when I wrote my post. The Times of Israel uses the term Democratic Camp in its coverage. I think Labor-Gesher, Yisrael Beytenu and Democratic Camp have all sworn off an alliance with the right. Someone has to change positions and defections from Yamina to a Blue and White led coalition are almost as likely as a shift on the left side of Israeli politics towards Likud.
So Gantz is a considered a centrist in Israel?
Will he end the occupation? No.
Did he speak out against the killing of 200 Palestinian protestors, including children, nurses, medics and journalists? No, he actually defended the killings.
Will he support a two state solution so that Palestinians can have a viable state of their own? No, not at all.
He seems pretty right wing to me.
34
@White Hat The rocket attacks against Israel get more press.
3
@White Hat
They're referencing the killing of 100-180 Palestinians in the spring and into the summer of 2018 during the Gaza "March of Return" border protests. It is true that many of those killed were children, nurses, and journalists Others who were killed were para-military of various sorts. There were also many thousands of seriously injured during the protests. Also, the protests were almost certainly pointless because the thing protestors were demanding is a non-starter.
I'm to sure what you're disputing. Also, there is no viable solution to the current untenable status quo between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
3
@A. Simon meet the new boss. Same as the old boss....
3
It is telling that Trump has not only refused to call Netanyahu after the election, he's preparing to dump him. He publicly stated today that his relationship was never with Netanyahu, the "relationship is with Israel." That's news to plenty of us, as Trump made it crystal clear what he thought of the "Disloyalty" of all Jews who refused to support him and his twisted vision of America, and Netanyahu and his twisted vision of Israel.
It is well worth reading some of the headlines and stories in the English language versions of Israeli newspapers on this election outcome. Such as the right-wing Jerusalem Post, and the Left-leaning Haaretz.
Even the Jerusalem Post concedes that Netanyahu lost.
"In a down and dirty campaign, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannibalized the Right, declared that Israeli-Arabs are the enemy of the state – and still came up short at the ballot box," The Jerusalem Post declared.
"With Indictment Around the Corner, Netanyahu Is at the Mercy of the Attorney General."
"Netanyahu Will Pull Out All the Stops - Including Military Action - to Hold on to Power."
"Many Israelis chose a leader willing to do battle for the rights of secular people against perceived religious coercion."
And a favorite from Haaretz:
"Israel Election Results: Trump Just Lost His Wall — the One He Called Bibi Netanyahu. What Bibi knows is exactly what Trump, in his heart of hearts, must truly fear. The look of a different wall from the inside. The prison wall."
71
There's a bit of aspirational reporting here, stretching what we know a bit to what a desired outcome, according to the NY Times. For one thing, to say that Netanyahu is "likely" to indicted rather than "possibly" is stretching it. The math is also aspirational. On the one hand, to add in the Arab parties to Blue & White to make the math look even, but then (correctly) say the Arab list will never be in the coalition is disingenuous. Because the numbers of likely coalition partners is what traditionally determined who gets the nod. IF Netanyahu gets indicted during the six week period of coalition talks, then it may clear the way for a national unity government.
4
According to the news after the elections, Israel is deeply divided due to the wear of the figure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Can former army chief Benny Gantz unify the country?
1
No surprise Trump true to form cast Netanyahu aside, When asked by a reporter to comment on the Israeli election and the probability that Netanyahu would not be the next Prime Minister .
His response was the results are close, but anyhow our relationship is with Israel.
So I guess Trumps bro mance with Bibi is now officially over.
21
Trump is a very fickle fan. Unless he owes them big - like Putin and Saudi Arabia. I can’t believe more Republicans don’t realize that and band together to get him out.
10
I hope a certain U.S. politician goes the same way 16 months from now as Bibi is likely going. (Same place, too.)
50
Netanyahu, Johnson and trump; what a triumphant of clowns.
44
@David J
Well taken. I guess you meant to say triumvirate, though.
13
One things is staring to become clear--Netanyahu is getting weaker over time. A third election, if it ever happened, would quite likely accelerate that trend. Also, it is hard to see how a coalition with him as head of Likud could survive very long. And let's not forget he has a pre-trial hearing coming up in a couple of weeks.
12
Where are the women in Israeli political leadership? No wonder the country is at loggerheads.
29
I can only see stalemate here. If Blue and White is at 56 seats including the 13 seats from the Arab Joint List, then Blue and White needs the 8 seats from Liberman. But Liberman will not sit with the Arab Joint List or a right wing Ultra Orthodox party. As to a Likud and Blue and White unity government, Likud and Netanyahu will only accede to it if he is PM but Blue and White will not agree to that. That brings Israel back to the beginning. Can anyone say deja vu?
6
Give me a break! The U.S. has a better chance of governing with some sense of unity than Israel.
