The only way a nuclear war will happen between Israel and any other country in the middle east is if Israel falls apart and the Arabs take over. THEN the Jews in Israel will nuke everyone who helps this happen or fails to stop it rather than be killed or live under Arab rule. As long as this doesn't happen there will be no nuclear war, unless non state actors get nuclear weapons, because no govt will attack Israel with nukes and bring retaliation on themselves. The Iranian govt. despite some popular opinion to the contrary is NOT INTERESTED in acting on shia martyrdomm at least not this thoroughly, on a collective national level.

but it is beginning to look like the palestinians will have to live under occupation until the star wars program produces an electronic wall that can also keep out rockets, mortars, etc. Unless Israel can live free from attack the palestinians will never be free from occupation. It is true that many right wing elements within the Israeli society and govt. have worked over the past 40 years to achieve this outcome because THEY wanted all of it but this does not change the fact that the only way out now is a deal which reliably, permanently, and completely stops the fighting on and from both sides.

of expulsion/ghetto/apartheid as the solution there would not now be this disconnect between elite American opinion and that of most Americans and the rest of the world. If something ever goes REALLY wrong for the US over this collection of issues Israel and Jews generally could pay a very high price for it's/their inability/unwillingness to control the settler terrorists both in and out of the Israeli govt. over the last 40 years.

It would be ironic indeed if the Israeli right was so successful in controlling America that it prevented Israel from being required to make real peace and ended in the destruction of the country. In fact the US does set real limits on Israel, for instance Israel can't openly declare itself an apartheid state and/or kill off or expel the palestinians as the right wing would like to do, but the limits haven't been strict enough i.e Israel hasn't been, as it should have been, forced to be unequivocal in seeking to trade land for peace.

and until that happens Israel can respond to attacks, so maybe the mysterious disconnect isn't quite so seriously disconnected as you might like to think. What complicates the situation is that right wing Israeli govts have in the past promoted Hamas and other rejectionists so they would NOT be faced with a Palestinian entity that was really willing to deal.

which they will do if Israel is ever faced with the prospect of being taken over by Arabs as a result of US support and/or the collapse of Israel due to all the educated/economically productive people leaving due to the country being made unlivable.

if Israel is faced with an Arab takeover due to US support being cut off....

They Hamas spokesmen openly say, in English, what they are fighting for and what they think the fight is worth.

and they are enforcing it in Gaza. No not all theocratic fascist tyrannies are identical.

if the arabs actually got (or more acurately were about to get) what they say they want, i.e victory in their war against Israel. It seems though that arab STATES aren't so much interested these days, for some reason.

but for 30 years it allowed Likud to play games and equivocate on the question which is why we are in the position we are in.

Why can't they both be true: We forced the Israeli govt. as a whole to do what the "liberal" faction wanted. (30 years too late but better late than never)

even if he has only a small caliber weapon and is blind and can't see what he is shooting at.

dealing with him wouldn't look as pointless as it now does. The question is was there ever a chance he would take it? It's not clear.

is that the state of Israel would eventually be destroyed and it would take out with it's hundreds of nuclear weapons as many of it's destroyers as possible as it went down. That might be a problem for EVERYONE.

You will never be able to solve problems if you insist on seeing people who don't see things your way as cartoons. It is perfectly possible to acknowledge "moral" or more accurately emotional equivalence between the two sides and still understand that fighting doesn't stop UNTIL BOTH SIDES STOP. The fact that one side is better armed and more effective in no way changes this. If you want to know why people don't see it your way, try and understand this.

using "oil as a weapon" only works as a temporary disruption and then only if people don't expect it. All your great theorizing is like an intricate sculpture made of shit.

or if there is no responsible authority the one attacked can deal with the threat directly. This may be a moot point because if, as is beginning to look likely, Hamas will never choose to stop Israel will have no choice but to reoccupy gaza at least temporarily.

this is the problem with stopping a fight, everyone has to stop and unfortunately when you are talking about groups it takes a lot of control for one group to prevent any of it's members from continuing the fight.

they are PERFECTLY WILLING to let them live as long as they accept second class status under Islamic rule. Come to think of it this is the same utterly fair and appropriate standard that they apply to everyone, not just jews.

undoubtedly the Palestinians are very appreciative of your support.

If the Irish govt had taken credit for setting off bombs in London and could not be stopped from continuing to do so the reaction might very well have been similar.