The narratives about Trump thread

That is kind of an old one. The sign is, anyway.

I am very glad here on Froumosa we can have differing viewpoints on some issues and agree on others, kudos to you.

I have friends from both Iran and Israel. One of my wife’s more memorable moments in London was when we went to an Iranian friends house and he prepared a sheeps head in a cooker designed for sheeps heads, not at all bad and lemon, or perhaps lime was strong.

Regarding Israel, anyone Israeli can vote, including Arabs. Was this a “zing” moment? I might need to size you up against @fredsmith , the rest of the Arab world would be so happy to have the rights Israel has for it’s people.

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Ditto. You must understand, I view myself as the “archbishop of banterbury” (really, its in my profile!) I like to be humorous in political discussions. I will stick by my guns, but need to keep it light as they can get heated, quickly. I do think 45 is a POS. I liked BO for his character. He was well read and spoken and had a lovely family. Otherwise, he was a politician. John McCain was good. He stood a chance until someone at the RNC got the idea to put Sarah Palin on the ticket. I hope that person has been fired and is now pruning golf courses. Condi or Colin would have been a better choice.

Can you say “culture shock”! How was it? More balls than me. I won’t even eat durian or fermented bamboo.

I had to ask about the Israelis because if the Arabs in Israel were allowed to vote, it would appear that after a generation, the “Palestinian issue” would be solved, if you follow me.

Meat from the cheek, was actually really good. We drew the line at eyeballs, which we were informed were the best part.

Ever feel that moment of dread here in Taiwan when someone says, “we have saved the best part for you”?

Regarding Israel, I think the three state solution seems more likely than the two state solution.

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All praise to Anubis I am a vegatarian (i will indulge in a cheese pizza from time to time, as to not be seen as “too difficult.”)

3 state? Israel-Palestine…? Gaza-Israel-West Bank? Israel-Palestine-Autonomous Jerusalem? I like the idea, but I am trying to see the three actors.

I thought about that for Iraq. Three self governing autonomous areas (Sunni/Shia/Kurd) with an Autonomous Baghdad uniting them. Well, “uniting” them.

IMHO BiBi/Likud will have to go for any solution that involves either dividing Israel, or reverting Israel to pre-67 borders.

You’ve got a moral blind spot the size of Gaza and the West Bank then so typical of westerners. Otherwise you see the five million human beings trapped there with no hope of emancipation while their land is slowly being expropriated out from under them while the world pretends they no longer exist.

Perhaps this is what he means.

You kids and your Google.

In my day we had to physically go to the library (uphill, both ways, in a blizzard -even in summer) and look through many physical indices. Maybe the periodical or journal was still available, or it was archived and you had to wait, or search on microfiche. If you wanted an updated encyclopedia, you waited till next year!

Or, you just made it up.

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OK, you can go both ways with this. Which side are you talking about?

The non-moral-blindspot side.

Israel enforces severe and discriminatory restrictions on Palestinians’ human rights, and it builds and supports unlawful settlements in the occupied West Bank. Its security forces appear to use excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators and suspected attackers, raising the specter of extra-judicial killings. It has renewed the practice of punitive home demolitions.
– Human Rights Watch

Sometimes a proposed solution is not fair and optimal. For example in Syria, Bashar al-Assad is the leader of a minority group that governs a majority Sunni population. It was always known if a regime change was attempted Russia would intervene. Many observers pointed this out before the conflict.

So what now? I think Trumps approach is right, help stamp out ISIS and return the power to Bashar al-Assad. It doesn’t mean the solution is optimal, but it ends a civil war and do you really want to go the alternate route?

Israel is the same if you look at it practically, the West Bank and Gaza are not going to peacefully integrate to be a part of Israel, so there goes the one state solution. The two state solution has Gaza on one side of Israel and the West Bank geographically disconnected, how do you practically govern such a nation?

The three state solution, Gaza is absorbed by Egypt and the West Bank by Jordan. Is it fair? No. But it is a solution that would give the Palestinians a state.

The alternatives and what the UN has been pushing my entire lifetime, have gone no where. They will continue to go no where. So you can get on your high horse all you like and demand Israel give back this or that land and agree to whatever was previously agreed to in the UN, and the Palestinian issue will remain unresolved for another 50 years.

The majority of Arabs living under Israeli control aren’t living in a paradise. Only a token minority are. If there’s ever going to be a just, workable solution to the Arab-Israeli problem the necessary starting point will be intellectual honesty.

Are you including the Arabs living in the Gaza strip as Arabs living under Israeli control? You mention them earlier, but Im sure you know Hamas is the governing authority there.

Obviously I know some, and other people, perhaps like yourself know more, I genuinely would welcome being corrected or being made more informed, Im all for intellectual honesty.

edit/ Had a bit of time on my hands and did a bit of reading up on the Gaza strip, things have gotten really bad there.

@politbureau, @Mick

If you do a nice thing, a gesture of goodwill, then that puts the onus on the opposition. If, if, if, IF Israel does agree to return the West Bank to Jordan, Gaza to Egypt, and the Golan to Syria, then it is up to HAMAS, PLO, et al to publicly call off all attacks on Israel.

But, with all the settlements popping up in the WB, it is looking more and more doubtful that any such agreement will be made. Netanyahu is making no effort to stop the settlers nor will he make any effort to remove them. On this, Netanyahu, I feel, has no interest in peace.

HAMAS, PLO, et al should make an overture towards Israel on this. Make BiBi react. Make him look like the bad guy. If the remaining Muslim nations were to vow to recognize Israel, and reign in HAMAS et al, if Israel agreed to this or that, then the ball is in Uncle Bennie’s court.

It seems worse for the people in Gaza than if they were occupied in the traditional sense, in that they would have the same rights as everyone else in Israel. They don’t and Hamas rule on the ground.

However Israel controls 6 out of the 7 ports of entry and the airspace, the other one controlled by Egypt and both Egypt and Israel have a blockade for people travelling to Israel and Egypt effectively turning the place into a an outdoor prison.

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It seems no one wants peace to happen. It would take away their collective “raison d’etre.”

The Middle East, like America. Just move on. A mass shooting here, a bombing there. Spend a few days bitching and blaming, then pick of the pieces and carry on.

It’s a good thing the deep state brought out the big guns. Because…Russia!

image

Fear not, Manafort is just the first falling piece of domino.

Too bad the God Emperor is playing 5D chess and doesn’t give a crap about domino.

Didn’t realize we have so many countries.

Lots of countries, Saudi Arabia for example, just arrested 11 princes and a ton of other people in what they call the first phase of arrests.

I wonder what it could be? Although the phrase “follow the money” comes to mind. If these individuals were involved in corruption, arresting them freezing their bank accounts would seem to be a sensible starting point.