DescentBB

Well we're finally here. Over the next few weeks The Promised Land is finally ending it's little holiday on the strip. Everyone will be hugging, swapping addresses and promising to visit at weekends. Peace will descend upon the Middle East, leaving Bin Laden unemployed and the power belt boys nothing to do but enjoy a long life.....yea right!!!!

If the actual withdrawal goes as smoothly as the preamble we're in for a right bloody mess. On one side we have the Palestinians at each others throats, fighting among each other for the spoils of a free state, as well as the radicals who still have loads of katuchas still waiting to be fired from their back yard.

Then we've got the Israelis who are dangerously close to a civil war (i kid you not), constantly egged on by the media, confused, running around with their symbolic orange or white/blue ribbons attached to their cars sending countrymen to forcably remove countrymen from their homes. It's not going to be easy at all.

It's not made the big media outlets yet because not enough blood has been spilled, don't worry though things are hotting up. Watch this space.

oh that withdrawl method...

Watch yourself over there Flabby.

edit:: sry. Was kind of a real question, tho'.

And in 15 years the pissed off people of a half-built underfunded destitute country will ram a plane into another one of our buildings.

Ya fixed a lot bush thx

Testiculese wrote:edit:: sry. Was kind of a real question, tho'.

I guess when your land is at the hub of three massive continents, all the religions of the world want a peice of the action and you've got over 300 ethnic groups living in a country the size of Wales it's understandable that tensions are high.

And tensions are really high. At last Israel's made a positive step (imho), i've just got this niggly feeling though that the belt boys will not see it that way. Like i said, we'll see.

SilverFJ wrote:And in 15 years the pissed off people of a half-built underfunded destitute country will ram a plane into another one of our buildings.

Ya fixed a lot bush thx

Try and read up on your history and find out who the real culprits were.

^^ the british?

FC, I think Bibi is correct in his predictions and Isreal will be forced to take it all back at some future point. However, the gesture must be made by Isreal in an honest effort to break the impasse. Will the Palestinians appreciate it and take advantage of this opportunity to build the homeland they've been screaming and killing for? Doubtful, as they are pawns to larger forces like Iran and SA who don't wish for peace. If the Palestinians continue using terror there's not much more Isreal can do except kick them out once and for all and ring your nation with a wall.

I imagine an old peacenik like you is feeling rather conflicted these days.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if factions within Gaza started firing Katuchas at will once Israel pulls out. If they do then the responce will be overwhelming i fear.

As for Bibi. The dahrling of the western media with his superb command of english, don't trust him for a second. The guy has been backing the pullout for a year now and decides to resign the day before a massive budget vote in the knesset to throw his weight behind the settlers. He only thinks of his own political ambitions and is building a power base for the next elections built upon the fears of others. He's a slimy tosser....i don't like him much, can you tell.

I can't say I pay much attention to the cults of personalities in Israeli politics but I'm already reading that the withdrawals are being claimed by the Palestinians as a military-style victory over Israel rather than a peace offering. No good deed will go unpunished, I fear.

I really hope I'm wrong in my assessment of the Palestinians but their past behavior doesn't provide for much optimism that they will seize this historic moment to sue for a lasting peace.

personally, I think history can blame the pope for about everything. The pope and Gilbert Godfried.

Keep us updated, Flabbyperson.

I will. Last night the army and police completly sealed gaza in and out. In a few hours they're going to give a 48 hour notice to the remaining settlers to leave.

At the moment the worlds media is busy filming each other. I think they're bored.

Flabby Chick wrote: At the moment the worlds media is busy filming each other. I think they're bored.

What a tragedy if no blood is spilled.

Oh, and the settlers bennies are not so bad either:

FAMILY COMPENSATION PACKAGE
$1,000 per square metre of home
$50,000 for land around home
$1,000 per head for each year of residence (children included)
Moving costs up to $5,000
Half a year's salary if made redundant
Two years' rent following relocation
$30,000 loan for staying in new home

Well, two and a half hours to go till the army goes in. The country seems to have put everything on hold anticipating what will be the outcome. I know a couple of lads that are down there at the moment in the thick of things, aand one of them that i had a chance to talk to is really not happy about what he has to do. You see regardless of their political and religious beliefs the settlers are still Jewish and Israeli as are the boys in the army. The feeling of wrenching families from their homes of thirty years, for whatever reason, puts a massive amount of pressure on them. I'm lucky,hell we're all lucky, we've never had to be put through that situation.

If the terror attacks stop because of the pull out...will it not be worth it?

woodchip wrote:If the terror attacks stop because of the pull out...will it not be worth it?

Yes, but they won't.

crazy pessimistic theory:

some small bands of soldiers will (under teh influence of the settlers) have a sudden crisis of political/religious conscience, and will question whether their loyalty should be to the political or religious (ie: the extremist religious settlers) leaders.

bash wrote: Will the Palestinians appreciate it and take advantage of this opportunity to build the homeland they've been screaming and killing for? Doubtful, as they are pawns to larger forces like Iran and SA who don't wish for peace. If the Palestinians continue using terror there's not much more Isreal can do except kick them out once and for all and ring your nation with a wall.

Good point.

This is the chance for the palestinians to grasp freedom. If they prove themselves and stop all this violent nonsense, I have no problem with them having their own land. The ball is in palestines court here. If they continue their militant, extremist and violent behavior then they can kiss their hand-me-down land goodbye.