Germany: Unilateral declaration of Palestinian state counter-productive

[bemildred]

Palestinian efforts to seek United Nations recognition of their state are counter-productive, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Tuesday.

While Germany supports the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to build their own state, "the German government believes unilateral steps could be counter productive," he told reporters in Ramallah.

"We think negotiations are the right way," he said.

Westerwelle was on a one-day tour of Israel and the West Bank, accompanied by Development Minister Dirk Niebel, who also made a stop-over in the Gaza Strip, where he visited a sewage water purification plant which Germany is renovating at a cost of 20 million euros.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/germany-unilateral-declaration-of-palestinian-state-counter-productive-1.367646

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Israel was formed unilaterally.

http://www.theocracywatch.org/christian_zionism_israel_forms.htm

Why the different standard for Palestine? It was created simultaneously with Israel.

[bemildred]

2. Surely you don't still think logic and reason have anything to do with this?

This is a clash of civilizations, the run-up to Armageddon and The Rapture(tm), a struggle for global hegemony, to form a utopian global order, the war against terror (TWAT); mere facts and reason or considerations of logical consistency cannot be allowed to interfere.
:sarcasm:

[no_hypocrisy]

3. In the tradition of Voltaire and the Philosophes, logic and reason are mandated

in each controversy notwithstanding the invitation and appreciation (or lack thereof) of the Philistines.

[bemildred]

5. Good luck. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Voltaire essentially won the French Revolution.

And if it doesn't work this time, to The Bastille Citizens!

[aranthus]

4. Because the Palestinians refused any compromise.

They then started a war to destroy the Jewish state before it could even get started. A war which the Surrounding Arab states later joined. A war which Hamas, now a part of the Palestinian government, continues to this day. So if the Palestinians are allowed to declare a state without making peace, it will be a state immediately at war with Israel. How is that a good idea? There is no different standard for Palestine. If they want to declare a state that is at peace with its neighbors (as Israel tried to do), then there wouldn't be a problem. But they don't. And no, Palestine was not created at the same time as Israel. It could have been, but for the terrible choices of the Palestinians themselves. Choices which the anti-Israel crowd seems to have no problem excusing on some flimsy reasons.

[TheMadMonk]

7. Because back then, the whole world wanted nothing to do with...

...Jews and wanted somewhere to get rid of them.

This time around the Palestinians are already someone else's problem.

[Harmony Blue]

9. European Jews were discriminated for many years, and

when the Black plague came to Europe, European Jews were able to attain a quick jump in economic status with the arrival of the Renaissance, and Banking (e.g. use of negative numbers). The rest of Christian Europe was still reeling. This is ironic because during the Middle Ages, Christian Europeans were not allowing European Jews to own land, and trying to keep them down the social/economic ladder.

Fast forward to the present era, and we are seeing a repeat of past history. The Israelis' futile effort to suppress a young Palestinian population that threatens the identity of a Jewish state due to sheer demographic realities that appear certain to happen like post-plague Europe. Like Obama said, to ensure the future of a Jewish State, a two state solution is imperative. If not, the logical conclusion is a one state, where Israel is no longer a Jewish state, because the vast majority would be Arab/Kurdish, etc not Jewish.

[shaayecanaan]

8. Similar support from Italy...

in particular, from the post-fascist parties who still feel a bit shamefaced when it comes to the war. I imagine Germany's support is similarly motivated.

Its probably also the case that the support is limited to right-wing parties, although in the UK even the conservatives are cool on Israel. Should Labour win the next election there, Israel will be faced with its worst nightmare: a genuinely liberal, Jewish prime minister who is not afraid to criticise them.

In terms of popular support in Europe, Israel is heading south and has been proceeding thusly for some time.

If anything, I see Bulgaria, the Czech republic and Cyprus being the bulwark of Israeli support in Europe, seeing as their economies actually have a stake in Israel.