#13: primates fighting for territory.

number 8: completely agree with you...

@ Bob Lynch:

Your rhetoric says enough. '"almost-God-forsaken land", "little water, a lot of rock, and not much else". There were people living there, for God's sake!. People who (and let me borrow some words) owned and/or held the land, making a living, producing, educating their families. But the Jews went there anyway, exterminating Palestinians and ruïning the lives of every one of them, their children and their grandchildren. You make them (and again, I'm borrowing some words) at best "citizens" and at worst oppressed dhimmi in their own land.
The fact that this was done to you does not justify taking their land, let alone terrorizing them (for generations) on whatever land they have left.

Furthermore, you make the same mistake as Smitty @46: you can't blame current generations for what their ancestors did. What happened, happened, no matter how gruesome it is. We can only look back at everything the Jews had to go through and learn from it.
That is why the rest of the world can't be blamed for doing what they did to you, that is why Palestinians can't be blamed for winning a war against the Jews 2000 years ago, and that is, indeed, why young Jews born in Israël can't be blamed for taking the land they live on. But that last category can be blamed for the settlements in Judea and Samaria.

This is one of the current questions: do we see people as 'one nation' or as 'people part of one nation'. In the first case, everyone gets the blame for what their ancestors have done. Then the Jews were right to take their own country, but they were wrong in taking one that was owned by someone else and they are clearly wrong in terrorising the people living there. In the second case (and this is, as stated above, what I believe), the Jews were wrong in taking their own country (and certainly in stealing it from someone else, and current generations are only right in keeping their homeland, not in terrorising each other and trying to steal more territories).
Either way: the Jewish people were, for the largest part, wrong.

As someone else mentioned above: Israël is the most hated country in the world. That should make you think...
Even Iran has people fighting and protesting for what's right.

There is a saying that "those who are abused grow up to be abusers". Nobody can doubt the suffering and persecution which the Jews have had to endure throughout history, especially in the last century. However, they have lost any moral high ground which they may previously have held by subjecting the Palestinians of the occupied territories to the same racist discrimination and "ethnic cleansing" which their own Nazi persecutors used against them. When will the US finally stop blindly supporting Israel?...maybe when Israel starts building "concentration camps" for the Palestinians to "work" in? Israel is an internationally recognized state which is acting illegally and in contravention of UN resolutions. Look what happened to Iraq when it did that...can Israelis look forward to being "liberated" in the same way?! Maybe Tony Blair will even persuade the UK to join in the "liberation of an oppressed people" again...oh no, I forgot - he got that cushy job (middle astern peace envoy - ha!) he was after so he doesn't need to go through all that BS again!

I have to ask, why are there so many gaps in the presentation?
Missing images 22, 24+.

Let me get this straight. The Arabs and Muslims control many, many thousands of square miles of the Middle East, and North Africa as well. Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq just to name a few. They feature oppressive governments and economic stagnation except for oil revenues, and trading business in Lebanon. They have driven out Jews, Christians, people of other religions and seculars.
Within Israel proper there live more than a million Arabs, mostly Muslim. In Arab lands most Jews have been oppressed and driven out. And Arab imperialists refuse to let Jews live in any numbers in the West Bank, and most of them want to take the land of Israel iteslf. And yet Isrrael and the jews are the bad guys?

A few comments:

1) In the intro you say that "The international community views over 100 of the settlements as illegal under international law. "

I think it is important to note that ALL of the settlements are illegal under international law according to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies"

No country can claim to be a true democracy at the same time as being an Occupier - so long that those being occupied do not have the same rights as the citizens

2) @79
To say that the disputed land was not inhabited is incredibly ignorant...and just repeating the old Zionist phrase "A land without a people for a people without a land." This stance completely denies the reality of the 100's of thousands of Palestinians who have been forced to flee since 48 (which the Israeli government recognizes - albeit refuses to allow to return).

Furthermore, I would like to see you make that argument to the family of Rachel Corrie, who was killed by a bulldozer operated by the IDF while trying to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes for further settlement building.

population into the territory it occupies

The big picture is proof that the blogs and websites will never be able to do what newspapers are doing today. Thanks so much for this.

All we can do is try to lend support to our Democratic allies in a region full of countries that want to destroy us (USA) and would happily settle for the destruction of Israel. We still must criticize when Israel is doing something wrong, but when they are being unjustly attacked, must defend them as well.

