Arafat an enemy - a cease fire suggestion that came too late

[G-Man]

Originally posted by andycapp

One of the things that disturbs me about Sharons leadership is that he does not seem to have a strategy for resolving this conflict, because like it or not this is a political problem that will have to have a political solution.

The problem is that no one has a solution. How can you make peace when the other side doesn't want it? Even Barak, who was willing to give up almost everything, didn't get Arafat to do something. Now, with both sides angrier at each other, with terrorist orgenizations growing on one side and right wing movements gaining power on the other, I don't think anyone could achive peace.

 

[IceBlaZe]

There was another suicide act.
In haifa, a hamas terrorist blew himself in a restaraunt near a gas station, at least 12 killed and more than 30 injured.
Anyone has a solution?

 

[G-Man]

I have an update. 14 killed, 39 injured. The restaurant was very close to the "grand kenyon", the biggest mall in the middle east. The explosion was so strong that both floors of the restaurant were completely destroyed. Even the roof was almost completely destryoed!

 

[knowltok2]

One wonders at what point the Israelis will finally lose all patience and impose a solution that doesn't worry about who it offends or who it hurts?

What stops the Israelis from removing all Palestinians from the territory they want, building a 'wall' and keeping all Palestinians out. Declaring Palestine Independant and severing all ties. Issuing a public warning that any attacks from the new nation will recieve massive retaliation with no concern for the targets.

World opinion would be against it, and I think at this point Israelis would be against it, but how much longer will Israel put up with it? No one would stop them, and the world doesn't have the resolve to impose sanctions forever.

The particulars aren't important, so don't bother questioning me on them, I'm just asking, how long before Israel decides that enough is enough?

 

[allhailIndia]

I think Arafat and Ariel Sharon are the new set of madmen of the 21st century. I think they are like the petty rulers of India when the British were just traders. THey cannot see past their gigantic egos and narrow mindsets when making a decision that will affect millions of lives. We must remember that when Ehud Barak had made a lot of concessions o the Palestinians in 1999, Arafat had walked out and started this intifadeh. Ariel Sharon seems hell bent on turning the Middle East into a Sea Of Blood. It's time somebody captured both these nutters and threw them into the same cell if that's what will take to find a solution

 

[The Art of War]

New leaders would probably be better.

 

[IceBlaZe]

Originally posted by allhailIndia
I think Arafat and Ariel Sharon are the new set of madmen of the 21st century. I think they are like the petty rulers of India when the British were just traders. THey cannot see past their gigantic egos and narrow mindsets when making a decision that will affect millions of lives. We must remember that when Ehud Barak had made a lot of concessions o the Palestinians in 1999, Arafat had walked out and started this intifadeh. Ariel Sharon seems hell bent on turning the Middle East into a Sea Of Blood. It's time somebody captured both these nutters and threw them into the same cell if that's what will take to find a solution

Oh yeah?
What do you have against sharon? What didn't he do well?
The only thing he shouldn't have done is retreat his troops before passover and suffer dozens of dead Israelis as a result.
Give me one example why sharon is a madman, because he is trying to defend his citizens?

New leaders wont do any good, maybe just replace Arafat.
Israel had enough different PM's to understand that the obstacle to peace lies in palestinien terror and not in Israeli hands.
We comitted several retreats while the palestiniens did nothign to stop terror, and suffered each time.
We offered peace and they rejected it.
If you could tell me what you could have done better than sharon in the past 2 years, go ahead.

 

[G-Man]

I too can't see why people are against Sharon. If you were him what would you do that he hasn't done?

The fact is that whenever the peace process progresed the Palestinians just used more violence. When Barak offered them a final agreement that's better then anything they could've hoped for the started the intifada. I don't care if Arafat can or can't control his people. The fact is that he commited to do so and he isn't and this caused the loss of hundreds of lives on both sides.

 

[Greadius]

The constant equal blame thing is annoying...
I don't know where people get the idea that they must blame both sides equally; like it takes two to tango. Well it doesn't take multiple people to consent to suicide bombers. Or to machine-gun unarmed observers.
Sharon is more militant than the average Israeli, but it has been Arafat constantly turning down peace proposals... when one side rejects a peace proposal that they other accepts, you can simply reverse the language. Rejecting peace is embracing war. Only one side has done that in the 2000 Camp David meeting, in the last minute peace brokerage attempt in late 2000, in the Tenet plan, in the first Zinni plan, in the second Zinni plan.. it has been the same side every time rejecting peace, and hense embracing war.
And might I point out that Arafat started his terrorist orginization while Sharon was an apolitical junior officer. And he started the most recent uprising while Sharon was part of the opposition party. Yet they're both equally to blame?