I would certainly like to see this work.

It's not clear to me that anything can be done unilaterally, or if even with a promise of $10B, and statements of support from the US, the Gulf States, and Europe whether enough cooperation can be found with Palestinian leaders in Gaza.

A zillion years ago during the cold war, I remember seeing a very self-serving IBM commercial about how trade with the Soviets was the best way to create relationships and establish peace. And while we didn't really have a controlled experiment, I think in hindsight, they were right.

In 2010 dollars, the Marshall Plan would cost $100 billion.

RoyBatty: A zillion years ago during the cold war, I remember seeing a very self-serving IBM commercial about how trade with the Soviets was the best way to create relationships and establish peace. And while we didn't really have a controlled experiment, I think in hindsight, they were right.

The Nixon/China approach if you will. Now to train an Israeli and Gaza ping pong team, also we'll need a cute cuddly mascot to trade around like pandas

Sounds like gentrification.

zedster: RoyBatty: A zillion years ago during the cold war, I remember seeing a very self-serving IBM commercial about how trade with China was the best way to create relationships and establish peace. And while we didn't really have a controlled experiment, I think in hindsight, they were right.

The Nixon/China approach if you will. Now to train an Israeli and Gaza ping pong team, also we'll need a cute cuddly mascot to trade around like pandas

Come for our beaches and car bombs.

Would cut into that 40% unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip,


A hungry mob is an angry mob

Hamasan never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity....

Even with the "truce" Hamas is still haphazardly lobbing rockets into Israel.

I wish Israel would just take the gloves off and proclaim that that every rocket that lands in a populated area, Israel will respond by flattening an entire city block in Gaza.

Israel owes the Pallies about $10 billion in money they've stolen withheld as collective punishment anyway, don't they?

Fork it over, Bibi.

That would mean that Israel would have to open its borders more to allow more trade into Gaza.

Something they said won't happen until Hamas is gone.

It's a nice idea, but it'll never happen unfortunately.

Well, once they settle the area, that is...

Its not fark, its news!

They would still find a way to twist it into them being victimized and then biatch about that and get all explodey anyways.

This is what's left of the last 'investment' Israelis left for the Gazans, which were once capable of feeding thousands.

Lebanon used to be the Las Vegas of the Med. if my history serves me.

It wasn't until the civil war that it became a hell hole. The pictures I recall were beautiful.

moops: Even with the "truce" Hamas is still haphazardly lobbing rockets into Israel.

I wish Israel would just take the gloves off and proclaim that that every rocket that lands in a populated area, Israel will respond by flattening an entire city block in Gaza.

That is simply not a long term solution and the Israeli people don't want that. The stick is getting whittled away and it's time to try the carrot.

I've said it before, I think Israel should open the sea to Gaza but close it's boarders with them for now. If they use the new found freedom to import more weapons or war materials they will pay the price. If however they use it for good it may open the door to peaceful relations. Hamas has found out what every other group put in their position has found, being the opposition is easy, being in power is hard. Instead of power corrupts (the actual quote is "power sometimes corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely") maybe power sometime pacifies as well.

Mart Laar's beard shaver: This is what's left of the last 'investment' Israelis left for the Gazans, which were once capable of feeding thousands.

[jessieboylan.files.wordpress.com image 709x581]

Too bad those things could not operate without water, huh?

kindms: Lebanon used to be the Las Vegas of the Med. if my history serves me.

It wasn't until the civil war that it became a hell hole. The pictures I recall were beautiful.

They called it the Paris of the Middle East, the Las Vegas would be in the Sinai I guess

//never really heard any place called the Vegas of ____

Mrtraveler01: That would mean that Israel would have to open its borders more to allow more trade into Gaza.

not really, keep the borders as they are but open the sea lanes and stop the pressure on Egypt to keep their borders closed.

kindms: Lebanon used to be the Las Vegas of the Med. if my history serves me.

It wasn't until the civil war that it became a hell hole. The pictures I recall were beautiful.

Its nice now.





You can drink alcohol and dance all night, Beirut is where the wealthy go to party. 

GIS Beirut nightlife

As much as that would really help the people of Palestine, we won't get jack done until we knock the heads of the IDF and Hamas together and tell them to knock it off. And so far that hasn't stopped them yet.

zedster: //never really heard any place called the Vegas of ____

Dubai gets compared to Vegas quite a bit.

And they share quite a lot in common, such as overhyped real estate speculation which caused a bubble to burst and a huge glut in the real estate marketplace.

That and they're both flashy and touristy.

The hotels can put a complimentary mortar round on your pillow after turndown.

Some of them would rather deal with bombings than tourists.

You mean that a plan that doesn't include bombing them would work? No way.

Mrtraveler01: zedster: //never really heard any place called the Vegas of ____

Dubai gets compared to Vegas quite a bit.

And they share quite a lot in common, such as overhyped real estate speculation which caused a bubble to burst and a huge glut in the real estate marketplace.

That and they're both flashy and touristy.

point taken

Shouldn't they call it a $10b United States investment?

Yeah; and I have a goose that lays golden eggs.

zedster: kindms: Lebanon used to be the Las Vegas of the Med. if my history serves me.

It wasn't until the civil war that it became a hell hole. The pictures I recall were beautiful.

They called it the Paris of the Middle East, the Las Vegas would be in the Sinai I guess

//never really heard any place called the Vegas of ____

ah the Paris of____

That makes a lot more sense.

