HI Kids! Let's Jihad! Hee...hee...hee

Hi - coming at it from a pro-Palestinian position, I'd agree with almost everything you have written here and particularly this, which can be the only basis to resolve things into the future:

I am openly pro-Israel but in a context where I recognize Israel and Palestine have an exactly equal right to exist, have the same historical roots and the same legal basis for existence.

But the facts on the ground are that the daily lot and life experience of the average Palestinian is considerably less than that of the average Israeli. Whilst Hamas do not represent everyone in Palestine by any means, it is not too difficult to see why in that environment they attact support. I therefore wholeheartedly support the Enough! campaign to raise the profile of what is going on in Palestine.

I would also point your readers in this direction - as there are Palestinian thinkers who are prepared to think outside of the box and dare to consider the unthinkable.

Peace

Joe

If a one-state solution does not work, then there is no hope. Palestinians do not currently have enough land to build a viable state, never mind anything else.

I would also say that there is very little economic incentive for Israeli companies to want peace at the moment. Many many Palestinian businesses were dependent on Israeli buyers, yet these have mostly drifted away with the intifada and the Israelis have found partners elsewhere. Today there is a dependancy of Palestinian manufacturers on Israelis (either as a direct market or to sell on their products) but I believe that Israel can survive without the Palestinians.

Something needs to change very quickly or we are faced with the possibility of imminent and catastrophic economic meltdown.

Palestinans generally exist in a form of collective depression. They have given up believing that there is any hope that their lives can get better. And that, I would suggest, is an extremely dangerous state to be in.

Well, again, I agree and disagree. As you say, the most important thing is to agree that we both want to see a viable solution.

Regarding your last point about tree planting. My training was in Soil Science - which is probably about as far as you can get from selling Palestinian textiles! It is undeniably true that Israelis have done amazing things with scarce natural resources. On the other hand, the agricultural systems that have developed are very dependent on irrigation. And, I am sorry to say that the evidence suggests that much of the irrigation water needed, particularly in the settlements, is taken at the expense of Palestinians.

Simply planting trees without considering the wider environmental and social context is no solution in itself. There must be justice and parity even in this.

Regarding the rest of your post, I would agree that we need the flexibility to hold loosely to our ideals. To be honest, it is not me you [ie pro-Israelis] need to convince. Palestinians have lost hope, when you speak to them often their eyes gloss over and they look dejectedly at the floor. They cannot cope with more fine words from their own leaders, the Israelis or the rest of the world. They just want to see their lives improving. This is why we started trading directly with Palestinian businesses, tried to do the things that others said was impossible or irresponsible.

Having only briefly been to Tel Aviv, I can't tell you what the feeling is there.

Here's an update to the update:

The Palestinian government, as I indicated in the first update, said the offending show would be removed. However, Hamas, as reported on Salon.com, has refused to remove it and it has continued to air.