Quote:
Originally Posted by _Q_
Thing is though, there hasn't been an attack on Israel from the West Bank since possibly Yasser Arafat's days (not 100% sure about this), yet Israel continues to build settlements there. Gaza has been relentless in attacking Israel since Hamas took control, and what do they get? Removal of all Israeli settlements from Gaza. I don't know, if I was living in Gaza, it would be tough not to support those guys, however destructive they may be.
If the Palestinians saw a real concerted effort by the Israelis towards a lasting peace, I'm sure they would lay down their arms. However, at the moment, it seems as though more is getting done by killing Israelis (as well as themselves).
|
It wasn't Yasser Arafat that stopped the attacks, it was the West Bank barrier:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank_Barrier
Israel's settlements are now on their side of the wall. If you look at the route of the barrier, the vast majority of the West Bank (probably about 96% of it is on the Palestinians side). The Palestinians in the West Bank are cooperating with Israel, because their standard of life is higher than it's ever been.
It's also clear that the ultimate two state solution will involve a land swap. Israel will take some land around Jerusalem and also create a small barrier around Tel Aviv. Meanwhle, the Palestinians will be compensated with land in the North, where hte Israelis Arab population is very high. The major stumbling block here will be whether or not Israeli Arabs want to join a Palestinian state. There will be many who will refuse to give up their new high standard of living and human rights.
Your characterization that every Palestinian is being squeezed out is false. Israel is building only in a small area. And based on my previous post about the history of Jerusalem, there's really no basis for either side having an exclusive claim to the area around Jerusalem.