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Come, let us reason together

Reader comment on item: The Motives Behind Palestinian Leader's Effort to Gain Statehood at U.N.
in response to reader comment: A GROUP OF NOMADS UPON ISRAELI LAND ON THE WEST BANK AND GAZA.

Submitted by argus4 (United States), Sep 25, 2011 at 20:30

Ms Richman, I've read your comments several times. Here are some observations.

1) Is there a certain percentage of an area that a given ethnic or ethno-religious group should occupy? What about the Uigurs or Tibetans in China. Should we be troubled about the percent of the total land area that the Han Chinese occupy, or should our concern be about the civil, social, religious and other rights of which the Chinese are sometimes not so subtly depriving these peoples?

2) Is there a specified number of countries that are characterized by an ethnic or religious criterion. So there 22 Arab countries. How many would you prefer? I suspect you'd be happier with fewer. Why don't we encourage mergers so that the number is reduced to 11? If we were shooting craps, that would be a winning number!

3) "Do we really want a 23rd Arab country..." Mutatis mutandis one might ask "Do we really want an Hispano-Indian country on the sourhern border of the United States? Look at all the trouble some of that country's population is giving its fellow citizens, to say nothing of the problems that same segment of the population is giving to the United States.

4) While the past must be taken into consideration in working out a permanent peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, let's face it -- until both groups are relatively satisfied and dissatisfied there will be no peace. Neither group is 100% right or 100% wrong.

5) The United States and the UN need to butt out, except as needed to provide to the Palestinians aid that cannot or will not be provided by anyone else: food for the undernourished, especially children; assistance with primary and secondary education; assistance with developing programs to occupy young men, especially, financially and psychologically.

To be even handed, the US and the UN should provide or at least offer assistance to Israel when its troubles are the result of Palestinian (mis)behavior.

The UN has more urgent problems than Israel and Palestine, I agree. But the UN is, on the whole, in such matters a manifestly ineffective organization -- just count its successes in Africa on your fingers. Did you need more than one hand?

