You are seeing the trees and not the forest.

I don't think so. It is certainly the case that there are parties who view

Palestinian factions ... (as) proxies for the bigger picture

but that's only one perspective, and serves as a useful tool to prevent substantial discussion between Palestinians and Israelis.

There is simply zero trust because the assumption is that Iran will corrupt the process (just like the Saudis did 15-20 years ago when Arafat was trying to cut a deal, any deal).

To suggest that Palestinians, as a whole, are the dupes of Iran is not plausible to me. I find that a convenient excuse--given the polarization of the issues--for Israel to continue settlement building while avoiding any meaningful dialog with Palestinians.

Naturally, there is much to dispute here since it is complicated and is neither black nor white, but neither can it be summed up as a forest/trees idiomatic phrase.

2) Why did the Palestinians who fled to Egypt, Syria, and Jordan have to remain in refugee camps? Why were they not allowed to integrate in the the societies of these countries?

Why should they want to? Presumably, were you forced to flee to Canada because of a Central/South American invasion and land grab, you'd be less than enthralled with the idea that the invaders might say, "Just become Canadian. What's the big deal?"

Do I have any reason? How about reasons?

* State support of Hamas - a terrorist organization

* State support of Hezbollah - a terrorist organization

* State support of the PLO - a terrorist organization

You could easily say the following: State (American) support of Israel--a terrorist state that routinely denies Palestinians a state of their own; routinely imprisons and tortures Palestinians; controls Palestinian access to water; builds settlements on Palestinian land in an obvious (and successful) effort at eliminating, over time, the geographic ability of Palestinians to have a state of their own.

None of the above will agree to recongize Israel's right to exist and all are in a state of armed conflict if not war with Israel.

Just as Israel refuses to "agree to recognize (Palestine's) right to exist and (is) in a state of armed conflict if not war with Palestinians."

* Statements that the regime in Israel needs to be wiped clean - how do you do that peacefully? As is well known, Ahmadinejad was not referring to the physical destruction (via nuclear weapons) of Israel; rather, he was speaking of Israel as a politically-created Jewish State that excludes Palestinians and politically and socially marginalizes its 20% Arab/Palestinian minority.

* State sponsored killing of demonstrators in the aftermath of the recent "elections" in Iran. Not too dissimilar from our own recent "elections" of note. And "state sponsored killings"? Recall our monstrous levels of imprisoned Americans who, like the recently executed prisoner in Texas, turn out far too often to be innocent. After the fact.

Joe, you seem to be under the illusion that Israel is desperately fighting a desperate war and hanging on by their fingernails. The examples you've cited (including the IED/Iran one) are responses to American and Israeli policies and actions. Neither we nor they are the injured party here. We and Israel have created conditions where the response from aggrieved parties will be violent.

A simple shift in perspective as I've suggested above will demonstrate that neither the United States and Israel are the injured parties here.

contrast.

A top Republican congressional recruit said on Friday that the shooting at Ft. Hood, Texas yesterday by a solider allegedly sympathetic to suicide bombers shows that the "enemy is infiltrating our military." Allen West (R-Fla.), a retired military colonel who served as a commander at the Texas base, said in a release that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's attack may indicate a broader effort by Islamic extremists to recruit downtrodden members of the military.

"This enemy preys on downtrodden soldiers and teaches them extremism will lift them up," West said in a statement. "Our soldiers are being brainwashed."

http://thehill.com//blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/66685-top-gop-recruit-says-ft-hood-shooting-shows-enemy-is-infiltrating-our-military

But then--wha?

Frank Bussey, director of Military Ministry at Fort Jackson, has been telling soldiers at Fort Jackson that "government authorities, police and the military = God's Ministers," Bussey's teachings from the "God's Basic Training" Bible study guide he authored says US troops have "two primary responsibilities": "to praise those who do right" and "to punish those who do evil - "God's servant, an angel of wrath."

http://www.truthout.org/article/military-evangelism-deeper-wider-than-first-thought

And we remember Gen. Boykin's words:

I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."

And at the September 26, 2009 How to Take Back America Conference in St. Louis, MO., he asked the audience

"You need to ask yourself, ‘What price am I willing to pay?’ What are you prepared to give up for America? Are you willing to pay the ultimate price? ... (And) there is no greater threat to America than Islam."

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/15130

All of which underscores Fox's Gretchen Carlson's musing that perhaps the military was

exercising political correctness in not approaching (Hasan) as seriously as they would have had he not been a Muslim.

So there.

mjkoch

There ARE people who have an eight century view of Islam and believe in murdering innocent people. There is no comparison to any other conflict or religion in the world today. Christians and Jews are not targeting innocent men, women, and children around the world.

And so and so on.

Sure, there are fundamentalist Muslims just as there are Christians and Jews. You know this. We all know this. But the latter two are "not targeting innocent men, women, and children around the world"? Are you sure about this? Whose armies invaded the Islamic world? Which nation uses drones to slaughter "innocent men, women, and children around the world"? And Israel/Gaza/West Bank/settlements/land theft/imprisonment/torture/control of resources, ad nauseam.

Gosh.