There is no such a thing as Palestinian territory. Palestine was never a nation or a state. They are occupying territories that belonged to Israel before Israel was dispersed in 70 a.d. by the Roman Empire. And if we go to the old times, the Palestinians are descendants of the Philistines, which only occupied what is today knows ad the Gaza strip. So, if we were strictly objective, Palestine should only be granted the territory they had in historical times. By the way, we cannot threaten an ally in giving up that which is theirs. That would be blackmail and I don't believe it will solve anything.

There is a line in the Bible, in Genesis, I think where God gave the Children of Israel all the land between the Nile and the Euphrates. I never thought about this until I started reading more deeply into Chrisian Zionism since this Iraq disaster has unfolded.

What I discover is that the fundies, dispos and others of that ilk, are fully on board to give all that land to the modern state of Israel. You see, oh you learned members of the RIA, the ancient Children of Israel and the present atheistic State of Israel are the same! You see, that , don't you? Or are your eyes blinded to the various truths of the prophecies. That is what the televangelists are preaching to a great extent.

Lets bring out the real truth about the Palestinian argument that Israel took our lands.You ask the terrorists, Why do you attack Israel? They reply, "Because of the settlements and Israel's occupation of the West Bank." When the truth of the matter is that there were no Isralie troops in Judea or Samaria before June of 1967. In 1967, the 3 countries surrounding Israel put a noose-of-death around Israel and were going to choke them out. As a result, Israel defended itself and are in the territories as a result of the war.What the Arabs will try to do is turn the result of the war into the cause.When asked why they attacked Israel before 1967? They say it is because of the Palestinian refugees.There was not a single refugee in the Middle East before 7 Arab armies attacked Israel in the beginning stages of the state of Israel. They not only caused their refugee problem, but Israel's refugee problem. Israel took in their refugees onto a speck of sand, 1/500th of the Arab lands and without the oil reserves. Israel solved their refugee problem that Palestine keeps alive. Again, what they do is turn the consequenses of their aggression into its cause. In 1975 Arafat said that in 1880 the Jews came and invaded our beautiful, green, lush and bountiful Palestine. Well, on the contrary, Mark Twain talked about his visit to the area in 1867 in his book The Innocents Abroad. He said for the first day he didn't see a single human being. He said of Jerusalem, It sits in sacloth and ashes. He goes on to say, When will the Jews come back and bring this land back to life? Well in 1880 Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, one of the greatest map makers in history, made a visit to the area. He said, I stand in Judea, I look North, I look South and I do not see a single human. He also said, "When will the Jews return and bring this land back to life?" Sounds to me as if Arafat is/was a liar! What a shock. When did the Jews come back? First of all, there were always Jews there since biblical times. Jewish settlers came and built farms, factories and towns and cities.What happens when in the middle of a waste land you get this type of settlement? People came from everywhere. The British census showed a five fold increase in the number of Arabs who migrated into the Jewish areas between the End of WWI and the beginning of WWII. These were aged old inhabitants? These were the sons and daughters of recent immigrants because of the Jewish restoration. Winston Churchill said, "The Arabs have no case whatsoever against the Jews." He went on to say, "the Jews enabled them to go in and swell their numbers." It is time that the Arab propaganda is called what it truely is, a LIE.

The USA should mind their business and stay out of it, the middle east has been in turmoil from the dawn of time and we aren't going to change that.

Absolutely not! Israel is a nation, Palestine is not.

. http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/arab05.html#arab030b5

Yeah, that's simply brilliant. Imagine people regularly wandering into Flint and Ann Arbor from Toronto, then detonating themselves in the nearest Pizza Hut or 7-11, and see how long it would take a variety of members of the U.S. military to find themselves perched on the perimeter of our northern neighbor.

