Israel offered a permanent peace 3 years ago. Palestinians rejected it and began their terrorist intifada. AFTER they began it, months after, Israelis voted in ariel sharon, as a response to it. After palestinans were successfully hitting israel with terrorist attacks every 1-3 DAYS, israel responded by going into many additional palestinian towns that were hotbeds for terrorists in an effort to clamp down on them. They would rather hamas lunatics try to attack israeli soldiers outside of israel than successfully break in and blow up every innocent jewish person they can get at. That is what's happening right now. There is no "ethnic cleansing." Almost 20% of israeli citizens are muslims/arabs, and they are not being harmed. Israel is not fighting a "race." Israel is not fighting with their own arab citizens. Israel is fighting with their neighbors, the palestinians, who are not israeli citizens, and who refuse to call off their idiotic, self-destructive intifada. Israel is more heavily armed than these nuts, so naturally when they fight, more palestinians die than israeli soliders do. If Israeli soliders wanted to, they could kill 5000 or 10,000 a day. They don't want to. They are hunting terrorists and people who refuse to be civil and peaceful. If Israel cared nothing about hurting their neighbors then every time a palestinian from town X attacked israel, israel could just lob giant bombs into town X, not lose a single israeli soldier, and kill thousand of palestinians at a time. After a few rounds of that, terrorism against israel would probably stop. But at an enormouse rate of innocent deaths. Israel does not want that. Proof of this is that instead of just lobbing bombs and killing thousands at a time, Israel has always tried to clamp down on terrorist hotbed towns, control them, and hunt terrorists and arrest people who are involved with attacks.

The day terrorists from towns X and Y attack israel and israel responds with giant bombs killing 3,000 from town X and 6,500 from town Y is the day you should declare that israel is responding with full war and no longer cares about hurting innocents. Until then, you should shut your mouths and try to figure out what it's like to try to kill terrorists who mix in with innocent people and have voluntary and involuntary "human shields" trying to protect them.

The solution to this is as follows. First, palestinians must call off their insane terrorist intifada. Hamas and islamic jihad nutcases must be gotten rid of. And Palestinians have had the same nutcase leader for 35 years, Yasser Arafat, and it's ridiculous to think that peace can come with a lunatic like him at the healm. Israel democratically elects new leaders every few years. All Israeli citizens of every religion vote. There are muslims and arabs, democratically elected, who are a part of the Israeli government right now. Israel leaders change every few years, and over the last 10 or 20 years Israeli leaders have tried every approach possible in dealing with the Palestinians. But when your dictator, err, leader, is Yasser Arafat for 35 years in a row, you aren't going to do very well. He needs to be replaced. Palestinians need a SANE, CIVIL, RESPONSIBLE leadership who, if given power, will lead Palestine into becoming a respectable state, and not just another terrorist home like Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, etc.

Think about it. If Israel right now handed over total land control of the West bank and gaza to Palestinians, and scumbags like Hamas, Islamic JIhad, Arafat, etc. were the main groups in charge and with all the power, what kind of state would Palestine be in 2 or 4 or 10 years? A terrorist state who would probably seek to destroy Israel the moment they had the power to do so. And don't go talking about Ariel Sharon, because Israel is a democracy, he was just voted in a mere 3 years ago, and he will probably be voted out in a year or two when a tough guy like him isn't needed anymore to run the place. BUT, THINK ABOUT THIS, if we can find a group of civil, moderate, non-extremist Palestinians to act as leaders, and give them control of the land, and let them lead Palestine into becoming a state, they can make sure it is run RESPONSIBLY and doesn't turn into a terrorist state and eventually make full war on Israel.

No matter which "side" you are on (the side that wants peace for both sides, or the side that wants to wipe Israel out), think about it. If you genuinely want peace for everyone involved, what would be better, if terrorists and lunatics like arafat and hamas run Palestine and gain power as it becomes a state (eventually leading to probable full war with Israel), or if CIVIL, SANE, RESPONSIBLE leaders run Palestine and gain power as it becomes a state, leading to a responsible neighbor who won't attack Israel and therefore war won't result and hoards of people won't die on both sides.

I'm for the latter.

Israel already offered to remove the settlements, several times, in fact. That's quite possible. But as long as war is being made on Israel, it makes no sense to do so.

Israel many times has offered to end the occupation in return for peace. Palestinians, mostly due to their terrorist leaders and popular terrorist groups, have always rejected the peace and chosen to attack. So, now, Israel attacks the attackers, specifically trying to get at members of the organizations that refuse to stop attacking Israel.

Palestinians controlled over 90% of their own land for most of the 1990's. Yet they still refused to stop attacking Israel, and still refuse to call off their terrorist intifada attacks. So, Israel had to go back in.

Israel's occupation should end the moment responsible, sane, non-extremist leaders for Palestinians emerge to take control and lead to a permanent, peaceful future. Israel's occupation should not end as long as the likes of Arafat and Hamas represent the Palestinian people. That would not help either side.

Egypt was willing to make real peace with Israel. Israel accepted, and it worked, and it has lasted.

Jordan was willing to make real peace with Israel. Israel accepted, and it worked, and it has lasted.

Of course, both Jordan and Egypt are still anti-semitic countries. Hell, it's barely even legal to BE a Jew in half the arab states. But that's another story. We're talking about political relations.

Palestinians have had the same nutcase leader since the 1960's. He's a loser. Arafat needs to go. Can we dig up some Palestinian moderates who aren't religious extremists and genuinely want peace for both sides, PLEASE?

Until that happens, no good will result.