Hi Martin,

You say,
"Frank, just because your grandparents were Jewish doesn't mean you have all of this insight into what is going on in the minds of the Israeli population."

Well Martin, I know a lot of Israelis personally and have talked at length to some of them. I think I know as much as many on this list as to what goes on in some of their minds.

"It's far from a question of oil in Israel. No matter who is in office Bush, or Clinton before him Israel will be supported by this country. It might be the lesser of two evils, but it's a lot lesser."

The oily guy in the White House is pretty consistent.

The notions of good and evil are propaganda devices that really
bear little consequence on the solution to this horrendous
problem. What we need is a lot less judgements based on bias of "good and evil" and more objectivity. Theocracy is still the enemy of democracy.

Sandinia, I can see the fear of religious suppression on the part
of Jews in Israel. But I can conceive of a country that has pluralism in their religious beliefs as we do in the US. I don't think that Israel can't accomodate more than one religious belief
in that country as you say. The separate states doesn't address the issue of Palestinians who live in Israel and consider that their homeland.   They remain second-class citizens.

There is the element of over-reaction on the part of the radical right in Israel. Destroying the homes of innocent Palestinians as an "eye for an eye" approach to Palestinian violence does no credit to the Israeli government. It makes them just reactive and not
pro-active. I think you would agree with that, though from what you've said.

It's possible that if the UN could recognize Palestinian soveigntry
in their own country, if it were not an Israeli "bantustan", then that might work but would not solve the problems of the minority
who are not Jewish in Israel. There would still be conflict.
But if the Israeli government could separate the religious aspect
of their convictions from the pragmatic working of the state
which could work for Palestinians, Christians, as well as Jewish
people in Israel, then Jews could have their homeland and
the conflict could be removed. Shared authority would be required.

I fear that many Israelis or American Jews feel that
the Arab world is monolithic. Their interpretations of the Koran differ wildly. Some are more fundamentalist with notions of the Wahabi and Saddam and Ghadaffi with other ideas. I don't believe that all Muslims have been free to move about the world without reprisals.They have had their share of persecution as well. Nowadays, it seems to be coming from certain prejudices in the US. 700 "disappeared" in Guantanamo is a case in point.

I think Chomsky is right. shared authority in Israel.

Frank