A conversation with an Israeli today about the settlements

[bubble99]

We had a visitor to one of nurseries today. He's an Israeli who lives in Tel Aviv and is a future SIL of some of my in-laws friends (confused?)

I had never met any Israelis before, but Mr Bubble who is a third generation Russian Jew says that most European Jews find them hard to get along with. Big generalisation admittedly.

This guy is a music-therapist in Tel Aviv and is looking to set up daycare facilities there, hence the visit. He said that most Israelis loathe the settlers. They are, in many cases fundamentalists from other countries, usually the US. He says that they move into the settlements to cause as much trouble as possible. His journey home from work took him two hours longer than usual recently as the settlers were burning mattresses in the road.

I'd never realised how little support the settlements have amongst ordinary Israelis.

And I don't mean to suggest that his two hour journey compares with the other serious problems that the settlers cause, but it illustrates a day-to-day experience of them.

v interesting on lots of counts bubble.

i'm just sitting here doing this rather than watching the new al quaida as it is just soooo depressing (as was dispatches before this). i'm thinking of banning all current events programming from our house. as well as newspapers.

bubble99 that is interesting and somehow encouraging - sophable I was equally depressed by that prog about al-Q.

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It makes me wonder what the situation would/could be, and how the situation could be resolved in Israel/Palestine if more moderates could get their voices heard.

To be fair, I think the media have been quite good at covering the settlement issues - it has certainly been my impression that the settlers were a bunch of loons, mainly non-Israeli Jews, who had very little sympathy among mainstream Israelis. And I don't think that's because I read the leftie press (I don't - never got time). That's just the impression I've gleaned from Radio 4.

I'd thought Ariel Sharon was brave to start getting rid of the settlements. But it seems that he's not going to lose many votes over it anyway, if the moderate Israelis can't stand them.

Let's face it, anyone who makes Ariel Sharon look moderate, has got to have some pretty mad ideas.

I would call the settlers extremists and I'm struck by the fact that extremists on either side cause so many problems.

What is the solution? Is there one? The main sticking point as far as land goes seems to be Jerusalem. It is The Holy City for everyone, including the Christian minority. It can't be carved up. What to do?

Why didn't they clear them out sooner then??
Very interesting, anyway.

Interesting item on this subject on the 10 O'clock news on Radio4 last night. You could maybe hear it on Listen Again?? I certainly learned a lot!

I wondered why they didn't do that either Blu. Interesting conversation Bubble - I have to admit I tended to think that a lot of moderate Israelis left the country to live elsewhere. It is good to know that most citizens see the settlers for the ignorant trouble-makers they are.
Any policy decision that encourages Netanyahu to resign is good news for me in any case.

Due to the need to keep Likud as part of the governing coalition?

Netanyahu is a rabid Zionist at the best of times - IMO the Israeli eqivalent of Bin Laden, give or take. I suppose we should be thankful about the withdrawal but the trouble is it is a bit of a meaningless gesture when one takes into consideration the fact that other settlements are beng built as we speak (illegally)and also the construction of the wall continues apace, which will effectively steal yet more Palestinian land for the Israelis.There is some good information on the www.waronwant.org
website.

Are the settlements being destroyed as they leave or are some amenities being left for the Palestinians?

The Israeli guy I spoke to said the settlers were burning mattresses. Maybe they're destroying them from the inside out?

one of the problems with proportional representation is that fundamentalists / (idiots) get the swing vote so the moderates in political parties need to play give and take with people with quite fanatical views

I have met many moderate Israelis and Israeli-Arabs and find it refreshing to open this kind of thread (I normally steer clear of Israeli comments on forums TBH)