[J m HofMarN]

As best I can tell its making slow progress and the media dosnt want to cover it because covering Israelis bulldozing Palestinian houses to build a wall would likely have a negative effect on people's views of Israel and if you distribute news that effects Israel negatively you become an anti-semite.

[Slade]

Or anti-Bush administration. Mmm... neo-con controlled media. Tastes like #1 Jam! I'm just waiting for public radio and television to just disappear one day without warning.

[J m HofMarN]

And as we all know if you're an anti semite or an anti bush than the next logical step is that you're a terrorist.

[J m HofMarN]

Anyone have thoughts on Mr. Abbas? For some reason it just dosnt seem right to have a Palestinian leader wearing a suit. Would that the Israelis hadn't imprisoned the true successor to Arafat.

Abbas to me just looks exactly like whoever jerk it is that's "leading" (and I use the term loosely) Iraq.

[Slade]

Honestly, I get so depressed or enraged about the state of the world, I can't stand to watch any news program. The closest thing for me is the Daily show, and I haven't seen that since coming home because we don't have cable. So I don't know jack about what's going on at the moment.

[J m HofMarN]

Ah, sweet sweet Daily Show. I have not seen ye in too long. I digress. Abbas is the new Palestinian ruler and he seems to be kind of a moderate and not quite so charismatic and interesting as Arafat.

[Slade]

Well, hopefully there is something behind his lack of charisma... I have about as much presence in a room as a gray wall in a gray house.

[J m HofMarN]

I'd look for a calming in the Israel Palestine situation until the three sides involved get a chance to feel eachother out. Abbas needs to please both Israel and the resistance and he has some big shoes to fill. I personally would prefer the younger fellow whos name escapes me at the moment, the guy Israel is imprisoning, to be president.

[not this crude matter]

Well if I had to place a bet on this, it would be Israel since they have better trained troops.

[Laughlyn]

Israel's a nation, whereas Palestine technically isn't, this gives Israel a definate upper hand. + Israel has the americans on their side, although this probably isn't such a good thing in may peoples eyes.

[J m HofMarN]

Laughlyn- Yes, because as Jordan put it "We all hate Israel because America's on their side" Actually America being on their side is something that I hold against them but the main problem most people have with Israel is their tendency towards horrific genocide.

God willing, Palestine will soon be a nation. I don't even know if Israel deserves to be a nation after what they've done but I don't exactly want to go so far as to agree completely with Hamas either, though I certainly don't condemn them.

Also, I saw Mahmoud Abbas' speech and very much liked his tone. He looked legit and he talked like it as well. His doctrine of encompassing and protecting resistance fighters certainly agrees with me and I'm starting to warm to him as a leader.

[Laughlyn]

Point. I'd like to see Palestine become a nation, I just don't see it happening anytime soon. As long as Jerusalem remains a factor though, the future looks bloody.

Oddly enough, having grown up with 15 years of bomb threats, I can see the Israeli logic. I just don't agree with the methods, but I guess the situation's slightly different.

[J m HofMarN]

I fear death far less than I fear tyranny and oppression, and would readily accept the former before the latter. I fully support the intifadah. The Israelis may have to worry about being blown up but the Palestinians have to worry about being blown up, having their homes destroyed, being tortured or imprisoned, not being allowed to vote, being kept in their homes for months, being unable to feed their families, etc etc. What it all comes down to is

Victory and glory to the intidadah!

[not this crude matter]

I think Israel should continue with the plan to build a giant wall around their territory. That way they could protect their families from being blown up by suicide bombers. Thats the only way I could see that conflict being slowed down because we all know that this is never gonna end anytime in the next century.

[J m HofMarN]

Yeah, that'd suck for the Palestinians. I mean at the moment the Israelis have an unbeatable army, nuclear weapons, gaping jails, a massive air force, and border patrols that kill on sight... But if they build a wall? Wow, yeah, the Palestinians will just have to admit defeat cuz NOONE can beat a wall.