Israel, Palestine, and Insults to Intelligence

The amount of deliberate misrepresentation by politicians is an insult to intelligence!

For example, Barack Obama recently said that Israel and the Palestinians had to come to terms with each other, and admit the right of both to exist as states. To do that, he said, they should begin with the 1967 borders, and make mutually agreeable land swaps to modify that boundary.

The Israeli Prime Minister howled. "The 1967 border is indefensible; unacceptable!" In our own country, politicians are lamenting that Obama is a fool; that the 1967 line cannot be the border between the two populations.

O.K. Obama did not say that. He said that the two groups should begin with the 1967 border, and make mutually agreeable land swaps to that line. Mutually agreeable land swaps. Israel will demand this. The Palestinians will demand that. Israel will offer this. The Palestinians will offer that. If they do that, both will be happy, both will be angry, both will grumble and wish there were a god who could apply the wisdom of Solomon, but they just might end up with two independent states, and the line will not be the 1967 line, but will reflect lots of swaps and compromises!

It isn't just posturing on the part of politicians. It is that, but it is also evidence that either they are stupid, or they think we are. Maybe both.

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