Reply #22: It is very complicated [View All]

And actually settling the peace will take decades.

But there is only one move that can be made now that will actually move us forward. You and I both know what that is.

No matter how you look at the border issue, it will be complicated to fix. The Palestinians not only want the West Bank and Gaza, they also seek to connect them. The Israelis will not give up everything they gained in 1967 no matter what. And that ignores the complexity of water rights, air travel, border crossing, etc.

So let's say Israel took an action. Here are some possibilities:

* Stopping new settlements and/or shutting down some existing ones. Lacking any semblance of a peace agreement or any move to end the terror, Israel gains nothing. All that the world and the Palestinians will say is, "What about the rest?" That is not a negotiation, it is a surrender on Israel's part.
* Withdrawing entirely from the territories (not that it will happen because of Jerusalem), walling them off and telling the Palestinians to get fucked. The world will still be upset. How dare Israel disallow contact with the new Palestinian state? How dare Israel disallow travel between the West Bank and Gaza? Israel loses and gains nothing yet again.

In either case, the terror continues because nothing has been done to stop it. In fact, because Israel has pulled back, the terror strategy has succeeded, so now the terrorists are emboldened and strengthened in the Palestinian world. Terror increases, Bombings increase. If only Israel would give up a little more land...

* Or, Israel waits till it has a partner in peace that will end the terror threat and negotiate a peace that probably annoys the hell out of both sides.