Israel and Palestine 51st and 52nd US States?

[Chicago Democrat]

I just heard a commercial for this book on the Majority Report.

What do you think as a solution for it all? Its so crazy it might work!

TWO STARS FOR PEACE! * * Book Summary

At the current time, people speak of "two-state" solutions. I propose instead a "two-star" solution, Two Stars for Peace. When America welcomes Israel and Palestine as the 51st and 52nd states of the union, the age-old dream of peace and prosperity in the land of milk and honey will have been achieved.

As America re-sews her flag with a 51st and 52nd star, the entire world will applaud the arrival of this fine new design. For the Middle East will appear on the world stage as a place of stability and understanding, and tensions everywhere will be visibly reduced. Men and women everywhere will look at Israelis and Palestinians with admiration, and Americans can take well-deserved pride in the awesome potential of their new citizens. © 2004 Martine Rothblatt. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.twostarsforpeace.com/summary.htm

[DireStrike]

1. 53rd and 54th.

Iraq and Afghanistan!

[Chicago Democrat]

2. Seriously though Palestinians love America and Israel loves us too.

There are many Palestinians here in Chicago; they love the USA.

Plus I think it would help us in this so called 'terror war' finally we would treat them as equals in the eyes of the Arab world..

But point taken, no doubt some would just look at it as more of a threat.

[DireStrike]

4. You're being sarcastic, right?

Just in case...

The battle(s) over there are for sovereignty. Being under washington would not make either Israel or Palestine sovereign.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. And Puerto Rico as 55?

With the 3 Californias (Southern, Central, Northern) as 56 and 57?

[Chicago Democrat]

7. Hey lets go for 76 states... (Sing to HMS Pinofore tune)

Mexico, Columbia, Israel and Palestine
South Korea, North Korea, and Italy is really fine
Austria and Australia and dont forget in Central Asia
Uzbekistan and Kazahkstan and even the Sudentenland
Tibet, Thailand, Java, East Timor and Malaysia!

[The Flaming Red Head]

13. Saudi Arabia is 55 nt

[aquart]

5. Some people can't help being disgusting and disingenuous.

Pity them. It's Christmas.

[durutti]

6. The solution is obvious and has always been.

A sovereign Israeli state with pre-1967 borders and a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The PLO will agree to this settlement, and has been ready to agree to it for almost 30 years. Israel still will not agree to anything like it.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

9. wow

that sounds almost exactly like Ehud Barak's 2000 plan for peace that Arafat REJECTED and started up the 2nd intifada instead....

[durutti]

12. Typical.

After many years of debating this issue in public forums, I've grown used to the endless myths that are constantly recycled by the other side. Palestinians "never miss and opportunity to miss an opportunity", Arabs all want to "push the Jews into the sea". And so on. This one is fairly easy to refute.

Barak's ultimatum was one that no leader of any nation in his right mind would've accepted. It would not have allowed for anything approaching a sovereign Palestinian state.

Under the plan, Israel would've withdrawn completely only from the Gaza Strip. It would've retained control of large sections of the West Bank, dividing the West Bank into three disconnected cantons. Israeli roads would've crisscrossed the territory, further dividing the West Bank. Palestine's borders with Jordan and Egypt would have been entirely controlled by Israel. Palestine would not have had control of its own airspace, and virtually all the aquifers would've been under Israeli control. In case you need an illustration: http://www.gush-shalom.org/media/barak_eng.swf

The intifada, far from being organized by Arafat (who happily acted as Israel's tyrannical policeman during the 1990s), took off after Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators at Al-Aqsa mosque, killing four and wounding 200.

Try again.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

15. typical.

Were you at camp David for the accords? no. No one was, except a select few. All we can know about what went on was what we hear in the media. and unfortunately, no one in the media ever reports the truth, and no organization reports anything truly objective.

I've heard the claims of the "truth" behind Baraks peace plan. and frankly, its all moot. Why? When Arafat went to camp David, it was all for show. The 2nd intifada had been planned in July of 2000, well before Sharon took his fat ass on the mount for a stunt that was later claimed to be the catalyst for the intifada. The real problem was the Israelis were stopping the Palestinians from digging and trashing the Jewish artifacts on the Temple mount. The Arabs wanted to get rid of any evidence that the Jews ever used the Temple mount for religious purposes.

I think a major fact that most people forget about this whole conflict is that this was a war. The Arabs lost the war and the Israelis won (I mean historically, '48, '67, '73, not todays fighting). If the Germans or the Japanese did to the American's what the Arabs did to the Israelis, i bet you the good ole USA would stomped them down too. Wouldn't it have been crazy if the Germans, after WWII, turned around and started attacking the allies for "Occupying" them?

There was a chance for peace, way back before any of this started. The Partition Plan of '47 laid out a great solution. The Jew's would have gotten their sliver of land and the Arabs would have had a huge (Compared to what they have now) vibrant state. J-town, Jaffa, all the good farming lands, the aquifers, etc would all be in Palestine. But the Arabs said no...No to the Jews, No to Peace, No to sharing.

I am constantly disgusted by both sides in this conflict. But I hate when people blame Israel for the entire conflict. There is a burden of responsibility on both sides. And in arguments, i always take the other side no matter who i am arguing with, so don't think you are debunking some stupid talking point here. And I've also grown cold to the myths pushed by both sides...the poor Palestinians are so defenseless next to big ole mean Israel or Israel never does anything wrong in occupying the west bank, its doing what it has to do for safety.

Get a clue--both sides are wrong.

Try again.

[Chicago Democrat]

10. Yes that's true..

But another solution might be...

Make them all American citizens and let em go whereever they want all the time. I bet that if given the choice a majority might vote to become full fledge US citizens.. Of course its more likely that Martians will come flying out of my butt.

I just think its a very "out of the box" off the wall crazy kookie idea. Like a fantasy.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

11. that could be just crazy enough for them! n/t

[Tinoire]

16. Ah.. but then you're on board with the one-state solution

One state with equal right and equitable plitical representation for all. It's the only solution in my book.

[RafterMan]

8. Nope

The constitution, for good or ill, is no longer flexible enough to accommodate such a solution. The Federal government has become the protector of the individual citizen, rather than a moderator between more-or-less sovereign states. Think of how the prayer in schools issue would play out over there...

[kamqute]

14. The REAL Jewish homeland is in Iraq

Avram came from Ur, before he lech-lecha-ed himself on out to become the progenitor of the chosen people and take the Hadj and become the Knight of Faith and whatever other stuff he did..just put the Jewish state in Iraq! All the disingenuous PLO-types would go there, they'd all die, and that's all the Lichud fatcats would need to drive them into zero activity. They'd all have heart attacks, the Holy Land would be depopulated, and we could build a golf course and a Wal-Mart and a pipeline point, you know the one PNAC loves.

As an aside, I think one of the main issues underlying this conflict is that both ethnic groups (which are really the same ethnic group) have undergone similar stories through history.