This is debateable. 
The Palestinians are free to go to any country that is willing to accept them (and many have - there are Palestinians throughout Europe and North America). Israel isn’t stopping them from leaving.
I seriously wonder how important this speech is and whether the US itself is gradually becoming irrelevant in the ME. That seems to be the calculation of Abbas and the PA: that the US will never put serious pressure on Israel and therefore that their best hope is to bypass the US-led peace process for the time being and take their case straight to the General Assembly and the wider international community. They appear to believe that presenting a united front with Hamas is more important as of now than keeping the Americans happy. In the long run their strategy would be to delegitimize Israel unless it is willing to stop settlements and negotiate a serious two-state solution.
I don’t blame Obama. Between the Israel lobby and the conservative zealots there is not a whole lot of room for maneuver in US domestic politics on the issue of Israel. He made a serious effort with Israel on the settlements issue; it didn’t work and the US is slowly becoming irrelevant in the region.
Well, Netanyahu has made dismissive statements before about how the US will do whatever he wants us to. We’ve never given him any reason to think he’s wrong.
I don’t know why Obama would put up with Bibi having a tantrum over the phone at him, though. Bibi’s awfully imperious towards us for someone who always has his hand out for American cash.
It’s always hilarious to watch people make themselves look foolish by comparing Likud’s attitude towards Arabs with the way Hamas views Jews.
There are of course Likud MKs(member of the Knesset) who are Arabs and significant numbers of Israeli Arabs vote for Likud.
Perhaps people can point me towards Hamas leaders who are Jewish, but I doubt it.
That said, if those critics of Israel who make such comments were actually familiar with Likud’s origins they’d actually be able to make such an argument(hint: King David doesn’t take orders from Jews, any Palestinian would get the reference) but then they’d actually have to care about the Palestinians and their cause instead of merely trying to score points on the internet.
The last Israeli PM who got into a pissing contest was Yitzhak Shamir and he got thrown out on his ass because of it.
No one will ever admit it, but the number one job of every Israeli PM is to maintain a good relationship with the US.
They eventually try and jettison for India or China, since they existed for a generation before allying themselves with us but I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon.
Israel would lose majority Jewish character with one state solution.
Why should Israel get all of jerusalem?
Look up aliyah and balfour declaration.
All I hear from American politicians is MMMPH, MWAMWA, MMMMPH, because they’ve got AIPACs dick in their mouths. At the same time, the Palestinians are notably and corruptly unhelpful. I don’t have a solution, other than we should wash our hands of all this ridiculous bullshit. Fuck all of them.
“There are elements and camps out there that for two years now have been trying to portray Obama as an Israel-hater who curries favor with the Arabs while disguising his communist tendencies.”
Are these elements in Israel or is he talking about the Republican party here in the states?
I don’t think Bibi has rejected anything except the notion that it was somehow fair to give Israel preconditions to peace while glossing over Hamas & PLO terrorists.
I have read headlines (like Reuters) that say he “rejects a Palestinian state” and such, but when I read his comments, I don’t see that at all.
It would seem that, given the chance, Bibi is quite likely to give up some settlement outposts…but Obama’s wording was of poor choice and incredibly disrespectful.
It is the matter of Jerusalem and some of the settlement blocks that are of security concern.
Another issue (at least that’s what I’ve heard from my Israeli friends but I’m not sure how much this plays out in local politics) are holy cites. There are some under Palestinian control that have been totally desecrated. There are others that Israelis have more control of…so I can see that being an issue. Maybe.
I think there are some kibbutzim near the Jordan that are small and relatively successful. That one is gonna hurt.
I don’t see towns like Ariel ever being disbanded, though. That would be part of the ‘land exchange’.
I would have never voted for Likud had I lived in Israel…but I’m glad that Labor has been disbanded and reworked. imho, Kadima really had a lot of promise.
Heck if I know. What are we getting from the $$ we give to the U.N.? (How do you think Hamas gets funded?) Afghanistan? Egypt?
Why is Obama promising cash to nations that push for democracy?
Agreed. I don’t think it was the intention of Israel to have the West Bank for that long.
Yeah. There are a couple that were there pre 48 and were disbanded and then rebuilt after 67. I feel extremely sympathetic right now. Well, to some of them. The frummy fucktards can learn how defend themselves. >narrowed eyes<
Cite your falsehood.
Why would a political party be included in peace talks?
It isn’t for Israel and Syria! And I donno; tell it to the kids who have had to sleep in bomb shelters at night.
As far as I know, you can’t actually occupy and overthrow a nation without ground troops (a-bomb aside). A buffer zone sounds about right - the U.N. certainly can’t control one.
Palestine isn’t the only problem.
Hah. I rarely read the WP and most certainly not Right Turn, but this made me giggle:
An email from a local group said:
The speaker for an event this group is hosting is a friend of mine and a major commentator re: peace in the middle east. He’s hardly an apologist, so I don’t think Bibi’s wrinkled nose is that surprising.
If I’m Netanyahu I would very publicly and vigorously oppose anything Obama proposes. Either because I really oppose it or because Palestinians are more likely to accept a deal that looks like it has been shoved down my throat.
I think they’d be OK with going back to the situation that existed during the Ottoman empire.
Hmm…are Palestinians going to pay for the nice homes, pools, schools, university & infrastructure? 
Which is why Likud wouldn’t get as much attention if the other parties had not fucked shit up (probably as much as Likud has).
But Bibi has already said he supported a two state solution (as did Rabin, Barak & Sharon) and he’s been heavily criticized for it.
Did you notice the first hit here was electronic intafada? :dubious: Ironically, Hamas is on the State Dept’s terror watch list.
Hamas Will Never Recognize Israel
I don’t believe the half assed Hamas apology.
I wonder if they’d immediately declare war on Israel after the last pullout.
Yeah but we get our oil from that part of the world. If we ran our cars on high fructose corn syrup, we’d be about as concerned about injustice in the middle east as we are about injustice in Myanmar.
Well, Likud does, apparently. And Netanyahu is Likud.
Nope! They get all that for free! (Assuming the settlers don’t trash it all before they leave.) But, they do have to absorb the cost of resettling 1.7 million Gazans in the WB, and mostly in settlements that supported 300,000 Israelis.
Only the the hardcore right wing of the Likud is against any Palestnian state in the west of the Jordan - the more moderate branch (and probably the majority) is willing to grudgingly accept some sort of demilitarized country in par of the West Bank. Don’t mistake the Likud for a far-right party, and don’t mistake them for a uniform block. They’re neither.
The marvel is the US runs a policy that is against interest; the reliable supply of petroleum products.