The settlement freeze was a 1 year agreed on freeze that had expired, everyone knew when the settlements were going to get started again. It is interesting how the talks were scheduled and designed to start not during the year, but just when the year was about to expire. It would have been politically smart to do it earlier.
Personally I wish I could say I see peace in the future but I do not, I know the propaganda that is taught the hatred taught to the children. I know in Israel majority will readily accept peace true peace where there are no radicals willing to blow themselves up, no suicide bombers. But I have seen dozens of photos of Palestinian babies dressed up in suicide bomber gear and know that this hatred is embedded there and since it is extremists it is not something that will go away. And yes there are some hardline Israeli's as well but they are not taking suicide bombs and blowing up Palestinian and anyone who attacks an arab gets arrested and is imprisoned in Israel. And Israel does have open elections. So while I think there are walls on both sides, I believe Israel if they can have true peace will gladly and have numerously offered concessions (and given back before) for peace. Each time there has just been more violence though.
The sad part of it was an article I found from the viewpoint of some older Palestinians who remember before 1967 when they would played with their Jewish neighbors and understood the situation from a totally different perspective from the new generation.
I think this talks will end up being mostly rhetoric for politically reasons for the world to see, Abbas does not have the ability or control to give full peace, if he ran for office again there is a high chance he would not get re-elected which is why their elections have been postponed.
Until you have been there and live there and understand the security in Israel needed for people, it is a country and people who know what it means to be surrounded by enemies, a country created in some ways because the world almost allowed Jews to become an extinct nation, attacked constantly, survival is the key concept. Security is not something that can be guaranteed as we have already seen in just this week alone.
On a side interesting point is Lebanon granting rights to Palestinians, which can in some ways help ease certain stressors, but that may take years to full help ease the tension and security issues there.
---------- Post added at 06:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:48 AM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I don't know that much about Jerusalem, but I'm not sure the city could be divided in the same way. I think at worst it would be more of a psychological/cultural/religious divide than it would be a physical/geographic divide.
I'd like it if someone who knew more about the city could enlighten us on that.
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It will have major issues since there is the old city and temple mount which both will need to ensure security of. It is also all hills, and a very interesting area it would be very difficult to create an easy fixed division. It will probably require UN security or some agreed on security solution for the temple mount, if the talks reach that point.
But please note Barak is not Netanyahu. And while Barak may signal that, I have huge doubts that this is fully agreed on by the whole government.