Finally, YES, Ireland belongs to the Irish. That said, short of moving all the Protestants elsewhere, I don't think you'll see the unification of the Republic of Ireland with that part of the island that is part of the United Kingdom. Scotland, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. Devolution is already underway.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (67) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Seculars in Egypt : How the months give perpestive now that Morsi won. [56 words]SamuelMar 11, 2013 16:58204207
Little big probem? [67 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 7, 2013 00:26204207
2 states Vs 1 state solution [86 words]Abdulkarim Al-HabsiSep 26, 2011 09:01189573
1Yeah, Abdul... [241 words]Ron EdgeSep 27, 2011 08:26189573
An argument based on false prophecy [171 words]Abdulkarim Al-HabsiSep 27, 2011 23:22189573
Again, a false assumption [132 words]Abdulkarim Al-HabsiSep 29, 2011 05:17189573
1Abdul.... [353 words]Ron EdgeSep 29, 2011 16:15189573
We are not going to war [42 words]Abdulkarim Al-HabsiSep 30, 2011 01:32189573
Facts? [48 words]saraJan 16, 2012 19:24189573
Arab Population and The French Window [262 words]Morgaan SinclairJan 16, 2012 21:30189573
Informative post [106 words]saraJan 17, 2012 18:58189573
I meant this "Spengler" is NOT Oswald! [31 words]Morgaan SinclairJan 17, 2012 19:35189573
No, No, No, Abdulkarim! [82 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 5, 2013 21:34189573
Sooo [33 words]Abdulkarim AlhabsiJun 6, 2013 08:50189573
No citizenship for Arab assassins [32 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 6, 2013 22:36189573
Your numbers will not help you [227 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 6, 2013 23:02189573
It's conceivable - down the road [145 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 6, 2013 23:20189573
"Make them Israeli citizens?" No way! [120 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 6, 2013 23:51189573
No FREEDOM to destroy Israel [84 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 7, 2013 11:28189573
What kind of freedom do you want? [15 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 7, 2013 18:47189573
Like any other western democracy I guess. [98 words]Abdulkarim Al-habsiJun 9, 2013 02:43189573
How to get Israel to discriminate against you [51 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 9, 2013 18:36189573
Keep it a secret! [107 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 9, 2013 18:59189573
Surprise! Israel declines to be destroyed! [46 words]Melvin A. Fec hterJun 9, 2013 19:14189573
Yeaaah [17 words]Abdulkarim alhabsiJun 9, 2013 23:18189573
I am not Palestinian [142 words]Abdulkarim AlhabsiJun 11, 2013 01:08189573
Maybe, you're just not hating us enough [30 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 11, 2013 02:41189573
No state without PROVEN AND ESTABLISHED peaceful coexistence [283 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 12, 2013 02:39189573
Perhaps another explanation: a place in "History" [177 words]Jon, from LondonSep 26, 2011 06:58189570
Never Enough [31 words]AvromSep 25, 2011 22:55189565
Motive for Pakestinian State [66 words]Melvin A. FechterSep 25, 2011 20:49189564
That will be good [32 words]Abdulkarim Al-HabsiSep 26, 2011 23:13189564
three observations put together [153 words]mythSep 27, 2011 04:55189564
"BB King"? [57 words]Melvin A. FechterSep 28, 2011 08:46189564
2flawed [66 words]BB KingSep 29, 2011 02:01189564
2My "plan"? [138 words]Melvin A. FechterSep 29, 2011 19:26189564
"Two state solution"? [31 words]Melvin A. FechterJan 16, 2012 00:21189564
Bit by bit, Judea and Samaria [25 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 7, 2013 00:17189564
Israel will annex ... [28 words]Melvin A. FechterJul 27, 2013 01:50189564
Thank you [25 words]Abdulkarim alhabsiJul 28, 2013 00:18189564
The "Palestinians" are newcomers [31 words]Melvin A. FechterFeb 1, 2014 01:46189564
Sharia Law will follow [21 words]KerrySep 25, 2011 16:54189549
4A GROUP OF NOMADS UPON ISRAELI LAND ON THE WEST BANK AND GAZA. [388 words]Ilene RichmanSep 25, 2011 16:40189547
Let THEM get on with It; It's THEIR problem, not ours [343 words]Argus4Sep 25, 2011 19:55189547
Come, let us reason together [425 words]argus4Sep 25, 2011 20:30189547
TWO STATE SOLUTION IS DEAD IN THE WATER [96 words]Ilene RichmanSep 27, 2011 09:07189547
STAY AWAY FROM TERRORISTS AND MURDERERS [130 words]Ilene RichmanSep 27, 2011 09:16189547
MANY PRESSING PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD [272 words]Ilene RichmanSep 27, 2011 09:31189547
Israel cannot make peace! [51 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 5, 2013 02:35189547
"No! No! No!" (?) [41 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 5, 2013 12:45189547
A bit of hatred [24 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 5, 2013 12:50189547
2Israelis Approve of Palestinian State [40 words]BB KingSep 25, 2011 14:32189544
It is coming [12 words]KerrySep 25, 2011 17:02189544
3Necessity of Two States for Two Peoples for the Survival of Israel [107 words]BB KingSep 26, 2011 00:50189544
A :"Palestinian State"? [18 words]Melvin A. FechterJan 16, 2012 00:24189544
All well and good in theory BBKing [128 words]samJan 16, 2012 19:35189544
"We will be nice, Israel" (Really?) [385 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 9, 2012 12:30189544
Eyes wide shut [197 words]Melvin A. FechterNov 17, 2012 01:57189544
No Sovereign State of Palestine [93 words]Melvin A FechterJun 7, 2013 00:12189544
Salvation for the Palestinians [197 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 7, 2013 02:51189544
1First war of a hypothetical soverign state of Palestine [30 words]GautamJun 8, 2013 22:11189544
They will vanish from the land [123 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 9, 2013 18:04189544
Conspiracy against Muslims! [99 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 9, 2013 18:23189544
Israel? No way! [60 words]Melvin A. FechterJun 14, 2013 12:59189544
Where was I wrong? [18 words]Melvin A. FechterJan 4, 2014 02:40189544
No Palestine [31 words]Melvin A. FechterFeb 1, 2014 01:53189544
The only salvation of the Palestinians [574 words]Melvin A. FechterFeb 20, 2014 22:36189544

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