I have a question, and a statement about Palestinian statehood.

[Archae]

My question is where is their country going to be?
The West Bank or the Gaza Strip?

My statement, I hope, (but I very much doubt,) that they will stop their terrorist attacks with rockets against Israel.
There's too many factions with those rockets for just one group like Hamas to end it. For good.

[Scootaloo]

1. I'm glad I didn't have high hopes clicking this thread...

That way I'm not disappointed!

My question is where is their country going to be?
The West Bank or the Gaza Strip?

Both. These are two territories that comprise the whole of Palestine. Think of it like how Alaska is a US state even though Canada is in the way.

My statement, I hope, (but I very much doubt,) that they will stop their terrorist attacks with rockets against Israel.
There's too many factions with those rockets for just one group like Hamas to end it. For good.

You're not wrong. But there's sort of a lie of omission there. During the 2008 cease-fire, Hamas did do a good job of curbing rocket attacks - it brought Islamic Jihad into an agreement, and went after smaller rogue groups when they violated the cease-fire. So it's something Hamas has shown a willingness to do in the past.

The trouble is... Hamas has a problem. Namely its leaders keep dying in these mysterious missile strikes from somewhere. And those police stations keep turning to rubble, who knows. And there's sort of a blockade or something that makes it challenging to arm their forces. And of course, when you have disorganized, leaderless people with no arms, they're not going to be especially good at counteracting terrorism, regardless of their will to do so. Especially when the two other parties that need to participate - Fatah and Israel - are rluctant (some might say "refusing&quot to help out.

[ann---]

2. Both and

the land where the Israelis illegally set up settlements. That was Palestine before the Israelis stole it and occupied it. Palestine as an autonomous nation would be able to have its own military to PROTECT itself from Israeli aggression. There will be no more rockets from Hamas when Palestine has its own state.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. my guess is the rockets won't stop until Isreal stops building illegal settelments.

There still have to be negotiations to set up a two party state so that there are clear boundaries where Isreal cannot build illegal settlements in Palestine and Palestine cannot launch rockets into Isreal.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. How much of the disputed territories were taken by force from Israel?

[ann---]

8. The land

taken in the 1967 war.

[ann---]

13. p.s. - this explains why there will never be peace

Israel does not want peace - period.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/israel-west-bank-settlement-construction_n_2218687.html

"JERUSALEM — Israel approved the construction of 3,000 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, a government official said Friday, in what appeared to be a defiant response to the Palestinians' successful United Nations recognition bid.

The United Nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to accept "Palestine" in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as a non-member observer state, setting off jubilant celebrations among Palestinians.

Israel fiercely objected to the U.N. upgrade, saying peace could only come from direct negotiations and unilateral moves would harm that prospect. The Palestinians said U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war was an attempt to salvage a possible peace deal. They said Israel's settlement expansion on war-won land was making a partition deal increasingly difficult.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to negotiate with Israeli while settlement construction continues in occupied territories.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said negotiations must begin without preconditions.

The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly, said Israel also decided to begin preliminary work in other areas of the West Bank, including the charged E-1 corridor that connects Jerusalem with the settlement bloc of Maaleh Adumim. Construction there would place a major obstacle for Palestinian statehood by cutting off east Jerusalem from the West Bank.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the Israeli announcement, saying Israel was "defying the whole international community and insisting on destroying the two-state solution."

He said the Palestinian leadership was studying its options."

[Violet_Crumble]

10. They're occupied territory, not disputed...

And neither the West Bank nor Gaza were taken by force by Israel. It's the other way round. Israel is carrying out an occupation. While RWers in Israel and the US insist on calling it 'disputed' rather than occupied, even the Israeli High Court acknowledges what those morons won't, which is Israel is the occupying power...

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. None of them?

The disputed territories were never Israeli under the 1947 UN partition of the British Mandate of Palestine.

[Fozzledick]

3. In Neverland, or maybe Erehwon.

Meanwhile, the war goes on with no end in sight, and what few agreements they negotiated with Israel go out the window.

But hey, they get to observe sub-committee meetings at the U.N.!

[Herlong]

6. I have questions too.

I have questions too like
what's the big deal
what took us so long
and
when will we all live in peace and get over it.

Break it down for me.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. The answer to your question is "yes"

Negotiations based on pre-1967 borders (with land swaps), which means the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

[Archae]

12. I'm hoping the quirks can be negotiated on.

As to the Golan Heights, those were seized since Syria used to set up artillery there and shell Israelis.

As to the settlements in the West Bank, we've seen how militant the settlers are.

We've also seen how militant the Palestinians can be.

It's still a mess, that I hope can be worked out.

Don't forget countries that surround Israel used to be in a constant state of war with them, and thankfully those days are pretty much over.

So there is hope.