Peace

Hi Humans,
There is an article in the latest issue of Time Magazine that comes with a front page headline in bold letters that says that Israel doesn't care about peace. But if one reads the content of the article, one does not necessarily come to that conclusion. Essentially, the article reports that after the Palestinian leadership under Arafat rejected the Clinton/Barak Plan for a 2 state solution, the 2nd Intifada began which assaulted Israel with a wave of suicide bombings. The Israelis being a relatively intelligent people as humans go, built a wall with a defense system that has neutralized the effects of the Intifada. At present the economy in Israel is doing well. The average Israeli is more content with the relative peace that exists in Israel now than the potential peace that an agreement might bring. So, the challenge is to bring a peace agreement that will bring real peace, which means no terrorism or bombs or killings, not just a piece of paper that creates a Palestinian state. So, the title is misleading. Actually the Israeli people desperately want peace, but it has to be a real peace that preserves the present relative peace that the Israeli people enjoy, not a phony peace which gives the peacemakers the ability to claim success while terorrism resumes. Actually, there is a possibility now that a 2 state solution and peace can both be achieved. Not only has Israel's economy thrived recently, but so has the economy on the West Bank. The biggest hurdles are not between Israel and Palestine, but within each country. It is impossible for Palestine to include Gaza and maintain security there as long as Gaza is ruled by Hamas which by words and actions has shown no sign of wanting to make real peace with Israel or the West Bank. Israel has its own divisions between religious nationalists and secular Israelis who would prefer to separate religion and government.
Anyway, we dogs don't need screaming headlines. We take things as they are.
Chloe