dogtowner, et al,
Good question!
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It has been more than half a century, that Israel has established itself. And a number of Arab-Israeli Wars have been fought. You would think, by now, that the a new generation of Arabs would have adapted to the change in geography. But they have not. However, the frequency between wars has lengthened. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Both sides need to lighten-up a little. Neither side is without blame.
IMO, you are correct. The entire affair keeps the animosity between the cultures aflame. But if it can be reduced to a war of words, as opposed to a blood letting scourge --- then something useful was accomplished.
(COMMENT)
Whether Israel was ever under our influence is a question, in and by itself. The approach to take is to have convinced the Middle East/Persian Gulf neighborhood that Iran is a problem that they have to face and deal. The key here is for the Arab World to understand that Iran might inadvertently light the fuse that ignites the region. It is up to America to stay out of the fight, and not provocatively promote a confrontation for which we will all be sorry for in the end.
BUT, if the US has to engage Iran --- we will have to make it a swift and lethal blow for which there is no recovery. Otherwise, the problem will reemerge for our next generation to deal with. This was the mistake we made with the Israel in 1948, and it is the mistake that keeps on giving. We cannot use the same logic and diplomatic think that has turn into dogma over the last half-century to fix the problems of the 21st Century. We don't want the same results --- we want a better world.
Most Respectfully,
R
