No one is debating the "right" of Israel to exist. That was an issue 35, 40 and 50 years ago, no more. The Arabs have conceded that, and the US justifiably guarantees that. Not the issue any more than the "right" of Caucasians to occupy North America.

Now, let's try this. No one denies that Jewish settlers are building villages on land ceded to the Palestinians. The Jews claim ownership through the Old Testament. (Hard to argue with God!!)

The Palestinians claim ownership through agreements signed with a temporal Israeli government.

The settlements are protected by the Israeli Army. The Palestinians are denied an army.

When the Palestinians protested this encroachment relatively quietly, their losses were 25 Palestinians to every 1 Israeli, and the world ignored them. (What does a slaughter look like?)

No self-respecting Palestinian political leader could allow the encroachment.

No Israeli political leader could stop the encroachment, and ever be elected again.

How could the Palestinians effectively protest the encroachment of the settlements? How much attention did the international community pay to them while they simply asked the UN to ask the Israelis to get out?

How could any Israeli government "buck" the right-wing religious fundamentals who built the settlements? They couldn't, especially after the settlers would quote the Old Testament.

Nope. The only way out for everyone, the Israelis and the Palestinians is to have such a mess that a settlement is imposed upon them.

And, to say this is over the right of Israel to exist is really not true. It's over the obligation of Israel to live with it's agreements, to live with it's neighbors.

Arf