I keep away from Israel/Palestine diaries here on Kos because of the entrenched views and acrimony therein.
After the break I have included a video made by Al Jazeera' Empire series. I know by even linking such a news source people will jump to conclusions as to the slant, please watch the video when you have time.
The panel.
Professor Avi Shlaim Oxford University
Avraham Burg Former speaker of the Knesset
Ian Black The Guardian newspaper
They Discuss in a sober manner the past, present and future of Israel. Israel finds itself on the brink; is the two state solution still possible?
War is not an option as has been shown by the recent wars in Lebanon and Gaza whose only result was to turn opinion against Israel and destabilise its future.
If we want to remove the fire that feeds fundamentalist Islam and its associated terror then we must solve the heart of the problem.
The interesting part is the idea of a post two state solution, a type of confederation once the two states have been stabilised.
Palestine is in no condition to form a viable state on its own as it is too ripped apart by a colonial conflict and internal corruption.
Israel is to isolated in a region that rejects its very existence walling yourself in is not a possibility, nor a long term security solution.
Both sides of the conflict are hindered by their own extremists.
There are 5 million Palestinians and 5 million Israelis living within a few kilometres of each other, war and colonial oppression are not a solution; and at present there is a total lack of progress.
The one thing that must be halted permanently is settlement in the West Bank all this does in fan the flames on both sides.
Hence the only solution is a common authority protecting both peoples.
The two state solution has been talked about and never really supported for too many years to be a possibility, its time for a new strategy.
As it stands neither the right wing government of Binyamin Netanyahu nor the ineffective Palestinian Authority can solve the problem.
This has always been, and it will be until it is solved; the most important foreign policy issue faced by any post war US President.