Uncle Diebert writes:
"The facts as I've read them point to a consistent, decades spanning lack of acceptance of a Palestinian state by Israel."
The Palestinian liberation and national movement, if I understand things right, was so linked and wedded to surrounding political forces that were sworn enemies of Israel and the Jewish state, that its rhetoric (and of course its actions) were completely unacceptable to Israel. Really, it does not take much brain power to understand such a simple fact. The PLO and I suppose other maybe more mainline groups were also wedded to very sketchy leftist, revolutionary and nationalist movements---which of course had ideological ties to rebellious factions in many Western countries---that connected it with some very marginal folks and some highly questionable ideas. It is not at all hard to see why Israel would have rejected the platform of this group and groups like it, and as I have been saying, and as most everyone understands even if they don't want to accept, Israel would most certainly not allow a state to come into existence that had the intention of doing harm to Israel or destroying Israel.
"And there's no way the Palestinian drive to self-determination can be sabotaged without sabotaging the existence of Israel. This is the actual terrestrial power relation."
I did read a book by Baruch Kimmerling called
Politicide, which I made every effort to consider at that time. I say this only because I have made the effort to look at this conflict from various angles (and I was always attracted more to the Leftist discourses, believeing they were more likely 'telling the truth'). His contention is that what Israel is doing to 'the Palestinians' is
politiciding the Palestinians. There are so many different opinions and ideologies that converge around this issue such that that is really one of the most interesting things (a clash f world-views, etc.)
Unless the nature of the will toward 'self-determination' changes, and until it is a realistic will that fully accepts Israel's existence, I think you are likely right, although I would state it differently. However, if people like you, those who support organizations like the PLO, Hamas, etc., witdraw their support, change the way they think, and support a realistic and peaceful coexistance, then a road to peace and prosperity will open up.
What if you were more a part of the problem and no so much part of a solution as you seem to think? What if...
The interesting thing, for me at least, is to feel that I have begun to understand your (I mean you-Diebert and you-plural, that is, similar factions of intelligent people) complicity in maintaining the misery and suffering that exists there. There is some sort of willful element in you that allows things to continue in that way.
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So, there's this guy sitting on a bus in Manhatten and the lady next to him strikes up a conversation. At a certain point she peers at him and asks, 'You Jewish?'.
'No, ma'am, I'm not'. They keep on talking of this and that and the lady keeps repeating the question, 'You
sure your not Jewish?' 'No, ma'am, I'm not...'
After about 5 times asking the same thing he finally decides to say that, well, in fact, he
IS Jewish, just to get here to shut up...
'Hmmmmm!', she says suspiciously, 'you don't
LOOK Jewish...'