Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.
Agreed insofar as it is a bit of a mind exercise, since we're unlikely to see the day.
But a unified state would nullify two of Hamas' attractions (for lack of a better term):
1) Outright violence in the form of missiles / bombings are no longer necessary under a true one state situation.
2) Civic initiatives like schools / healthcare etc... that Hamas bankrolls will receive national funds.
I see three types of people voting for Hamas today: the violent, the reactionary, and the desperate, yet civic minded (again for lack of a better term). The violent are driven solely by point #1, and always will be. The reactionary will occasionally cling to point #1 but would drop Hamas in a heartbeat if there was peace. For the civic minded, they're holding and their nose voting for Hamas for point #2; they turn a blind eye / are not interested in the violence.
Under a putative single state, only the violent will be served by voting Hamas. Everyone else will migrate away. The violent, as anywhere, are the minority.
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Violence no longer required? I think you need to look at the history of every other country in the middle east and see just how rampant the sectarian violence is.
The Jews simply cannot compete with the birthrates of the Muslims. In Israel more women go to University than any other country in the world. In the Gaza Strip the average woman has 6 children. I really don't see how the two cultures can be compatable, and I really don't see the Muslim population pushing for anything but an islamic government.