Ultra-orthodox Jews are one of the fastest growing demographics in the country. And they ain't about no compromise! They're the Taliban without guns.
And now, under that buffoon Netanyahu, they've tasted power. They may make a strategic retreat after this election. But they will be back with a vengeance.
I honestly don't know what this beautiful and once admirable country can do. When a nation is founded with religion front and center, and, yes, I know several of Israel's founding fathers were basically atheist, what do you do with people who take the religion to an intolerable extreme?
49
Sometimes, a major shift in the underlying dynamics of a society is not obvious right away, but only in retrospect (e.g., the effect of ending the Vietnam War; 9/11; the collapse of Lehman Brothers). I think this election is one of those 'fork in the road' type of events. Sure, Netanyahu's Likud Party gained as many seats as the Blue-White Alliance (Kahol Lavan) and, in theory, Netanyahu could form a governing coalition.
However, there were factors suggesting that Netanyahu's 'time' as leader is over. First, the Blue-White coalition actually got more votes than Likud. This is the first time that has happened in a long time. Second, Netanyahu is also liable to face criminal prosecution for corruption. If charged and found guilty, it would essentially doom his political career.
Third, most importantly, it is possible for Blue-White to put together a governing coalition that does not involve any religious parties. For once, the religious parties will not be able to blackmail the rest of the society because they have a critical number of seats. Most Israeli's are probably breathing a sigh of relief over that (like everywhere else, they don't want ultra-religious people telling them how they should live their lives).
I just hope that this election is a preview of what could happen next year here in the U.S. Just imagine a government without an authoritarian head and in which a religious group does not have much influence in government policy. One can only hope!
46
Israel’s government and its elections reminds me of Shtisel, I need subtitles to understand anything about what’s going on.
11
Hopefully, Trump is next to fall.
56
@KJC let's all pray for this
15
Interesting, now trump is distancing himself from Netanyahu. He only supports “winners” like himself. I think their relationship cost Bibi a lot of votes, and the election, which is fine with me. Israel needs leaders who will work for peace, not more settlements and borders.
104
@Rob Kaufman
On Dec. 2, 1947, just days after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to partition historic Palestine into Jewish and Arab-ruled sections, the Ulama or chief scholars of Sunni Islam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo– the leading university of the Arab World– issued a fatwa calling on the world’s Muslims to launch a Jihad to destroy the incipient Jewish state. It was reiterated by the Ulama, in April 1948, days before the Egyptian Army and three other Arab armies attacked Palestine, giving the campaign a “religious imprimatur.” The fatwa was reissued later that year.
“It was clear the Arabs had lost the war,” Morris said, but reissuing the Fatwa signaled it was meant “to stand for future years, for future generations, for whatever bout there will be against the Jews.”
As noted in his book and repeated at the conference, Matiel Mighannam, a Lebanese Christian woman who headed the Arab Women’s Organization in Palestine, affiliated with the Arab High Command, told an interviewer: “The UN decision has united all Arabs as they have never been united before, not even against the Crusaders.” She added that a Jewish state had no chance to survive and “All the Jews will eventually be massacred.”
http://www.theseniortimes.com/1948-was-a-holy-war-for-arabs-historian-says/
As long as most Palestinians are devout Muslims (85% of Palestinian Muslims want sharia law.) and as long as the Jewish State controls even one square inch of land, peace is impossible.
11
@m1945 Oh right, so this is just about religion? And a religion we are told we shouldn't like? I thought there was little more too it. Silly me.
7
Tragic but true.
1
What goes around comes around. The dirty divisive work by Bibi did not play out in the election Hope common sense will prevail enabling Gantz to form an unity Government. Hope the same comes true in US.
35
Rm, Bibi used the trump playbook, scorched earth politics.
26
Trump thinks he’s invincible. So did Bibi.
2
This article contradicts itself, it adds the joint Arab list to the B&W coalition while then saying that they would not be joining a coalition government with Odeh perhaps becoming opposition leader. Also absent from this article is that many Arab lawmakers actively oppose the existence of the state of Israel even as they are elected to serve it.
The real play will be whether Likud will be willing to jettison Bibi to join B&W. If not, B&W does not have enough MKs to form a government. Bibi still has the power to nullify a government unless Likud nullify's him.
6
If Netanyahu is out of power there is a far smaller chance of Israel becoming an issue in next year's US presidential election, which will be very good for both countries.
However, if Netanyahu remains in power Israel is almost certain to become a campaign wedge issue between Democrats and Republicans.
For everyone's sake (except perhaps extremist Republicans) Netanyahu must go.
109
This same article with minor variations will likely be written a day after our election day in 2020. Except our election will be even more divisive, by design, as Trump ends a scorched earth campaign.
