GOOD ENOUGH FOR US, WASN'T IT? :

Bush's Speech : Standing by His 'Man of Peace' (Mary McGrory, June 27, 2002, Washington Post)

[J]ames Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute, who is touring the Mideast, reports despair and devastation among moderates in both Palestine and Israeli and Arab circles. "They were looking to the U.S. to back them, and they got nothing," he says. "Bush is backing the Sharon government, which wants an Indian reservation type of governance on the West Bank, with the Palestinians all subdued and submissive."

Mr. Zogby and Ms McGrory apparently think that would be a bad thing--but it may well be the only possible solution. Right now Israel's problem with the Palestinians is similar to the one the American South had with blacks--they are in but not of the society and there's little willingness on the part of Jews, as there was little willingness on the part of whites, to integrate fully. This leaves them in a position of "oppressing" a "minority", which, irrespective of the effect on the oppressed, must eventually eat away at the moral fiber of the majority. Israel would be far better served by treating Palestine as America treated its Indian problem, recognizing it as a sovereign nation upon which Israel can make war. The treatment of Palestinians would not improve any, would actually be likely to get worse, but the effects upon the Israeli psyche would be beneficial. Just look at the American example--we're currently debating reparations for blacks and maintain affirmative action systems to benefit them in employment and education, but the Indians get bupkus (well, except for a lot of quarters from white trash gaming-addicts). Posted by Orrin Judd at June 30, 2002 7:46 PM