Israel ponders response to Palestinian U.N. statehood bid

[bemildred]

Reporting from Jerusalem—
As Israel considers its reaction to the Palestinian drive for recognition of statehood at the U.N., officials are weighing calls for swift retaliation against fear that tough measures could be counterproductive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is evaluating Israel's next step. But key members of his right-wing coalition are pushing for a firm response, which they say would discourage Palestinians from pursuing their strategy of gaining United Nations recognition or taking other unilateral steps away from the negotiating table.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has warned Palestinians of grave consequences and, according to one Israeli newspaper report, threatened to quit the government unless punitive actions are taken. He later denied saying that he would quit over the issue.

Lieberman and others say the Palestinian application for U.N. membership violates the 1993 Oslo peace accords, which committed both sides to work out their differences at the negotiating table. As a result, they say Israel should annex all or part of the West Bank, terminate the Oslo accords or cut off tax transfers that Israeli ports collect on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. That revenue, about $100 million a month, accounts for much of the authority's budget.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-next-steps-20110925,0,1908729.story

[bemildred]

1. LOL:

3rd comment:

"The question is this. Do we side with Israel and God, or do we side with the Jordanian outcasts and world liberals?
Nuff Said!"

[Violet_Crumble]

2. And it got two thumbs up in the ratings...

Not as decisive as this one-thumbs up rated comment about the Palestinians: 'What should Isarael do? Quit messing around and wipe the rats out once and for all.'

[bemildred]

4. Count going up fast.

Reminds me of threads here.

[socialshockwave]

3. What some don't understand:

is that Israel is surrounded by countries who have either:

A) Worked to destroy it, by virtue of "those Jewish rats" etc(Six Day War)

B) Professed to wish to destroy Israel

If the Palestinians become their own state, the anti-Semites in the Middle East will be able to use Palestine as a spring board to launch new invasions on Israel.

Let's not forget; the Grand Mufti supported Hitler and helped train an Arabic SS division.

[bemildred]

5. See post #2. Apparently the "rat" metaphor is popular outside the antisemitic community too. nt

[Violet_Crumble]

6. I'm pretty sure reading post #2 is what brought on the mention of 'rats'...

Can't have the very real rantings of a bunch of hatemongers on that site being brought to our attention without trying to turn attention to something else that they obviously think is far, far worse ;)

[bemildred]

8. Maybe, maybe not. Either way calling other human groups rats is "de-humanizing".

By definition.

I suppose I should condemn myself, because I do like calling certain politicians "rats". Maybe I'll have to give that up.

[azurnoir]

7. Israel's answer:Israel set to approve 1,100 new Jerusalem homes beyond the Green Line

The Jerusalem District Planning Committee is set to approve 1,100 new housing units in Jerusalem's contested Gilo neighborhood on Tuesday, despite past U.S. objections concerning any construction that expanded Gilo further across the Green Line.

The plan was submitted by a subsidiary to the Jewish National Fund, and must pass 60 days in which the public may oppose it before being finally approved by Jerusalem's planning authorities.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-set-to-approve-1-100-new-jerusalem-homes-beyond-the-green-line-1.387024

Is anyone really surprised, wonder what Israel's supporters have to say about this unilateral action?