Ok, the Israeli Palestine conflict... Can we talk solutions?

[Boysclothes]

Loads of threads on here criticising various parties/criticising the way the Israeli state was established etc etc. Can we have a solution based thread?

Starting from these parameters....

Israel exists and will continue to do so.
Hamas are totally uninterested in negotiation.

What can be done? What action should Israel/Hamas take now?

Would be great if we could steer away from unbridled criticism and try and think what should come next.

I did not take the PPs comment as if she was alluding to the fact that there were Israeli settlements in Gaza. Just that Israelis were stealing Palestinian land. Which is true. And inexcusable.

Yes, donnie I do. As to whether Hamas has the right to retaliate I think the Israeli government would argue the continuing rockets from Hamas show how the blockade is necessary. Bit of a chicken and egg. Not excusing the blockade but I don't think Hamas rockets are in retaliation to the blockade per se, but part if their continuing and stated agenda to destroy Israel.

Israelis have been told by their left wing many times that the settlements are the stumbling block to peace. When they pulled settlements out of gaza, attacks in Israel increased. "Land for peace" did not, in the the Israeli mind, work at all, and it's a shame because it's bought up now every time someone suggests pulling settlements out of WB. Of course the settlements are wrong in their own merit and should just be pulled because of this rather than because of a trade off, but it decreases the Israeli public's trust that there can ever be a solution. In their mind, Gazans got what they wanted wrt to the settlements and still attacks increased, so where is the goodwill there?

You cannot say Gazans 'got what they wanted'. They did not.

Would you be happy if someone came and forcibly took over your home, moved into it and treated you badly, but then decided to let you have half your living room back? Or would you think you still had reason to be pissed off seeing as your human rights were still being restricted and you were only allowed the food and medical care that your homes occupiers decided were sufficient?

I didn't say the Gazans got what they wanted. I said a lot of Israeli people saw it like that, a gesture towards restoring some sort of equitability, and the rockets increased. The blockade was not in force at that time, btw.

Of course I would be pissed off if someone moved into my house. I would strenuously hope though, that in a conflict of national and international importance, where one party makes a tentative gesture, it would be followed up by a softening of relations and willingness to talk, rather than increased attacks.