Glad to see majority of Israeli voters...

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Oberon

You start getting a problem, a problem in that no matter what Israel does in regards to military action in Palestine, it will in the long term lose by isolating itself in global opinion.
It's unsustainable.

I couldn't honestly say what the answer is, since both sides consider their position to be that of strength and thus there is little need for negotiation. Netanyahu is hoping for a Republican US, and Hamas is hoping for more Israeli bombing which equals more Hamas members and international support for Palestine.

Can there be a negotiated settlement? Possibly, we managed what many considered to be impossible in Ireland, I recall many people saying that there would 'never be peace in Ireland', and whilst there is still occasional bouts of trouble in Ireland it's nothing compared to how it was. So, perhaps there is hope, but as it is, something is going to give at some point in the next a hundred years. Especially if more power vacuums get created in the Middle East.

I think so too, long term, Israel is digging itself into a pretty deep hole. If the Palestinians ever get smart and start using the Ghandi/MLK/South Africa playbook, Israel will have to come to terms with a Palestinian state. Netanyahu and Likud are not only delaying the inevitable, they are making it difficult for Israel to accept it.