Matt....

The Jews have already taken 78% of someone else homeland... every Israeli home, factory, farm or business has been taken by force from a Palestinian family, that or it ( Bussiness, factory, etc.) was built on property owned by Palestinians.

The 2000 agreement was that the Paelstinians would be allowed to keep the remaining 22%.... that the Israelis would withdraw ( Fast or slow, but withdraw they did agree too do) from the west bank settlement's... and that the Status of Jeruselam... whether it would be a an entirely Jewish city .. or Jewish\Palestinian.... along with the question of " right of return" , the right to of Palestinians to return to the homes they had been driven from.....would be discussed later.

Arafat agreed.

Haveing now got Palestine agreement to Israel confiscateing , without compensation, 78% of Palestinian property, they tucked that in thier back pocket and said.... "now about the other 22%...."

They continued confiscateing palestinian land, on the West Bank, to build yet more settlements and roads, driveing yet more families into instant destitution. killing anyone who could not be intimidated off thier land .. then labelling those Olive farmers who had resisted as terrorists........ made it clear that any future discussion on Palestinians returning to thier homes in Israel... or being allowed to share Jeruselam would be answered with NO....

The 15 to 20 per cent of palestinian arabs left in Israel that you mention have been and are routinely discriminated in what I regard as a savage manner... lowest life expectancy... lowest income... poorest quality houseing...... health ... education.. municipal services... in all of Israel.

There has been talk in this thread along the lines of... " well if it had happened here it would have been the equivalent of Mexico siezeing Texas .." Etc.

WRONG....

It would have been the equivalent of an alien force ramming south out of Canada and driveing the surviveing population of the US into Texas, New Mexico , Arizona... then turning off the water.

As for the arguement that Israel has faced genocidal wars from it's Arab nieghbours...

Agreed... it has.......... they (the Arabs) never wanted this alien colony planted in thier midst to start with, were never asked, saw what happened to Arabs who fell within Israeli rule... had no reason to believe the presence of Israel could, or would do, them anything but harm.

I grew up believing that Israel was a "plucky little nation"

The only democratic nation in its region surronded by huge hordes who could, and would obliterate it at a seconds notice.

When did I stop believeing it?

The 18th September, 1982. ( do a search on that date, should you be interested)

It was on that day that I realized that Israel had become a giant, but without the wisdom to use it's strength humanely.

Then there are those who argue that There is no comparison between laying unwanted bricks on disputed land and bombing innocent women and children...

I quite agree...........

But if we are going to argue that it is innocent Israeli's ( Women and children)....who are taking the beating... then I dispute that too.....

Everyone reading this is, on the web.... everyone is just a click away from a search engine... and everyone can find out for themselves who has killed who and in what numbers since this conflict..( pick your own time frame... right back to the mid forties... or start from last year) began.

I'd like to end with a sincere apology.... I address this to whoever it was started this thread.

Sir\ Madam(?).....

I truly wish I had never responded to your post.............by doing so I seem to have initiated another pointless wrangling match among men ( and women) of goodwill, who actually agree with each other on most of the fundamentals such as Justice and fairness.

I should have left your post to stand alone, as it was, with only Dan's reply, as a rebuke from a wiser and more humane person to the rest of us.

Who-ever you may be.... you are a better person then I am.