Israel couldn’t leave settlers in Golan in a peace agreement.

They would report back that living under Arab rule has its advantages. This would be anathema to the Israeli establishment. For this reason any withdrawal will be staged over years, and generous compensation will be given. Any settlers allowed to remain would be cherry picked for their loyalty. After all the notion of freely intermingling is not part of the current Israeli psyche. Anyone doing so, needs to be on a mission for the government. So deep is the embedded racism.

Annapolis Shpanapolis The peace agreement to be announced.

Annapolis Shpanapolis
The peace agreement to be announced.
Palestinians to be given part of negev in exchange for major Isreali settlements in West Bank. Free travel between Gaza and West Bank. Joint attendance at border posts into Jordan, although Israelis are only there as observers. Massive aid to industrialize the Palestinian state. The patsy PA is irrelevant. But Hamas might sign along with Egypt. Whatever they announce will not work, Egypt is weak, which means as a guarantor, it might not be there in its present form.
The Israelis want nothing less than servitude. Either side can scupper the deal. The Israelis by undermining the guarantor egypt. Bush, the neocons and the current Govt of Israel don’t know how to win the heart of rabbit.
There will be free access to jerusalem for the palestinians.
When you consider Israel’s economic might in the region, it seems a shame that 242 (UN Res.) isn’t implemented. Simple things work best. Isn’t that true? It means withdrawing to the 67 borders.
The issue is the settlers and recently their US backers have been getting publicity.
Whatever the fanfare of a signed agreement, it cannot work. Because of the Israeli right and their need to be on the West Bank.
We can remember when the west wooed Egypt away from the Soviets, It was a political coup. That seems very unlikely as a possibility with Syria from Iran. And perhaps that is what the Lebanon incitement had been all about, Syria would be pressed to appear in Sharm with the unseating of Hizbollah.
Egypt’s current opening of the border with Gaza must be part of Bush’s visit and this peace plan. We can expect the plans for Bush’s visit to go as well as they went in Lebanon and everywhere else.
Expect to see Peres, Mubarak, etal and Hamas in a ceremony. It will be a very lonely ceremony.
With the highest attendance from secret police, followed by the media, and some bussed in school children.

Peace with Syria?

In israel, Syria is famous for never having fired a shot across its border since the 1973 war.
For the Israeli establishment to believe that Syria could retake the Golan and maintain a ceasefire is no doubt understood.
But the israelis also want servitude: Cheap labour like in Jordan factories.
Military subservience like how Egypt keeps the Gaza border sealed.
And the free flow of capital.
Perhaps a free trade agreement.
And Israel has clearly stated it wants Syria to severe its links with Iran and Hezbollah.
So we can expect a war.
Jordan has a small population, so it seems unable to be independent, it has even been pressed to pass laws offering US servicemen immunity from prosecution.
Egypt by ALL predictions is likely to have major social upheavals, in no small measure due to the price of food.
Syria manufactures missiles with Iran. It is pretty large. It’s hard to understand how it could be defeated militarily.
Given that the population could endure more pain than the Israelis.
No doubt the rights of Israeli settlers on the Golan feature as an issue.
Why doesn’t Israel just settle for the free movement of people and nothing else.
A peace with a bitter taste is not a peace.
In a war would Israel use banned weapons? Would the world do anything?

The role and capability of the Russian military base in Syria is not much publicised.

The settlers have to go.

I don’t think its crossing a red line to say so. Whoever a peace agreement is made with. However many military checkpoints are dismantled. Someone will scupper the peace. There will be a grenade attack, or a katusha.

Then the settlers can say, ’see there can be no peace’. As long as there are settlers in the West Bank, there will be the likelihood of war. Okay let’s go two steps forward. Nothing short of the 67 borders and sharing Jerusalem has any chance of peace. It is conveniently forgotten that Israel started the 67 war, and annexed the land.

The longer Israel refuses to publicly respect and acknowledge Hamas, the one group who could guarantee a peace. The more likely the Iranians will appear as likely guarantors of the peace. If that sounds shocking, just remember when the PLO was a Pariah. Anyway Jews know how to live in other peoples countries. Let the settlers live in a Palestinian state, if they can, and if they want to.

Well, 12 hours later I see this new and thorough article by Xymphora about the settlers.