New Swedish government will recognize independent Palestine

I think it's great. Sadly, the rightwinged parties doesnt seem to think so.

More than three years have passed since the posts above were written and the Palestinians are nowhere closer to having their own state. The peace process has stagnated. Sweden and other countries may recognise an independent Palestine, but to no avail as long as it's not approved by a majority vote in the UN and that won't happen until the Palestinian authorities meet certain basic standards for statehood, like security for their citizens. As long as they allow terrorists to walk freely in their midst, not enough member countries will be in favor.

...and the cynical attitude on the Israeli side. Benjamin Netanyahu is happy that the piece negotiations have derailed. In the shadow of more urgent conflicts, he can now get away with expanding the settlements on occupied land with complete disregard to UN resolutions. A two-state solution will mean that he cannot trust the security of his neighbour, while a one-state situation is even worse. To avoid being branded as an apartheid state, a "Greater Israel" will have to grant equal rights to everybody inside its borders, like citizenship and the right to vote. With a much larger population increase, the Palestinians would soon outnumber the native Israelis and have the majority in the Knesset, so the current status quo suits the hawks in the government just fine.

I am no fan of Netanyahu but extremists on both sides over many years have made any meaningful progress impossible.

As for anti-Semitism it is a term that has been around since the mid nineteenth century and means hatred of Jews.

As such it is pretty clear (even without the numerous slogans and similar propaganda put out by so-called anti-Zionists) that it is on the part of those people who hate Jews.

ALL Jews, without exception.

Now anti-Semites come in all shapes, sizes and colours; the lesbians who refused to let Jewish lesbians display a Star of David on their gay pride march; the pseudo-socialists who cannot tell the difference between hostility to a government and hatred of its people; the far right Nazis who are so suddenly gaining influence in the USA; the crypto-Nazis who have infiltrated much of the left and some of whom seriously believe in the 'Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion' (I have met a dozen of them all claiming to be leftists); the pseudo-Muslims who believe that killing Jews is a jihadist obligation when in fact it is specifically forbidden by the Quran; and the cynical Arab leaders who use the Palestians as cat's paws to fight their wars or diplomatic wrangles by proxy.

Do I believe in a two state solution? Yes.

Do Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaida? No.

Does Fatah? In name only.

For any kind of peace deal to work BOTH sides need to work hard at it, to compromise and to MEAN what they say.

For what it is worth I see almost zero evidence of any genuine desire for peace on behalf of the Palestinians.

I see slogans such as 'death to the Jews' and 'push Israel into the sea.'

Now for what it is worth I have lived and worked in two Muslim countries - Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

I have met Palestinians and discussed the issue with them (even in Saudi Arabia!)

I have read the Quran, talked with imams, read the works of Muslim scholars.

On some other boards I spend a considerable amount of my time DEFENDING Islam and Muslims from Islamophobes.

I am an agnostic; I believe that all religions make too strong a belief claim. I believe the same about atheism.

But extremists of ANY persuasion appal and frighten me and I have spent my life fighting against them.

India was freed from British rule through a strategy of non-violent resistance.

Where are the Palestinian Gandhis?

Or the protestors against Vietnam who set fire to themselves?

All the Palestians seem to offer is rockets and similar acts of terrorism.

If they genuinely wanted peace and a Palestinian state they would follow the example of Gandhi and take the path of peace.

Within five years they would achieve genuine statehood.

Till then both sides will continue in entrenched positions and even Likud will look morally superior to the Hamas/Fatah crew.