Palestine's victory at the UN on Nov.29, 2012 by a vote of 138-9 (with 41 abstentions), could also have been a victory for Israel, but Netanyahu was too busy ranting and fulminating and threatening and thus failed to capitalise on what was a watershed victory for Israel. You see, when Abbas introduced his motion for admission to the UN., he did so on borders that defined Palestinian territory in 1967. By doing so. he implicitly renounced claims to any territory within the defined borders of Israel in 1948. That means only the West Bank and Gaza.
Netanyahu should have jumped on this, and accepted it. Instead he announced the plan to build housing for for Israeli Jews on the last patch of usuable Palestinian land in East Jeruasalem (1.700 new homes geyong the Green Line that separates Israel from the West Bank), and in this way chopped the West Bank in half There goes the two-state solution. Of course this was met by outrage. Five European governments, including France and Britain summoned Israeli ambassadors to hear rebuke; Israeli commentators scolded Netanyahu for furthering Israel's isolation and condemnation came from the USA also. He gave in to his Zionist impulses and thumbed his nose at the world but this was a disservice to Israel and an opportunity, missed.
" We will have many Somalias in every province". These words by a sniper working for rebel forces expresses the futility that is Syria. The Middle East is rife with rivalries, social, religious and political, that were kept simmering below the surface under the iron fist of authoritarian rulers from Gadhafi to Mubarak to Assad to the Saudis and the various others from Bahrain to Oman to Yemen. It all came unglued with the Arab Spring and the fall of these autocrats in some places and rebellion in others, the most bloody being Syria. Here the minority Alewites have hunkered down and are using their military might to stay alive, if not in power.
There are many fault lines and should Assad fall it will lead to continuous and even more bloody internal wars between Sunnis and Shias (Alewites are an off-shoot of Shia), sucking in neighboring countries with Iran and Iraq siding with the Shias and Saudi Arabia and Egypy supporting the Sunnis; between Secularists and Islamists, again inviting outside intervention; between ethic Kurds and Arabs (the Kurds already enjoy much control in Iraq, but there are millions on the borders of Turkey and Iran and Syria and wanting their own country and may not get a better opportunity; between different tribes carving territory for themselves and also between many "commanders"who have fought with the r . It will be a bloody hell-hole and has been exercabated by the US and other countries recognising the rebels and sending a message to Assad that he has to go . Go where?
The only way out (and this seems to be marginal at best) is some kind of accomadation wit Asaad and his ruling circle, for the establishment of a National government to take over from Asaad, but in which he has representation, and with either NATO or UN and Arab League supervision to work out arrangements for the future. It will not be easy (some among the rebels want nothing else but Asaad'head), but is much better than a fight to death and "many Somalias" afterwards.
Netanyahu should have jumped on this, and accepted it. Instead he announced the plan to build housing for for Israeli Jews on the last patch of usuable Palestinian land in East Jeruasalem (1.700 new homes geyong the Green Line that separates Israel from the West Bank), and in this way chopped the West Bank in half There goes the two-state solution. Of course this was met by outrage. Five European governments, including France and Britain summoned Israeli ambassadors to hear rebuke; Israeli commentators scolded Netanyahu for furthering Israel's isolation and condemnation came from the USA also. He gave in to his Zionist impulses and thumbed his nose at the world but this was a disservice to Israel and an opportunity, missed.
" We will have many Somalias in every province". These words by a sniper working for rebel forces expresses the futility that is Syria. The Middle East is rife with rivalries, social, religious and political, that were kept simmering below the surface under the iron fist of authoritarian rulers from Gadhafi to Mubarak to Assad to the Saudis and the various others from Bahrain to Oman to Yemen. It all came unglued with the Arab Spring and the fall of these autocrats in some places and rebellion in others, the most bloody being Syria. Here the minority Alewites have hunkered down and are using their military might to stay alive, if not in power.
There are many fault lines and should Assad fall it will lead to continuous and even more bloody internal wars between Sunnis and Shias (Alewites are an off-shoot of Shia), sucking in neighboring countries with Iran and Iraq siding with the Shias and Saudi Arabia and Egypy supporting the Sunnis; between Secularists and Islamists, again inviting outside intervention; between ethic Kurds and Arabs (the Kurds already enjoy much control in Iraq, but there are millions on the borders of Turkey and Iran and Syria and wanting their own country and may not get a better opportunity; between different tribes carving territory for themselves and also between many "commanders"who have fought with the r . It will be a bloody hell-hole and has been exercabated by the US and other countries recognising the rebels and sending a message to Assad that he has to go . Go where?
The only way out (and this seems to be marginal at best) is some kind of accomadation wit Asaad and his ruling circle, for the establishment of a National government to take over from Asaad, but in which he has representation, and with either NATO or UN and Arab League supervision to work out arrangements for the future. It will not be easy (some among the rebels want nothing else but Asaad'head), but is much better than a fight to death and "many Somalias" afterwards.
