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Originally Posted by NHØP
That doesen't change the fact that the US is giving its permission for Israel to do certain things in this instance. Whether Israel chooses to follow this advice is another matter.
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Advice is not permission.
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It is important to remember though that Israel is the #1 recipient of US financial and military assistance in the world. If the US chooses to defy US "advice", there may be serious consequences. This, plus the fact that the US is the world's preeminent superpower, does give us a certain amount of leverage here.
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So? You think we have a lot of leverage in the Muslim world? The US will never abandon Israel as long as it is a democratic and free society. As long as millions of Arabs surround her and threaten to kill her we will protect her. We would do the same for any nation; we promised to do as much in 1948. So did the rest of the free world.
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In this case, US statements suggest that as far as we are concerned, we have no problem if Israel carry out actions that are illegal under international law.
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You keep talking about international law. The real arbiter of these contested lands is UN Resolution 242 which stipulated that Israel withdraw "from territories occupied in the recent conflict". It also required that Arab nations recognize Israel's right to exist and the "termination of all claims or states of belligerency". Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon have all agreed and their land has been returned. Until 1988, the PLO wouldn't even recognize Israel's right to exist, much less cease its aggression toward Israel (and yes, there were terrorist activities as early as 1929). As we can see, the PLO and organizations like Hamas have never ceased to threaten Israel. As such, Israel is well within international law to maintain control over the contested lands; not only because the Palestinians have yet to live up to the Resolution, but also to protect herself.
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What kind of message does this send to the Arabs and the world? I wonder if this is likely to make the Iraqis have more confidence in us as occupiers and liberators.
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Like we will ever have the confidence or the good will of the Arab/Muslim world. As long as we support Israel's right to exist, we will forever be on wrong side of Islam.
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Also, the 1949 armistice lines dont have anything to do with the British; they refer to the first Arab-Israeli war.
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Huh? The British began establishing a "Jewish State" as early as 1917. They took this land from the Ottomans and gave it to the Jews. Wasn't that "illegal"?
Actually, I was wrong. They got everything they demanded in the Oslo Accords except the elimination of Israel. When they returned for Oslo II their demands had changed.
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If the political objective of Hamas is the destruction of Israel, why would I beleive that they would be satisfied with a return to UN mandated borders and a "Jewish state next door"?
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I thought you had said earlier that Hamas was a humanitarian organization whose goal was NOT the destruction of Israel. Did I read that wrong?
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I hope the Palestinians can get their act together and start acting in a more effective manner.
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Amen. But there will never be a one state solution.