From: jake@bony1.bony.com (Jake Livni)
Subject: Re: Autopsy - Kahane and Rosenbaum
Organization: The Department of Redundancy Department
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 00:46:04 GMT

In article <dfs.723406923@vash> dfs@doe.carleton.ca (David F. Skoll) writes:
>In <1992Dec3.002242.21680@bony1.bony.com> jake@bony1.bony.com (Jake
>Livni) writes:

>>If it's too late for Jews to regain land they have lost recently, then
>>the same should be true for Arabs.
>
>Except there's a difference:  The Arabs continue to live in Gaza,
>Judea and Samaria with no political rights, many of them in rotten
>conditions.  The Jews (whose loss I'm not trying to minimize) have
>by and large been integrated into Israel and been able to build
>normal lives.
>
>Of course, much of the blame lies with the Arab nations for perpetuating
>the Palestinian refugee problem as a weapon against Israel.  Again,
>any peace agreement must force Arab nations to take their share of
>responsibility for ending the refugee situation.  But still, it
>requires compromise on both parts. 

Fine, I agree that if the incredibly wealthy Arabs offer to help out
their artificial refugees, then Jews around the world will pitch in 
and help out Jews in misfortune.

>Israel cannot get everything it wants.

Did I just ask for too much?  Did I offer too little?

>>If Arabs feel that they should be
>>compensated for such losses, Jews may feel the same.  Why 
>>discriminate?
>
>Because the Arab theft of Jewish property is largely in the past,
>and most of the victims have normal lives now.  The Arab refugee
>problem and lack of political rights is going on right now.

In other words, because Jews have been productive and progressive
while the Arabs have been vindictive and cruel, then Jews should pay
the Arabs for their "losses".  Good grief!  Your logic offers no
incentive to Arab despots to improve their beahvior.  

>I meant hostility from nations which are currently friendly to Israel -
>the Arab nations are only part of the problem.  If the nations of
>the world truly decided that Israel was behaving barbarically, they
>could destroy Israel in a matter of months.  You saw what happened
>to Iraq.  We Jews have a tendency to believe that everyone is against
>us anyway, so who cares who we offend?  But unfortunately, the reality
>is that Israel needs the support of nations in the international
>community for its continued security.

Fine, if these same nations held Assad, Saddam and Arafat to the same
standard, things might work out OK.  For the most part, they do.

>PLO or Hamas are not the problem if Kach comes to power.  The problem
>is the unifying effect this would have on the Arab nations,
>and the reaction of the international community.

Please note that Kach has not come to power, and the PLO and Hamas
both have.  Now that you have dispatched Kach, you still have to deal
with the murderous and anti-peace forces deep in the heart of the Arab
world.  

At some stage, you will have to realize that even when Kach has been 
outlawed, Kahane is no more and land has been given away, that the
lack of peace isn't your own fault, after all.

-- 
Jake Livni  jake@bony1.bony.com              10 years from now, George Bush will
American-Occupied New York                   have replaced Jimmy Carter as the
My opinions only - employer has no opinions. standard of a failed President.