I won't try to educate the ignorant here; you can wallow in your anti-Semitism and your fake history. But for those pursuing a career in journalism, it's important to note the rules on writing about Jews. Ready? Get your Big Chief tablet and your crayons out (this means you, Broomstick).
Anything built by an Israeli Jew is "an illegal outpost/structure/domicile." Don't question it: if the government says it's illegal, then it's obviously illegal. Seig Heil.
But anything built by a Palestinian is an "allegedly illegal" canal/structure/etc.
Got it? Also, it was built on "his own land." Get it? Any land they claim is there magically becomes theirs. Can we make Boston the Palestinian homeland?

I do so wish the photos showed a comparison of the newly established jewish settlements with the long standing arab settlements in their proximity. How does the quality of life in one compare to the other? How good is the sanitation and garbage removal? How good are the schools?

Colonies, not 'settlements'. Setting them up is a war crime under international law.

The israelis should go back to Israel and leave the illegal buildings to the Palestinians to do as they please in restoration for 50+ years of abuse and humiliation.

Also why are civilians allowed to carry automatic weapons in plain day light.. is that completely nuts or what?

What is the man on the left wearing on his head in Pic #29?

thanks!

#31 sums it all up ... they're not listening to each other!

Arabs are Semites. If you want to deny this, please deny the rest of your "holy" books. You would do the world a favor.

These hills do something to those people. All of them. Something bad!

Posted by Niles

The Hills didn't do anything to these people... their relgions did it!

Gordon Hill

SAD....

Okay, so everyone who criticizes Israël is an anti-semite or (Don @98) even a Nazi? That's extremism right there.

Joe (@80), let me quote you.
"If the nearby Pal's had been more interested in perhaps educating their next generations on science, e.g., instead of killing Israeli's, then perhaps THEY could have built settlements there, instead of the Israeli's."
Not at all! You say so yourself: "That disputed land has been sitting there for 1000's of years while no one lived on it because there was no water and it was inhospitable to human life."
They only have to live there now because the Jewish people stole the good lands. Ow, and now their stealing the inhospitable lands too...

And MemphisBlue (@97): off course, you are right: all Muslims wants to destroy the USA. Just like there were WMD's in Iraq.

to A South American - comment 27

"The Jewish People"? That includes all of us - every single one? I am Jewish, have never been to the middle east, have no desire to go, yet I'm responsible. At a synagogue near me, and all over, and in Israel many Jews protest the occupation.

You know what's responsible is pure racists like you. People are people - get over yourself. Get them away from religion and everybody gets along fine.

Simon Earl and others - could you please stop referring to "the Jews" and refer to the actual people doing this? Not all Jews and not all Israelis are responsible.

Is it that hard to figure out? As a Jew whose family suffered greatly in Austria and none of us have ever set foot in the middle east and don't intend to, I resent that. Yes, I support Israel - why? Rampant anti-semitism throughout the world, that's why. "The Jews" indeed. If you want it to go away, it starts with you.

Can't we all just get along and live together? We're all citizens of Earth, doesn't that count for anything?

P.S. I'm disgusted at the mass of materials that get destroyed... Ancient civilizations RE-USED the materials into different structures... Either don't destroy it or recycle it.

To Don Kenner + the few here who "get it":

The media fans the flames of antisemitism, now, as it always has. Journalism is the playground of the Liberal, may God bless him and her. Journalism finds its roots and support from Academia, from all those people who sing their Hymns of Should Be, listing rights wronged, listing wrongs magnified, listing underdogs oppressed (who really are the majority), listing old bigotries repaved into nice new gleaming-and-very-PC modern canards.

The Liberal in turn holds dear to her heart that there are good people (oppressed, native, indigie) and there are bad people (profiteers, mendicants, like-minded aggressors, armies + who-knows ... maybe democracy itself). And that the bad people should be fought, decried, harried, thwarted, subjugated to international pogroms, inquisitions, tribunals, possies.

THINK FOLKS: you are "right" in your minds ONLY because you are ignoring the salient points of history itself, you are mouthing the SAID truth, you are using hyperbole and oft-repeated, and just-as-oft wrong rhetoric to propound your revulsion of what is as timeless as civilisation itself: people asserting their right to land, by way of SETTLING on it. There is no older rule of civilisation: the settler who builds an enterprise, who raises a family, at some point inherits the right TO that land they developed,.