When the Arab world sees that the States is genuinely considering all sides to the pressing developments there in the Midlle East, then we may get somewhere. At the momnet a disproprotionately high lobby taking sides for Israel is serving to show the US as partisan. It is hard therefore to mediate any diplomatic talks between the two factions if that is the case. Now we know the Arab ststaes want the destruction of Israel, but the retaliation taken has been far too extreme and I think Israel is detremined to set the world on a collision course with Islam. It's about which side gets it going first.

i wish all the people who think they understand ; understood history.jew are the sons of aberham.they came from the land of cannan. some other tribe lived there as well.not the palistinians.drout senta a large portion ok the sons of aberham to the delta of eygpt.were the future jews protected theroad to from the west for the pharos.this the were expert military and stone workers.a pharo became worried that the future jewish populationwas so large it was big as the eygption population.which caused the pharo to turn on there partners.as many years things becam worse for the jews.a banished moses learned the land of the sinaifrom arabs.which tought him the 1 god the.the same one of aberham of which the hebrews,christians,and islam is from.still no palistinians by the way.aberham is a decendent of noha. as are the greeks which the jew are closly related to. when the jews left which was fine by the pharo who said take what you need the hebrews sacked a eygption city for suplies on the way out.which made the pharo mad and gave chase.moses knew the desert better from the arab nomads.the jew went back to cannan land of aberham.still no palastiians.the egyptions ,greeks,romans all came - ebacenser from iraq cam and jews lived in iraq - the word hebrew came from eygpt abru (forner-outsider) in the time of david and soloman -the land of isreal went to damascus,iraq,most of jordan,sinai,part of arabia.a group from asia minor costal turkey (pirates ) the philistines attackt and lost atacted won than lost and then some what setteld over the middle east including isreal.the decendents became palistinians after mixing with all the midle east people. no arab country wants them -eygpt kicked them out then used them to unit arabs for war - palistinians are not arabs the are mix cluture half breeds and were decendent from warior trader nomads they never had a home or land and have no claim to isreal- if so will the other arab counties give up the land back to the time of king soloman and father david - should italy (rome ) get back all of euorpe- usa give the land back to the indians see how insane it is to give land back to a people who dont even originate from the area. they have no claim

Well it looks like this has happened with out aid being cut off. The question I have is why is the US goverment aiding a country that has nuclear technology. After all these years can't they take care of them selves or at least pay their own way.

It's not going to happen. A strong military ally in the Middle East would be in Bush's best interests. All the same, he's an idiot and the Palestinians deserve their land.

Israel does a lot of trade with the US and Israel was the first nation to offer assistance when Hurricane Katrina left it destruction on New Orleans etc. Whether or not we accepted it I do not know. But they offered their best physicians, technicians, evac equip, and every possible resource they had to come to our aid. This was days before any other nation even offered a small help. Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East, and to support that is not wrong, to help it stay strong is wise on many levels, I think most people would be shocked at the huge amount of imports from Israel that the US depends upon. As for the Palestinians, old films of the Jews entering Israel in the 1930's show a land that looked like the surface of the moon, no vegetation at all, not one blade of grass, nothing....The lush area that is there to today is from the blood, sweat, tears, and extreme labor of Jews. To work a lifetime and give up what you have strugged to build only to give it to be forced to give it to your enemy is abominable.

I believe it is totally wrong to cut of aid to Israel, I do not believe theyshould leave their land either. Maureen Emery

I wouldn't exactly sever ties (another post subject), but we need to stop funding these people. They are one step away from becoming a Nazi state. When I think about the amount of money we've sent to them, my stomach churns.

This should have been done a LONG time ago.We invaded Iraq for violating international law,but when Israel violates it,we applaud and throw them big bucks.Makes us look pretty hypocritical....

Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. Aid in the world. Isreal is a pretty well of country, so I don't see how this makes much sense when there are a lot of poor people in need in the world. They are a U.S. ally and share our liberal views on democracy and individual rights so we should treat them with respect. However, you have to wonder what kind of message this sends to the rest of the Arab world.

An utterly moronic idea.. It is the pressure of Israel that keeps the Arab states in line.

Why are we involved in this war in the first place?

Never gonna happen, but it would be wonderful if it did. The Palistinians are living in hell and if the Israelis would get off their case, maybe there wouldn't be so much violence from their side. Leave these people alone; God didn't promise land to anybody, and God doesn't excuse murder. Jews and Arabs, hate to break it to you, are like brothers. We are both descendents of Abraham, and we Jews have no more right to target a race than anyone else. As for threatening to cut off aid to Palestine; what aid?

