I know you're heartbroken- expecting to hear more about nose punching. However, yesterday it was announced that the Israelis and Palestinians are going to resume direct negotiations next month and my Heebness (Jewish Identity) took over. In the interests of disclosure, yes I am Jewish and I support Israel. That support is not unconditional.
A little history first. The nation of Israel is an idea more than it is a geographical location. In Hebrew, Am Yisrael, is a description of the Jewish People- descendants of Jacob, who was given the name Israel after wrestling and Angel to a draw. Um, er if you believe such things. The word Jews, from the hebrew yehudim, dates to the Babylonian conquest where in exile we were "Judeans."
Flash forward to modern day Israel. It is a line drawn on a map by the British. So was Iraq, Indai/Pakistan and Northern Ireland. Let's face it, we should not let the English anywhere near a map with writing tools. But the past is the past. We need to decide what the future holds.
The simple truth is that most serious negotiators know what the endgame looks like: A Palestinian state approximating the 1967 borders, a shared capital of Jerusalem, Palestinians compensated for no right of return. This is the what. I'll get into the why shortly.
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