Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[ergo sum]

You always get things so twisted. It is evil for Arab refuges to be called Palestinians but not for Palestinians in 1948 to be called Israelis. No one suddenly appeared. That is simply a semantic argument about what to call people.

Comparing Sharon to Caesar, assuming you mean Julius who killed millions and enslaved people for the good of Rome might be a good comparison if you weren't so convinced Julius was saving the world. Though I wouldn't make the comparison. By that type of reasoning Mousey Dung would be a good comparison.

[On another note it was customery in Classics departments between the two wars to try and play down the Roman history and influence (read military power) on the world and turn instead to the Greek cultural and political models instead. Except of course in the mind of people like Hitler.]

Those of us who have given up on the narrative that war is good and breeds heroes don't really get all that excited when the military force of history wins. The fact that it is the 'best' alternative already suggests we have lost.

Regardless of the history the reality is that the demographics in the West Bank and Gaza make it impossible for the Israelis to take possession of those lands. They have very few choices. Those people for whatever reason are not leaving. They can kill them all. They can continue to try and get them to leave or they can give them the territories.