Open a bunch of hash bars and Americans will come in droves.

zedster: Mrtraveler01: zedster: //never really heard any place called the Vegas of ____

Dubai gets compared to Vegas quite a bit.

And they share quite a lot in common, such as overhyped real estate speculation which caused a bubble to burst and a huge glut in the real estate marketplace.

That and they're both flashy and touristy.

point taken

But you're right, outside of that Vegas doesn't get compared to much.

If anyone thinks that anything but utter anihilation will work, you're dreaming. You cannot build a peace between people who have been fighting so many centuries they no longer know why they're fighting.

Seal the borders and let em' duke it out.

Sometimes you just gotta rumble.

Stranger still, with only $5 billion less damage from Hezbollah bombs and Israeli missiles and cluster bombs, Lebanon could return to being the "French Riviera" of the Eastern Mediterranean, which it was in living memory.

Truly, history is stranger than fiction.

moops: Even with the "truce" Hamas is still haphazardly lobbing rockets into Israel.

I wish Israel would just take the gloves off and proclaim that that every rocket that lands in a populated area, Israel will respond by flattening an entire city block in Gaza.

How about this: Gaza has x acres of land, right? So how about for every rocket that gets lobbed across the border, n acres of land go back to the other size. More if an Israeli is injured and even more if someone gets killed. After a period of time with no missiles and no trouble, some of those acres start getting restored back.

Punish bad behavior. Reward good behavior. Or are the Palestineans really too far gone to recognize even that bit of basic logic?

croesius: Shouldn't they call it a $10b United States investment?

Yeah, this.

RoyBatty: I remember seeing a very self-serving IBM commercial about how trade with the Soviets was the best way to create relationships and establish peace.

Link

Israel should contribute $2.5 billion from funds for future generations to this cause (the cost of two Operation Pillar of Cloud), but we should not do this alone. The Gulf states should give $2.5 billion, the US - $2.5 billion, and Europe - $2.5 billion

So he wants the US to give $5B total???

fappomatic: If anyone thinks that anything but utter anihilation will work, you're dreaming. You cannot build a peace between people who have been fighting so many centuries they no longer know why they're fighting.

Seal the borders and let em' duke it out.

Sometimes you just gotta rumble.

Who have been fighting for "so many centuries"? The Arab-Israeli conflict wasn't a thing until 1916 at the earliest. Jews and Arabs mostly lived in peace under Ottoman rule, or at least without any more conflict than Jews and Christians in Europe.

moops: Even with the "truce" Hamas is still haphazardly lobbing rockets into Israel.

I wish Israel would just take the gloves off and proclaim that that every rocket that lands in a populated area, Israel will respond by flattening an entire city block in Gaza.

They tried that. Any flatter and Gaza will be a Mediterranean river between Lebanon and Egypt.

Arkanaut: or at least without any more conflict than Jews and Christians in Europe.

Really? Because I don't remember the Ottomans using the Jews as a scapegoat for why they lost World War I, or building on centuries of Christian anti-semitism in Europe to support the holocaust.

...with daily fireworks!

moops: Even with the "truce" Hamas is still haphazardly lobbing rockets into Israel.

I wish Israel would just take the gloves off and proclaim that that every rocket that lands in a populated area, Israel will respond by flattening an entire city block in Gaza.

This! Israel needs a final solution to the Palestinian problem.

BronyMedic: Really? Because I don't remember the Ottomans using the Jews as a scapegoat for why they lost World War I, or building on centuries of Christian anti-semitism in Europe to support the holocaust.

yeah the ottomans mainly just wanted their tax and trade to flow. they had way more trouble with christian minorities fighting each other than anyone fighting the jews (the christian battles actually contributed directly to the crimean war when the russians backed the orthodox and the french backed the catholic friendly groups)

on topic, bribing your enemies off with prosperity is far more likely to work and be cheaper than fighting. the US did it in our last insurgencies, so there is a precedent it would work

How about the first order of business is getting rid of a terrorist group as their government.??

It's like the people of the U.S voting in the KKK or the Black panthers.. and then wondering why everybody hates us.

master_dman: How about the first order of business is getting rid of a terrorist group as their government.??

both sides of this conflict have elected and continue to elect people who any reasonable outsider would identify as a terrorist.

tlchwi02: master_dman: How about the first order of business is getting rid of a terrorist group as their government.??

both sides of this conflict have elected and continue to elect people who any reasonable outsider would identify as a terrorist.

or voting in Washington and then wondering why the Brits aren't so keen on building relations with us....

/your example needs work

master_dman: It's like the people of the U.S voting in the KKK or the Black panthers.. and then wondering why everybody hates us.

How dare they elect people we don't like! They should have thought about what we would have wanted!

netcentric: Hamasan never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity....

I'll read the article again after the multitudinous grammar mistakes are corrected.

vernonFL: kindms: Lebanon used to be the Las Vegas of the Med. if my history serves me.

It wasn't until the civil war that it became a hell hole. The pictures I recall were beautiful.

Its nice now.

[encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com image 275x183]

[encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com image 225x225]

You can drink alcohol and dance all night, Beirut is where the wealthy go to party. 

GIS Beirut nightlife

I have a friend who travels in the area on business. He claims that Beirut and Tel Aviv have amazing nightlife that rivals Miami. He also claims both cities are by far the easiest to get laid in.

/Yes, he carries two passports

dervish16108: Sounds like gentrification.

Except you let the natives stay there.