No US politician will ever, ever have the guts to even suggest this, but it should happen. Israel gets between 3 and 5 billion dollars from the US a year, every single year, and a lot of this aid is in the form of helicopter gunships, bulldozers, and tanks which are used to destroy Palestinian homes, businesses, and schools. Israel is always bragging about how they made the desert bloom and built an advanced civilization out of a ragged band of holocaust refugees, but they had substantial outside help. And BTW, there are no Palestinian territories. The lands on which these desperate people live are all controlled by Israel, along with all roads and water sources. Even moving from parts of the West Bank to other parts (say, to get to a hospital) requires passing through an extensive series of checkpoints. The PA may have administrative duties, but the Palestinians own their land the way prison inmates own their cells.

Of all of the options I've seen on the list, I find this to be one with some merit. We are such a prop to the Israeli economy they just might listen to us if we threaten to cut off aid unless deal a little more rationally with the Palestinians. I hate to be mercenary or cynical, but all of our money ought to buy us something. This whole problem is a mess that won't be solved easily or quickly, but if the Israelis would take a less strident and agressive stance vis-a-vis the Palestinians, we might be able to make some progress. I wouldn't be surprised of being accused of being anti-Semitic for some of the remarks I'm going to make, but if people are that narrow-minded, tough matzoh. The Israelis keep on reminding everyone about the Holocaust (and a terrible thing it was indeed, and pardonable by no stretch of the imagination), but wow, just draw a parallel to Israeli actions against Palestinian refugee camps lately (armor, helicopter gunships, massive troop deplyments, blowing up houses, etc., etc.)to the actions of the Germans against the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943, and they cry foul. Admittedly, the difference is that there is no Israeli poicy of genocide, as there was during the Holocaust, but the Israelis can certainly be heavyhanded in their treatment of the Palestinians (Muslim and Christian alike). I don't want to get too off the point here, but the Israelis aren't doing much to defuse the situation. The make laws and regulations that essentially give young Palestinians too much time to sit around and brood, and consequently, become resentful to the point that they become suicide bombers (not that I condone that at all). The Palestininans, by and large, can't find jobs, aren't allowed to go to school by the Israelis, can't assemble in groups of more than three or so (I'm not really absolutely sure about that, but believe that it's correct depending on the area). so they sit around with not much to do but figure out how to lash out. Too many young kids with guns and explosives available. Anyway, back to the point, i.e., the US really ought to think about sitting the Israelis down, tell them to knock off a lot of this crap, and admit that there might be another way to solve the problem. For some reason or other,we don't seem capable of wielding the stick we have when we need to. Not too sure just how to cajole the Palestinians also (they certainly need to be reined in as well), because they are part of the problem too.

A resolution with the mentality of the United Nations(Mental Hospital).

The best thing on this list, and the only one that addresses the issue of oppression in the region.

None of the items on this list really provides the answer, but this one at least mentions the most galling problem. Israel needs to begin removing its settlements from the West Bank and Gaza, a bit at a time. With a corresponding increase in living standards among Palestinians--accomplished by building infrastructure and allowing access to jobs, again a bit at a time--the tensions can slowly be reduced. Once you reduce the level of poverty and despair, the violence will correspondingly drop. It might take a hundred years but there's no reason not to start.

Truth is...our relationship with Israel is the real reason middle easterners hate us so much. It's the reason for 9-11 and ultimately most terrorist acts against our nation and Allies. Of course Irael provides us with a presence in that region. Although it's tempting to want to dump them, it may not be prudent. Cutting off aid to Israel was more of an option before the Idiot Bush invaded Iraq.

