UN: Extend freeze to east J'lem

You quote UNSC 242 accurately until you state, “every country that hasn’t...extended recognition of Israel is in violation of 242.” The resolution says no such thing. Recognition of Israel is not mentioned in the resolution. But all 22 Arab nations (which includes Palestine) did recognize the State of Israel and offered full diplomatic relations in the Arab League peace plan proffered in 2002 and again in 2007, which included all Muslim states. The US and EU endorsed the offer, but Israel didn’t respond, but it still occupies the land and forbids the sovereignty of a Palestinians nation.

Article 49 does make reference to forcible population transfers, but also says “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” That doesn’t mention force. The Int’l Court of Justice has ruled that Israeli confiscation of land, funding, providing infrastructure (roads etc) and utilities constitutes transfer of one’s population onto occupied territory. It also says the settlements have “no legal” validity and constitute a “flagrant violation “ of the 4th Convention. Palestinians don’t consider their land “liberated.”

UNSCR 242 requires an Israeli withdrawal "from territories occupied in the recent conflict", as well as an end to belligerency and recognition of sovereignty of every state in the region within secure and recognized boundaries. This means that every country that hasn't made peace with or extended recognition of Israel is violating 242. Also, the careful phrasing was deliberately designed to allow adjustments to the pre-67 cease fire lines. Do you post on Al-Jazeera that Arab states have a legal obligation to recognize Israel?

If you think the Saudis are laughable, you’ll really enjoy the UAE as a US ally. The UAE provides significant intelligence. In addition: The UAE was the first country to support the United States in Desert Storm. The UAE has troops in Afghanistan. It hosts more than 2,000 US military personnel. US Naval vessels visit more UAE ports than any other foreign ports in the world. Supports the US Air Force logistics facilities at Al Dhafra Air Base. Deployed UAE military forces to Desert Storm/Gulf War, Iraq and UN Operations in Somalia and Kosovo. And they don’t cost $3 billion a year.

You cite poorly, sir. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids forcible population transfers. Even accepting your premise that Israel is an occupying power (I consider the Yesha liberated rather than occupied), there is no stated legal requirement that Israel prevent Jews from voluntarily relocating. There is absolutely nothing in Article 49 that mandates a building freeze. you should try reading the actual text instead of simply quoting the citation from other sources.

Wrong again? Point out one time you proved me wrong. If you cannot, that makes your charge a lie. If you think Saudi successes against Al Qaeda are laughable, that says more about you than the US search for effective allies in the ME in the struggle against Al Qaida. I repeat, Israel is as non-player. If you think the Saudi successes laughable, what do you think of the Jordanians? The CIA director, George Tenet, commented on the genius and direction of the Jordanian service in penetrating and neutralizing Palestinian terrorist organizations and similar successes against Al Qaeda. Is that funny too?

I am not implying Israel is an occupying power, I am declaring it, because that’s what violation of UNSC 242 makes Israel. If you don’t believe that, read UNSC 242. You keep mentioning Balfour and San Remo. The San Remo Conference decided on April 24, 1920 to assign the Mandate [for Palestine] under the League of Nations to Britain. The "Balfour Declaration" was later incorporated into the Sèvres peace treaty with Turkey and the British Mandate. The British Mandate superseded Balfour and San Remo, as you have been told. Read the Mandate as quoted in #95. Do you not know the meaning of supersede?

I don’t understand. In #95, I quoted from the British Mandate. How can a quote be erroneous. It is either a quote or it isn’t. But the quotes are irrelevant to this issue, because settlements were not mentioned in the Mandate, which superseded Balfour and San Remo. The Web site to which you refer is that of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and it is as wrong as you are. What makes the settlements illegal is article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention, published 18 years before the first settlement was initiated.Read it before you dispute it.

Ron, you are wrong once again. Israel has been the primary ally with the US in the region for decades. Your denial of it is simply a product of your intellectual and moral rot. Your example of Saudi cooperation and denial of Israeli cooperation is laughable, and is expected from an intellectually dishonest person like you. Oh well. Keep up the entertainment, Ron. Your lack of integrity and absence of logic is amusing.

I assume you are saying this because you are implying that Israel is an occupying power. So you are denying the British mandate, the San Remo Conference and the Balfour declaration as well as thousands of years of history that Jews have with Israel which includes Israel. Who was the king of Palestine? Where was the capital? What did they trade? Why is it that when Jordan occupied the area it wasn't considered occupied?