Won't make a difference to Palestinians in occupied land. They deserve self-determination as well. Israel leaders believe their "manifest destiny" is to ultimately incorporate Judea and Samarea and get rid of most Palestinians. How about peace and let Palestinians decide their own fate?
Goodness, one would think reading Mr Cook's jeremiad about Israel that it looks, feels and acts just like ALL ITS ARAB NEIGHBOURS, AND HAMAS AND THE PA TO BOOT. It's hard to take seriously any suggestion that were the protests really about democracy, Israel's Palestinians would be the first out to protest. Since 1958 they have had the opportunity to vote and rarely have even half of those elegible done so. When they finally did show some democratic instincts and turned out in numbers, their elected reps actuallly got admitted into the government of the day (the last one).
There is no question that security matters skew decisions made in Israel, but sadly that's often necessary. On a trip I took to Israel our Palestinian guide made a memorable comment. He said that the 2nd intifada was a disaster for the Palestinians, and everything changed after that. Freedom of movement, the erection of the wall, checkpoints etc. Mr Cook fails to assign any blame on the Palestinians and particularly their leaders for their sorry state today, so typical of all pro Palestinians polemicists, who write and speak as if the Palestinians had no role in turning Israel into what in some respects it has become today vis a vis the Palestinians.
Some of Mr Cook's diatribe is right on,, particularly about the Yahoo and his henchmen. The dreadful poison pill Bibi took giving Ben Gvir a private army may well lead to events that become reminders of the brutal Nazi leader Ernst Röhm and his vicious brownshirts.
Israel is nothing close though yet to the state described by Mr Cook. It is still a vibrant democracy for its citizens including its Palestinians who choose to take part; however, what goes on in the West Bank is a dreadful blot on that democracy and indeed can with some justification result in the allegation that Israel is, if not already, on the way to becoming an appartheid state because of what happens to West Bank Palestinians.
I don't see any other nation "unifying" solution than a "defensive" war... it will keep the military busy, leave a free-hand to militias to clean up israel's arab internal enemies and get the wider society silent majority scared enough... Additionally middle east geopolitics just shifted against Israel with Iran\Saudi timid reprochement, so time to do something to disrupt it before too late. What can go wrong? (spoiler: A LOT!!!!)
Won't make a difference to Palestinians in occupied land. They deserve self-determination as well. Israel leaders believe their "manifest destiny" is to ultimately incorporate Judea and Samarea and get rid of most Palestinians. How about peace and let Palestinians decide their own fate?
Goodness, one would think reading Mr Cook's jeremiad about Israel that it looks, feels and acts just like ALL ITS ARAB NEIGHBOURS, AND HAMAS AND THE PA TO BOOT. It's hard to take seriously any suggestion that were the protests really about democracy, Israel's Palestinians would be the first out to protest. Since 1958 they have had the opportunity to vote and rarely have even half of those elegible done so. When they finally did show some democratic instincts and turned out in numbers, their elected reps actuallly got admitted into the government of the day (the last one).
There is no question that security matters skew decisions made in Israel, but sadly that's often necessary. On a trip I took to Israel our Palestinian guide made a memorable comment. He said that the 2nd intifada was a disaster for the Palestinians, and everything changed after that. Freedom of movement, the erection of the wall, checkpoints etc. Mr Cook fails to assign any blame on the Palestinians and particularly their leaders for their sorry state today, so typical of all pro Palestinians polemicists, who write and speak as if the Palestinians had no role in turning Israel into what in some respects it has become today vis a vis the Palestinians.
Some of Mr Cook's diatribe is right on,, particularly about the Yahoo and his henchmen. The dreadful poison pill Bibi took giving Ben Gvir a private army may well lead to events that become reminders of the brutal Nazi leader Ernst Röhm and his vicious brownshirts.
Israel is nothing close though yet to the state described by Mr Cook. It is still a vibrant democracy for its citizens including its Palestinians who choose to take part; however, what goes on in the West Bank is a dreadful blot on that democracy and indeed can with some justification result in the allegation that Israel is, if not already, on the way to becoming an appartheid state because of what happens to West Bank Palestinians.
I don't see any other nation "unifying" solution than a "defensive" war... it will keep the military busy, leave a free-hand to militias to clean up israel's arab internal enemies and get the wider society silent majority scared enough... Additionally middle east geopolitics just shifted against Israel with Iran\Saudi timid reprochement, so time to do something to disrupt it before too late. What can go wrong? (spoiler: A LOT!!!!)
A dysfunctional traumatized culture that inflicts trauma on another culture. Sad.