Despite the drumbeat of negativity heard virtually every day in the American media from the Obama-Clinton-Ross crowd, Americans support by a strong plurality independence for Palestine. A BBC global poll of 19 countries including the U.S. found that overall 49% backed statehood and 21% opposed. In the U.S. it was 45% for and 36% against. In France, Germany and Britain, support was over 50% and opposition ranged from 20-28%. Overall, 30% of all respondents said either their country should abstain or could not give a definitive answer. Unfortunately, one country missing from the poll appears to be Israel. I’d love to know the numbers for Israel (though they would certainly be negative, but I wonder how negative).
But hey, whoever said anything about democracy influencing world diplomacy? As far as the U.S. is concerned democracy is for chumps, especially when the power brokers get to work divvying up slices of the pie–or in Palestine’s case, withholding them.
Visit the Palestine194 website.
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- Poll supports Palestinian state (bbc.co.uk)
Unfortunately, one country missing from the poll appears to be Israel. I’d love to know the numbers for Israel (though they would certainly be negative, but I wonder how negative).
Palestine194 website video says 63% of Israelis are in favor of the 2 state solution.@3:10, but I don’t see any info on their support for the current UN bid.
63% of Israelis may be in favor of a Palestinian “state,” but one without control of its own borders, control of its own immigration policy, control of its own military, airwaves, or water — a non-contiguous “archipelago” of, basically, Indian reservations. This is not really a state.
UN resolution 242 has two items.
The site provided in the article quote only one part of the resolution:
(i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
(ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”
Israelis at large will be more than happy not only to accept the Palestinian state, but to help the Palestinians build it, as soon as they accept both parts of resolution 242.
Israelis at large will be more than happy not only to accept the Palestinian state, but to help the Palestinians build it, as soon as they accept both parts of resolution 242.
The US State Department included a chapter on resolution 242 in the year 2000 publication of the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XIX, Arab-Israeli Crisis and War, 1967. You might want to read the whole thing. Arab Palestine was part of a political union with the Kingdom of Jordan at the time. That second paragraph above was addressed to Israel too. Israeli settlers at large didn’t respect the territorial integrity of the neighboring states then, or now. It ignored the armistice lines that had been adopted under the auspices of Chapter VII resolutions and it has refused to drop its belligerent claims against the territory it captured.
Here is the site for you: http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v19/ch4
I’d be interested to know how the question was worded particularly for the Israeli survey. I would imagine if the choice was between one state and two states most would opt for two states. If the choice was between two states and no state (for the Palestinians) the result would be quite different. Personally I think (hope) Israel will live to regret it fought so hard to prevent the Palestinians achieving statehood (assuming they don’t get it, which considering the U.S. veto is likely.) I hope I live to see the day the world concludes the only answer is a single state. Israel will be kicking and screaming and probably begging for two states.
The US is a failed democracy but most of its citizens are ok
It’s a shame that this poll will never be made public in the American media. We only see negative stories regarding the Palestinians and nothing of the misery that these people are subjected to on a daily basis. How can we not support a Palestinian state and freedom for this caged society?