Palestine in Israel (and America down south)

ARTICLE: Palestinians Who Prefer Israel, by Daniel Pipes, Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2008

Interesting article by Daniel, who, despite his fierce reputation, is one of the nicest guys you'd ever care to meet. I got to know him in a couple of wargames I put on at the Naval War College, where he too had previously served as professor.

What do the numbers tell us? The Palestinians run a failed state and the Israelis run one of the best in the world.

But the only way that scenario works is for Jews to ultimately become a minority in Israel, and that's a tricky path, but there's no doubt that Palestinians would be better off living in a larger Israel than a larger Palestine.

Once you get over the identity thing, you go with the better services.

Silly, I know, but for us non-tribalists, it's the only logic worth acknowledging. You move America to Antarctica tomorrow and I'm there.

(Thanks: Dan Hare)

Comments

[Ted O'Connor]

In Ireland, you can find families that will drive from their home in the mostly Catholic Republic to the mostly Protestant counties in the North. Out on some narrow road in the countryside, the father or the mother will point to a small cottage or to a piece of land and say "That is ours". The little cottage or piece of land was "theirs" two hundred or three hundred years ago. Seized during one of the religious "clean-sings" that took place as the British tried to create a loyal populace in that part of Ireland. The families have never forgotten. Each generation is told the story and shown the "place that should be theirs". Never underestimate the "tribe". Never underestimate the power of legend or tales told to children in front of the fire.

[stuart abrams]

Ted:Nowadays, that Irish family is likely to be driving past that piece of land in a new Beamer sipping a latte. If they want the land back, they'll buy it, otherwise they move on. Economic development is the surefire cure to pathological fixation upon pieces of dirt.

[Michael]

Is there an alternative, Ted? A multi-religious state would at least allow Palestinians (and Israelis, in the case of settlers kicked out of Gaza) the possibility of buying back their old property someday-- or of avoiding an eviction from the property they've already got.

The sad thing? I read someplace recently that a study of Palestinian DNA showed a close kinship with the Israelis. Like the Irish, they could easily be one tribe-- IF they would stop hating and killing long enough to realize that fact. Yech. . .

[Anonymous]

stuart: exactly