Armchair warriors don’t stop to think of consequences, and they would be dire for the Palestinian people.

The Qassam rockets and perhaps more suicide and other bombings inside the Green Line and on a much more massive scale. I read recently that the wall is not the reason that there have not been more suicide and other bombings inside Israel proper, but that the Palestinians simply decided not to employ that strategy. As I said, the Israelis are becoming far outnumbered.

I don’t think that it so unlikely that the Palestinians can liberate themselves. There are more Palestinians than there are Jews. Their population is growing and they will far outnumber the Jews. The Palestinians can make Israel a living hell with homemade weapons and a lot of them are willing to die for the cause.

What type of “home-made weapons” are we talking about? Small arms? Rockets? Even Hamas has to import components for those via smugglers’ tunnels, and the West Bank Palestinians don’t have even that.

Numbers alone are no guarantee, either – just look up the history of failed peasant revolts to see what happens when a poorly armed group runs smack into a more disciplined, well-armed group*, even when the former has a potentially sympathetic population to hide in.

*I say “more” because Israel’s Army – the ground component of the IDF – is only so-so. They only looked good for a long time because they were significantly better than the armies of the surrounding Arab states (the Israeli Air Force is arguably the best part of Israel’s military).

I see less and less likelihood that there is a political solution. Until the world imposes its will on Israel and ends the occupation, it will continue, aided and abetted by the US.”

Brett wrote: “Not to mention the dynamics of actually rising up. The Palestinians in the West Bank could try doing something like the previous Intifadas (riots, protests, boycotts, etc), but the Israelis have really carved up the place into segments that they can dominate, and the Palestinians are more dependent on Israel economically than vice versa.”

I don’t think that it so unlikely that the Palestinians can liberate themselves. There are more Palestinians than there are Jews. Their population is growing and they will far outnumber the Jews. The Palestinians can make Israel a living hell with homemade weapons and a lot of them are willing to die for the cause. I hope that the world will be able to impose its will on the Israelis to stop the occupation, but this occupation must end by whatever means. The Israelis may have all kinds of sophisticated weapons but as I said, Israel cannot last too much longer being an oppressor and occupier country.

It’s true that Congress appropriates money for foreign aid, but to my understanding, and correct me if I’m wrong, it’s the Executive Branch that actually disburses the aid.

Let’s suppose that Congress passes an aid bill for Israel, Obama vetoes the bill, and then Congress overrides the veto. Obama goes to the Treasury Department, or whoever it is that disburses the aid, and says, “I order you to not disburse this aid,” and the deciding official obeys Obama. Obama says to Congress, “This aid is unconstitutional, and if you want an ugly fight in the courts over this, I’ll give you one” – a fight he would win if he had the stomach for it.

I realize, for reasons given above, that this is a rather ‘academic’ (read: exceedingly far-fetched) scenario, but isn’t it at least theoretically possible that it could happen?

The Palestinian people do not have a prayer of liberating themselves by “rising up.” They will be slaughtered with US made weapons, and in the aftermath Israel will take what is left of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and all surviving Palestinians will be shoved south into Gaza to die off.

Not to mention the dynamics of actually rising up. The Palestinians in the West Bank could try doing something like the previous Intifadas (riots, protests, boycotts, etc), but the Israelis have really carved up the place into segments that they can dominate, and the Palestinians are more dependent on Israel economically than vice versa.