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Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I was thinking about diplomacy on our part, not Israel's. Though your points are well taken, esp. about the Golan. If I were an Israel prime minister, I would not want Syrian troops in the Golan. Could I live with a Syrian flag flying over a demilitarized, UN-occupied Golan? Dunno.
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The chances of that happening, and of it having any real effect, are basically zero. (And that would be true even if the Bush Doctrine had not rendered the US incapable of accomplishing anything in the UN.
As for diplomacy on our part, what would the US offer Syria? Even leaving aside the practical reality of how the Bush Doctrine has alienated most of the world, Syria is not a country with which the US has any negotiating leverage. And if ever Assad were tempted to let the US buy him off, he would only have to think about Sadat, and about the radical Shiite power that will emerge (if anything cohesive emerges) to the east, and he'll be un-tempted fast.
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Surely you understand that Israel's continued occupation of a portion of an Arab country is a festering sore in the eyes of Arabs.
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Surely you understand that the number of Arabs who want Israel destroyed, and who would change their minds if Israel pulled out of Golan, approaches zero.
And don't call me Shirley.
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I'm not sure what this means. With all of Hezbollah's rockets, Israel is functioning. I think Penske meant something else.
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Take the cruise missile Hezbollah launched at an Israeli ship. Multiply the quantity by a few hundred. You want to live in the target zone?
Gee, let's wait and see. I'll bet "military power that can do serious damage, and that is far too dug in to be dug out with anything short of a massive invasion that kills tens of thousands."
You'll bet "peace-loving group of guys who, after Israel gave up Golan, finally realized that the nation deserved to exist."