Yes, we should cut off aid to Israel if they don't pull out of Palestinian lands. We shouldn't cut them off entirely of course, but we shouldn't capitulate to them everytime they want something. The peace process won't go nowhere if no one is willing to sit down and talk. America needs to become a fair mediator in the Israel-Palestinian crisis. We shouldn't connect our war on terrorism with the Palestinians because there is no direct or really relevant connection to the people we're going after. Israel wants us to conduct a blanket war on terrorism so that the world community won't criticize them for persuing Palestinian nationalists. Not that I'm justifing terrorist acitions on the part of the Palestinians; the intifada has really done damage to the Palestinians cause. Israelis have become much more cynical towards the Palestinians as well. A level of trust has be regained on both sides in order for anything to move forward here. The ball is now on the Israelis side; will they choose to move forward with peace, or will the cycle of terrorism continue. Frankly, it's a battle we shouldn't be taking sides in. The Jews continue to settle illegally in the West Bank and they have to make a good faith effort to stop it. The problem is that the Americans are just too willing to support the Israelis no matter what: our role in the region should be that of honest brokers, meaning that a carrot-stick approach needs to be taken with the Israelis. We should cut off aid if they don't do anything about their legal obligations to the Palestinians. As for the Palestinians, they need to stop terrorizing Israeli civilians; that's only going to make the situation worse. There are a lot of issues that need to be resolved before peace can come to this region; the Jews aren't going to come to the bargaining table while their civilians are dying out in the streets.

Why doesnt anyone threaten to cut off help to PA if they dont stop the terrorist acts?

Bastion of Western Democracy? Do you call denying a large section of the population the vote and other basic human rights democratic? Do you call the Leader of Israel going in with his militia in 1986 and killing innocent men, women and children in a refugee camp democratic? Let us remember that Israel has ignored even more UN resolutions than Iraq has, is the only Middle Eastern state which is proven to have a nuclear weapons program, and is refusing to withdraw from territories it does not own. And as for the person who said not protecting Israel was "Anti-Semitic" you are wrong. Semitic is a word which has been misappropriated to only mean the Jews. Semitic is all peoples of Semite origin, which includes... the Palestinians. So we could say many of you are being "Anti-Semitic".

Yes! Stop supporting Israel! The Israelis are the occupying force, oppressing the Palestinian people. Arial Sharon is just as bad as Saddam Hussein. The US should stop giving aid to Israel -they are effectively funding the butchery of men, women and children. The Israeli regime is brutal. We should show solidarity with the palestinian people and stop Israeli occupation.

Israel has every right to control the terrorists!

Setting up a Palestinian state is the only way to stop the terror. These people live in absolute misery daily, their lives are made hell by an Israeli ocupation. A completely illegal ocupation at that. Threatening to cut off aid to Israel is a great idea. They only use it to suppress the people. The palestinian state needs to be a legitimate democracy run by the people - not by Arafat and his friends. They deserve better then that.

Threatening to cut of aid to Israel would be a wise move indeed, depending on how we handled it. However, acting on that threat is another matter. Believe me, I do tend to side with Israel, but if they were the better people, then they would promote peace in order to save the lives of innocent Israelis and Palestinians. As President, I would say, "Withdraw and call for peace or no more funding". If they refused, then I would GRADUALLY decrease funding until they finally began to feel the effects of it. While this action may portray the United States as a bully, perhaps it could also portray us as a peacemaker. However, I would only do this is the Palestinians were pushing for peace as well- it takes two. UPDATE (4/10/03): An interesting fact has been brought to my attention. Our big deal with Iraq is, at least partially, because they ignored many, many U.N. security resolutions, thus making them a threat to world security. Well, Israel has ignored security resolutions for many years, and has managed to get away with it. Israelis have killed innocent Palestinians, and vice versa. Seems a bit like a double standard to me. I realize that it is unfair to equate the Israelis with Saddam, but they have killed innocent people, and they do not seem to be willing to give an inch. If you're going to argue that Iraq has ignored U.N. security councils, then you must acknowledge that Israel has done so as well.

Israel is one of our closest allies, to make a threat like this would not be smart. It would be a very big mistake.

There are no "Palestinean Territories". Israel won those lands in the Six Day War in 1967, in which they were attacked, and prevailed. The notion that you can attack someone, lose, then say "OK, give us our land back" is absurd.

No. The Israeli's like the US, the Palestinians dont. Did anyone else see the videos of those sick bastards in the streets celebrating on 9-12? There never was a Palestinian country, there never should be.