Buckle up. It going to be a bumpy night. ~ Bette Davis
28
@George
"Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." And credit where credit is due: Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay. Bette Davis merely delivered the line, however expertly.
9
Wow. The Administration said the U.S. Plan would be issued when the time is right. And Trump hasn't stolen the spotlight yet? Wish this were a new world.
2
Sure, NOW Netanyahu wants us to believe he’s only human. I’m not holding my breath.
8
Young voters are more secular and care more about the environment, peace, equality and freedom, not just for themselves but others as well. They are a force.
53
And Thank God or whatever non-secular power you believe in.
1
True. But the Orthodox are the ones shouting and fighting for attention.
1
This result could scuttle Trump's peace plan, you say? Jared spent weeks on this peace plan and it will be not just sad but tragic if he can't put it in place. Goodbye world peace.
20
@Will Tose
Lol , poor Jared he may actually have to recognize the Palestinians as human beings like the rest of the world has already done.
89
@Ralph Petrillo
Only human beings would fire unguided rockets at Israeli population centers - a crime against humanity.
Only human being would set Israeli crops on fire - a war crime.
Only human being would pay people to murder Jews, the more Jews they kill, the more money they get, more money than judges or doctors.
10
Meh. Nothing will change. Too much expectations and optimism placed on Gantz. Bibi has stuck around because he’s a pro at politics.
He does what he does and acts how he acts because of those who he represents and needs support from.
It’s more the people themselves have to change if they want their leaders to change. That’s hard.
21
"...estimates based on unofficial counts showed Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition with 56 seats, 6 short of the 61-seat majority, and Mr. Gantz’s center-left bloc with the same total, counting Arab support."
This is not a good description of the situation at all. Netanyahu and Gantz command 30-some seats each. Bibi's past coalitions with the religious and extremist parties are no longer applicable, and the "Arab support" for Gantz is only a theoretical possibility. If Yisrael Beiteinu's posture holds, neither set of minor parties can be governing partners.
10
@Erik Rensberger
Netanyahu got defeated. Just amazing results.
3
56 seats would be 5 seats short of the 61 needed for a coalition, not 6 seats. 56 and 6 equals 62.
2
What Netanyahu said about Israeli Arabs is almost identical to the anti semetic slurs hurled by Father Charles Coughlin and other reactionary bigots more than 75 years ago. It's sad and depressing.
133
@Bob Burke
If only he was as irrelevant as Coughlin though. Netanyahu killed thousands of people, and imprisoned many thousands more. He bulldozed thousands of homes, razed villages, stole land. Sad and depressing indeed.
15
Hallelujah
12
Include the Arabs.
Include the Arabs.
Include the Arabs.
71
It would be a very good thing for Israel to move in a more democratic, less divisive direction. Likewise for the United States.
120
As long as Lieberman is part of the next government, Israel remain strong.
1
And if he's not, Israel becomes, what, weak?
5
One can only hope Netanyahu will be denied another term as Prime Minister. After nearly a decade in power he embodies the adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
95
We now see the faint flicker of a two-state solution. If so, Arab stakeholders face similar, difficult existential decisions.
May both sides choose wisely - mindful of the generations to come.
Perhaps Israel will act in ways that engender bipartisan American goodwill. If not, the country will have squandered democratic support in both the US and the EU.
54
@USAF-RetProf. Lol! Bibi was not stopping the two state solution. I'm sure the Magical Mystery Palestinian Partner for Peace will appear any moment now just like the Tooth Fairy!
14
@USAF-RetProf
The two state solution is dead. It was killed deliberately by a decades long policy of settlement construction intended precisely to make a viable independent Palestinian state an impossibility.
For a while, efforts were made to prop up the corpse a la "Weekend at Bernie's" by means of peace talks that never went anywhere. More recently the idea of two states has lived exclusively in the occasional half-hearted but obligatory utterances of American and European diplomats excusing their support for the current apartheid-like treatment of the Palestinians. Israelis and Palestinians have largely dropped the charade.
Palestinians and Israeli Jews live in roughly equal numbers on small sliver of land ruled by a single state and likely will continue to do so for a long time.
The real question is what the character of that single state will be. Presently it is a democracy for Jews and a brutal military dictatorship for most Palestinians.
Some Palestinians fantasize about "driving the Jews into the sea" but such dreams are as impotent as they are predictable amongst a people herded into bleak ghettos accessible only through military checkpoints.
Far more serious are the schemes of some Israeli politicians to "transfer" some or all of the Palestinians into the desert as they have the means to actually implement their vision.
The solution is a democratic binational state based on one person/one vote with communal rights for both peoples. There is no other.
24
@USAF-RetProf
Sadly, the two state solution has been dead for a while. The settlements are too massive, the Palestinian territories too carved up, and the Israeli people too emotionally detached from the suffering of those under occupation to rise to their defense.
21