First, you are clearly a nice guy. It shows in everything you write except on this subject. Well, except on this subject and me. And I can't blame you for your frustration with me. I am at best impatient, which sort of leads into snotty. Hard to like.

About your post. There are too many areas of disagreement to cover completely. Let me just try one sentence. (And, really, most people have a basis for their statements, especially if they are going to slander someone.) But, I digress. The sentence -

"This being the fact of things, the Palestinian desire to dispose of all Israelis is the same as desiring to dispose of all Jews."

First, there are Israeli Arabs and Israeli Christians. Quite a few, really. For you to insist upon confusing Jews with Israelis, a religion with a secular nation, betrays a certain lack. Israel is a political entity, has land, a capital, government, and so on. Judaism is a religion, with a theology, rabbis, synagogues.

Israel is in the Middle East. Judaism is world-wide. Israel needs land, Judaism needs the Torah. Israel is worldly, Judaism is spiritual. Israel has citizens, Judaism has believers.

Trust me on this one - there is a difference between a nation and a religion. Even a nation and it's state religion. A religion, even a state religion, is not a nation. Islam is not Iran.

Second, there are Jews everywhere. All over the world. What's the Palestinian strategy for driving those into the sea? "All Jews", remember. Any basis for that one?

Let me try another tack. If you are correct, and Israel is Judaism, Sharon is a religious leader, a super rabbi, the spiritual head of all Israel.

You know and I know that's not true. Any religion which would accept him as a religious leader would also accept other war criminals as leaders.

Sharon is the political leader of a sovereign, secular state with Judaism as the state religion.

There has been a consistent propaganda campaign in the US that to criticize Israel is to criticize Judaism. Not true, but some folks believe it.

To criticize Iran is not to criticize Islam, I don't believe, and yet Islam is the state religion of Iran.

Second. Most people without military experience could solve this military exercise.

Two opposing forces.

The Blue nation is equipped with armor, helicopters, artillery, fighter jets.

The Green forces have some explosives and AK-47s.

The Blues can invade the territory of the Greens at will, and inflict up to 75 to one casualties (Nablus).

The Greens can manage the occasional suicide bomber, cannot successfully resist an invasion of their homeland.

The Blues can arrest citizens of the other at will, detain them without explanation for as long as they want.

The Greens cannot resist having their citizens arrested and detained.

Now, you tell me which is trying to get rid of the other. Can the Greens drive the Blues into the sea? Even think about it realistically?

You are the one telling me the Palestinians are trying to drive every Israeli, presumably the Arabs and Christians too, into the sea.

Any strategies for that? Any at all? A people who cannot effectively defend themselves even a little bit is trying to drive the people from whom they can't defend themselves into the sea. How?

Wow.

Arf