The Israeli's are turning into the Nazi's. They are murdering innocent men women and children in the streets. Then when the Palestinians try to use the only method available to them to get freedom, food, and lives Israel acts as though it is the victim. One needs also to remember the following: 1.) The type of terrorism that the Palestinians are using (minus the suicide) was originally used by Michael Collins to end the 900 years of English oppression endured by the Irish. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION! 2.) The Palestinians were there first! They were kicked out of their homes, their homes were demolished and they were put in refugee camps with no food, clean water, or chance for education. People of Jewish descent may have lived there 2,000 years ago, but that has little to do with now. 3.) The number of Palestinians killed is over three times the number of Israeli's killed in the last 2 years, most of them innocent civilians.

Excellent idea. America is PAYING for Israel killing (some innocent) palestinians. Dont support Israel and dont support Palestine. I bet if America weren't always kissing Israels Ass, Sep.11 would not happen. Im sorry but im bearing the truth. America keep to yourselves and be yourselves, then it will be okay.

We should not be giving any aid to Israel, or Palestine for that matter, at all. America gives Israel 10 million dollars a day to them everyday of every year, and for what? So they can lock up Christians who proselytize, so they can occupy their neighbors, so they can live in a bigoted nation. I don't see America opening their pocketbook to fund an Aryan Homeland. And the same people who support Israel are the same ones who say 'no' to an Aryan homeland. Both homelands have a right to exist. But I say, if the Hebrews want a nation of their own, good for them, but not on my dime. The money our 'bought' politicians give to them should be used to build new schools here, not pay for more military gear for them. They are the ones who have chosen to take over someone else's land and live surrounded by their enemy. They could have picked a better location or migrated to America. We surely don't need to pay for their arrogant mistakes or their idea of a racist paradise. And don't use World War Two as an excuse, the Zionist planned on taking Palestine long before the Nazis were invented. People who want to learn more can look up the meeting of Zionist held in Switzerland in 1897 called the 'First Zionist Congress'. The Zionist wanted Israel so bad they bought gov'ts, started wars, engaged in terrorism, etc., and now, they trick us into being sympathetic. Cut off aid now!!! We have no business supporting bigotry. And if we do, then it's time to fund an Aryan homeland right now.

NO! NO! NO! HELL NO! We have STRONG reason to support Israel. When I say "WE" I mean all free countries. I firmly believe that it is the obligation of all large and powerful free nations to support and protect the smaller free countries - especially Israel. You may think that Israel's morals are just as bad as the PLO's and that the only difference is we are giving Israel guns and funds. Not true in the least. The jews have been a freedom loving people since forever and now notice that all of the people who have sought to destroy the jews have had the mentality of communists. Starting with the Babylonian captivity, then Hitler and the Nazi's, and now the PLO and the mideast arab nations and others in different times. Consider the beliefs of the radical islamic arabs and the Taliban. They say virtue is more important than freedom. This is why they call us here in the western civilization and the jews infidels and think that it is honorable to die in the act of destroying us. I think that it's odd that the US supported Afghanistan in their war against the USSR for 10 years (10 YEARS!) until they finally pulled out. For 10 YEARS we stood by them and helped protect their freedom and then suddenly in 1996 the Taliban took over Afghanistan and what freedom's they had went up in smoke! Where the hell were we back then? Who was our president? Thanks a lot Clinton. Well, we all know that his brain is between his legs and not above his shoulders. Allowing the Taliban to take over provided breeding grounds for Osama bin Ladens ideologies and now what do we have to show for it? 2 destroyed landmark buildings, a damaged Pentagon and 3000+ people killed!

There are no Palestinian territories, only disputed territories. There have never existed any state called Palestine and hopefully there will never be one in the future either!

what a blunt hypocrisity that'll be. does that mean that the US have previligies for atacking whoever they want while other countries have to get a premision? after afganistan they don't have the right for even critisize israel for it's actions, especially after the amount of time they waited before doing anything.

Israel began its current military actions at least partly as a result of the increase in suicide bombings that have killed and injured many Israeli citizens. The U.S. and its allies began military actions in Afghanistan, toppling the existing government, as a result of the September 11 attacks. To me, it would be inconsistent to punish Israel for its actions while supporting the U.S. in its actions.

Here's a guideline to good policy: don't side with the bad guys. For that reason, I must strike this suggestion down with a 1 rating.