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Nick Messina
Boston, MA
I am a senior at Northeastern University majoring in International Affairs and focusing on Middle Eastern issues. This past summer I attended a Dialogue of Civilizations trip in Israel and studied the Arab-Israeli conflict. It had a profound effect on me and I pledge to get more involved.
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Nick commented on the article |
Michael is right the rockets continue to be launched after HAMAS received a massive beating in Operation Cast Lead. I would argue that Operation Cast Lead was necessary to improve Israel's bargaining power and deterrence but that Israel should experiment in opening the crossings into Gaza simply for the chance to alleviate the economic situation.
Poverty and unemployment in Gaza will continue to be more of a danger to Israel then rocket attacks. Israel needs to think long-term and accept that alleviating the palestinian economy is worth the risk of HAMAS smuggling in more weapons. -
Nick commented on the article |The massacre perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein was indeed a unspeakable tragedy. It proves that there Islamic terrorists are not only fanatics wililng to bathe in the blood of innocents. Israeli citizens and the IDF have committed multiple massacres in their dark history but so have Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the PLO and the multiple Palestinian groups. There is no good vs evil, all sides who commit terror are at fault and should be condemned equally by the international community.
Also I love to hear about how horrible HAMAS tv and the indoctrination of their young born to hate when no one cares to mention their jewish equivalent; the extremist settlers especially in the Hebron hills who raise all of their state-subsidized children with incredible hate and fear of Arabs. Just because they dont launch rockets doesnt mean they arent hate-filled fanatics as well -
Nick commented on the article |Charles and Michael hello, I would like to add to point 5 in the aspects that Israeli leaders will turn to a cycle of conflict and peace management rather then resolution. In the past after going through periods of conflict "ripeness," such as during Oslo and Camp David, leaders on both sides have engaged in serious negotiations, but today peace is farther then ever and any negotiations reported in the media will only be political theater.
Also, I am a strong supporter for the concept of Israel and its security but am firmly against settlement in "Judea and Samaria." Increasing jewish settlements in the west bank with their massive jigsawing highways and protective security zones will only further extremism amongst Palestinians and make them push for the one state solution which will only lead to further bloodshed. -
Nick commented on the article |Michael and Uzi, I must disagree with you concerning the "three-state solution." First, Jordan and Egypt would never in a million years agree to take control of the West Bank and Gaza respectively. Second, palestinians deserve their own national state. In the 1920s and 30s Palestinian national aspirations were growing right along Israeli national aspirations. The idea that palestinians are "invented" and are actually jordanians is preposterous. It is a denial of history. When people say all palestinians should move to one of the several the arab states it is ignorant, arrogant and plain narrow-mindedness. Yes, palestinians have acted against their own national interest several times but that does not mean that their time has passed. A palestinian state is not concievable in the near future, but when the illegal settlements are evacuated and HAMAS gives up its terror campaign in favor of peaceful political action (a farcry as of right now but everyone thought that about the IRA also) then I believe a Palestinian and Israeli state can coexist together modeled on an modified edition of the 1967 borders.
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Nick commented on the article |The death toll in Gaza was definitely horrendous. Over 1300 people killed half of them civilians is a unspeakable tragedy. But any other state in the world could not suffer the constant attacks of rockets and mortars. Israel the IDF had no choice. Restoring deterrence was the only course of action in this situation even though it is debatable whether it achieved that objective.
And pertaining to your conversation the killing of civilians is a terrible act but it is impossible to avoid civilian casualties while fighting a war. Also, Israel takes strident measures to avoid civilian casualties by calling houses before they are bombed and dropping leaflets on targeted areas. But because of the large population density in the strip, civilian casualties were unavoidable. -
Nick commented on the article |Although I believe President Obama will work hard to repair America's image in the world and change our hard-nosed foreign policies I sincerely doubt any progress will be achieved by US pressure on the Israeli-palestinian peace process. With rightists gaining in Israeli election polls, a severe economic crisis in the US and a worsening war in afghanistan there will be no significant push for a palestinian state any time soon. There will be "negotiations" and lots of political theater but no action.
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Nick commented on the article |Iran leaders are definitely erratic and have supported terror since the Islamic republic's founding but they are not INSANE. Their not stupid. They are rational people acting in their interests. They know if they launched nuclear missiles against Israel that Israel and the United State would annihilate the entire country. Iran is using its perceived stature as defender of palestinians from Israel to serve as a rallying call of the muslim world. They may want to destroy Israel but MAD (mutual assured destruction) theory still applies today.
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Nick commented on the article |
From my travels to Israel and brief experience in the hebron hills I do not believe a two-state solution is possible in the near future. From the settlements point of view, Israel actively supports settlements it deems "illegal" by connecting them to electricity and water grids. The direction of the security fence gobbles up palestinian land in huge chunks and pieces. Highways for Israeli citizens only also carve up the west bank for hundreds of miles.
It may be hard for a lot of people to comprehend but Israel does not want to give up the settlements. It wants them it likes them and it will continue to expand them. Whether you are against it or for it those are the facts. -
Nick commented on the article |
Charles you are absolutely right that Israel needs to change its narrow principles concerning the equality of its citizens and different ethnic groups. But (unofficial) Israeli policy contradicts this incredible American ideal. I visited a Bedouin village outside Dimona this summer and the village was not even connected to the power grid while power lines ran across their very property. The process of determining whether these villages are illegal or not is very backward and should be corrected to not "judaize" them, but treat them as fellow citizens; many who serve in the IDF.Will Jews ever consider themselves Israeli before being Jewish? As an American I long for this tolerance among Israeli society but see it as a hopeless idea in the near future.
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