PJ: The Jewish Arab conflict goes back centuries; the Israel/Palestinian/Arab conflict decades. (For a quick history of the region: http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm) Religion has played a historical role in these conflicts but today's situation is much more complicated than viewing things in such narrow terms. Israel has for decades had cross border tensions with its immediate neighbors that are not always easy to squeeze into a simple explanation. Originally, after WWII the United Nations decided that Palestine be divided into an Arab State and a Jewish state. While the Jews accepted the resolution, the Palestinians rejected it. Gradually, in what is now officially Israel, the Palestinians were squeezed off their land and pushed into the West Bank and Gaza strip (which is under the Palestinian Authority today). Of course, tensions rose and violence led to more violence. In Arab countries support their Palestinian brethren increased and Israel, as the only Jewish state in the region, leaned on the UN and the US for support.
Yesterday, Sarah Palin, fresh from her first trip to Israel criticized the Obama administration's diplomatic relationship with Israel and boiled down the complications of peace in Israel to a simple (municipal?) zoning issue, saying "Let Israel decide their zoning issues themselves". Even though building in the occupied territories is a violation of UN resolution 446, her take was that the Israelis should be allowed to expand into the occupied territories and build where ever they wanted because, as she told Barbara Walters in 2010, "I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don't think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand" (Since immigration to Israel is actually in decline, I suppose she's thinking about flocking to Israel to get ready for The Rapture?). She insisted that Obama should stay out of Israel's zoning issues-- end of discussion. Surprisingly (or maybe not) this simplistic statement has received only a little press in the US as the media has focused on another of her statements: "I'm through whining about the liberal media". Frighteningly, these statements were made by a woman who many in the United States believe should be their President, the leader of the free world and the person that will lead the peace process in the Middle East.
Haaretz
Barak: Israel holds Hamas responsible for Gaza rocket fire
Defense minister meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who urged Israel, Palestinians to take 'bold action' to reach peace.
By Amos Harel and News Agencies
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that Israel holds Hamas responsible for the recent rocket and mortar strikes from the Gaza Strip.
In a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Barak said that because Hamas is in power in Gaza, they are responsible for the actions of Islamic Jihad and other factions in the Strip, saying Hamas must control these groups.
Barak stressed that Hamas must be held responsible since Israel cannot tell between the different sources of rocket fire coming from Gaza, saying that when a rocket falls on a family in Be'er Sheba, for example, it doesn't matter which "gang" fired it.
Cross-border tensions between Israel and Gaza have been escalating recently, the latest being two Grad rockets and a Qassam fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Thursday. One of the rockets struck north of Ashdod and could be heard in Yavneh, some 25 kilometers from Tel Aviv. The Qassam fell in the city of Sderot.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gates urged Israel and the Palestinians on Thursday to take bold action to reach a peace deal.
"There is a need and an opportunity for bold action to move toward a two-state solution," Gates said while speaking alongside Barak in Tel Aviv.
Gates also stressed that Israel has a right to bring justice to the perpetrators of the attacks.
Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes on Gaza targets in recent days in response to continued rocket and mortar shells fired into southern Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/barak-israel-holds-hamas-responsible-for-gaza-rocket-fire-1.351607
Great blog! And yes, it is frightening that this woman makes such stupid and ill informed statements.
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