03-16-2015, 07:05 PM
(03-14-2015, 04:01 PM)Duchess Wrote:(03-14-2015, 12:46 PM)Midwest Spy Wrote: This thread is about Iran, Israel and what's being done to ensure that Iran doesn't make good on their desire to create a nuclear weapon.
Why are Israelis so much more deserving than Palestinians when it comes to the land and freedoms?
I posted a little about this in the Israel vs. Palestine thread a while back, but I think it should be posted in this thread since we've been discussing here the Israeli election taking place tomorrow.
Netanyahu does not believe the Palestinians deserve to rule themselves and he wants them kept under Israeli occupation in an apartheid model. Today, he finally came out and said so directly.
Why would he say that after years and years of agreeing to pursue a two-state solution in peace talks with the US, UN, Europe, the PLO...? Because, IMO, he can't alienate those who want diplomacy over war more than he already has and his party is trailing in election polls. So, he's pandering to the far right in attempt to deter them from supporting Herzog (who has attracted some of Netanyahu's traditional supporters on other key domestic issues).
Bibi's Likud party needs every single seat it can get to win tomorrow's election and I think he thinks he can swing a couple his way with this admission, IMO.
In an interview with the daily Maariv newspaper today, Netanyahu said that withdrawing from occupied areas to make way for a Palestinian state would only ensure that territory will be taken over by Islamic extremists. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Netanyahu said "indeed."
Still, while his party might well lose in the voter election, it's possible Netanyahu would remain PM at the head of a more central/left government if he gets more thumbs-up from the various party leaders than Herzog. It could happen -- Herzog is seen more as one who unites but does not have a lot of Bibi's commander-in-chief charisma. And, even though a lot of today's Israelis criticize Netanyahu for focusing so much on war/security and so little on social and economic issues, national security is still a foremost concern.
It's politically very hot in Israel today; tomorrow will be even hotter.
Related story: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/world/....html?_r=0