Dividing the Land

[TBC: A "dhimmi" is a non-Muslim resident of an Islamic country. The first two comments were posted on October 8 at the Dhimmi Watch website. Excerpts of the article commented upon follow.]

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” - Albert Einstein

This is especially true when that "same thing" involves territorial concessions. Look how spectacularly Gaza worked out.
(http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/ )

"Israel signals shift on Jerusalem split" [Excerpts]

JERUSALEM - Two senior Israeli politicians, including the prime minister's closest ally, talked openly Monday about dividing Jerusalem, signaling a possible shift in Israeli opinion about one of the Mideast's most contentious issues.

The dispute over Jerusalem has derailed negotiations in the past, and the latest comments come at a time when Israeli and Palestinian teams are trying to agree on principles guiding future peace talks.

The ideas raised by Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon still fall far short of Palestinian demands to establish their capital in all of the city's eastern sector, annexed by Israel after the 1967 Mideast War.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, meanwhile, told his parliament he will not be deterred from seeking a peace deal with the Palestinians. He said Israel has missed opportunities in the past, and warned that continued failure would mean a "demographic struggle steeped in blood and tears."

Olmert was unusually impassioned but short on specifics. He made no mention of Jerusalem.

Later Monday, Israeli and Palestinian teams met for the first time to start drafting a joint declaration of principles that would guide negotiators if peace talks were to resume after a seven-year freeze.

The document, which is to address the key disputes — borders, Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees — will be the centerpiece of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in November.

Olmert's speech appeared to be a careful balancing act — sending an encouraging message to the Palestinians, while not giving his hardline critics at home too much ammunition by going into detail.

His central theme was a pledge not to miss an opportunity to reach a long-elusive peace deal, even if it requires costly concessions. Olmert said Israelis will have to let go of some of the beliefs that "fed the national ethos for many years," a reference to giving up West Bank land.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100800331.html