Teribus and CarolC, thanks for the insight historically into
the problems of 1967 and the "intafada".

The very thing that strikes me is that how similar the situation
is to Iraq. The Bush Administration feels that a pre-emptive
strike to expand influence is necessary. Any pretext to start
a war is fair game. The Axis of Evil is not an axis at all since
those countries on this list are not related.

Nasser's threats notwithstanding, I don't see a monolithic Muslim
threat to Israel taking place. (As I didn't feel that Saddam's threats had validity.) Syria has always been a problem
on Israel's borders but it seems that Nasser was pounding his
chest very much like Saddam Hussein without the military equipmentor
multinational consensus amoung the Muslim nations to substantiate
his threats. I see that CarolC's point about his bluster is
well-taken. Didn't require a pre-emptive strike on the part of Israel..

The last time a Muslim nation (Iraq) invaded a neighbor, the US came to it's aid in a Gulf War. Wouldn't Israel know that if they were
attacked, the US would respond accordingly? Even in 1967? I'm sure that the Muslim nations know that full well too.

As it stands now, if the Bush administration wants to search for
WMD's in other countries aside from the US, they could start
with Israel who is not part of a non-proliferation treaty. Is it really their ace in the hole? Their use of such could trigger
a world war. Would they want to be responsible for that?

I agree that no one cares about the fate of the Palestinians except the Palestinians. They are the hidden citizens. Does anyone
really expect them to convert to Judaism? The other Arab nations
would like them to go away as well.

In short, it takes two to tangle and any rationale for agressive behavior on the part of Israel, Palestinians or any Arab nation
is ridiculous in this time. The weapons get larger, the tactics more desperate and the "sides" become more entrenched. The UN has
a role, here and instead of diminishing it when it becomes politcally expedient to wage war, it should be bolstered and helped by
the US and Israel as well as any other nation in the world. It's the only hope to resolve this crisis.

The Bush Administration is using the Mid-East crisis as a political football rather than to really grapple with solutions that would
make it a credible intermediary. The "Road Map" is a political joke that shows about as much understanding of the situation than
what we know about Mars.

Nobody in this Administration has convincingly addressed the cultural problems in any of the Muslim nations with intelligence and
understanding. Instead, the Bush Administration is trying to
apply their values and agenda on foreign countries without consideration for their needs. How can you solve a problem like
that?

One thing that impresses me about politics in general. Words
are cheap. (Bullshit walks). This goes for all the candidates.
And all the blustering, rationales and righteous indignation
of the leaders of all beligerent countries today.

Frank