NO ONE in any part fo the world "paid" for the lands they commandeered from us when we were forced out, to "ovens" or cattle cars, or to walk thousands of miles to our new, desparately poor, but DRIVIN new homeland. You decry "thousands of Palestinians FORCED out of their provinances", yet millions of Jews were forced from theirs, statistically more likely to die than to make it.

YOU have teh gaul to tell me about the inequity of it. Yes, the inequity is very real, very profound. We built our homes all through non-Israel, and today they are inhabited by millions of freeloaders that never paid a shekel for them. We have long been hated because we ARE very family oriented, because we DO support each other, because we HAVE builty laudible (and many) enterprises out of thin air.

But beware, academia - the Jew-hatred that is so evident here, and around the world (read above, "Israel is the most hated country) - beware. Because history shows that Jew-hatred is really "smart, enterprising and successful" hatred. In other guises heads of Kings have rolled because they had the lock on wealth and success. FACE IT, people who liberally pine after the "oppressed Palestinians" - your mental image of a Jew is ... wealthy, religious, 'different', and LUCKY. Yes, academics, liberals - remember ... your heads have also often rolled into the box under the guillotine as history shows. I can see why you pillory the Jews so loudly, so often, so energetically: to DISTANCE your attainment from the bigoted few upon which then the ire of the populus will focus. Yes, it is that simple.

The media is complicit - by using words that portray the Jews as bad, the Palestinians (proxy to all people who are not Jewish) as good. They're "illegal settlements" because the Israeli government said so. Irony is lost that there IS a government that DOES say so, isn't it? Irony is lost that there IS a fully functional, vibrant, self-supporting, creative, very liberal, very cosmopolitan democracy sitting there right in the midst of the nomads. Irony is lost that it is the JEWS who are leveling the JEWISH settlements, precisely to try to ammend their ways to the force of UN Law. Irony is lost that they continue to struggle to build a civilisation, even by tearing part of their own enterprise down. But not so the (lower case) palestinian, representing all the rest of the Liberal Ideal of the world. No. Its the proletariat and bourgeoisie again, isn't it?

As long as there is a bogey, the world sings itself to slumber.

The conflict is so hard to solve exactly because both sides have rights to the land.

No it is not the Palestinians fault that the Jews were driven out of their land by the Romans. At the time in fact no such thing as Palestinians nor Muslims even existed.
It was the Romans who as well as exiling the Jews, had also renamed their homeland from Judea to Palestine in an attempt to erase it's Jewish identity.

In the 7th century Muslims invaded Palestine, massacred it's people, converted them to Islam and you guessed it built settlements. They erased the local populations identity to the level that today hardly any of them can recall that before the Muslim occupation of Palestine they were mostly Jews and Christians.

Yet the Muslim conquest and subjugation of Palestine is seen as legal and the Arab Muslim identity of Palestine as natural while the Jews returning to their homeland is fake and illegal. Despite the fact that in all the time since 135CE to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 no other group claimed independence in this land. It was just occupied by a succession of foreign powers.

Jewish rights are completely ignored here, what about the Jewish right to self determination? Denying the Jews this right while claiming it for just about any other nation on earth is anti-Semitic.

The conflict is so hard to solve because of the people denying one another's right to self determination. The settlements aren't helping because they are on land that is needed to establish a national home for Palestinians and Palestinian insistence on denying Jewish rights in the region is not helping Israelis feel safe in giving Palestinians the freedom to build an army.

Claims of genocide against Palestinians are ludicrous, in over 60 years of conflict you'd be hard pressed to find 10,000 Palestinians killed by Israelis and most of those were combatants who died during wars. Yet this claim is used time and again to justify calls for the erasure of Israel. What do you think the people calling for the erasure of Israel intend to do with its Jewish inhabitants? At best they will lose their rights and independence, at worst it will be a real rather than an imagined genocide.

I'd also like to note that while denying Jews the right to live in the West Bank is widely accepted, any idea of applying a similar treatment to Arab Muslims living in Israel would be considered outright racism and ethnic cleansing. Yet when applied to Jews it's OK.

@99 "I do so wish the photos showed a comparison of the newly established jewish settlements with the long standing arab settlements in their proximity. How does the quality of life in one compare to the other? How good is the sanitation and garbage removal? How good are the schools?"

What does it matter? If you stole the land, and treat the palestinians like slaves. It is somehow justified because you have a better standard of living?.

Israel has always been on the wrong side of history, and will always be, until its destruction.

There is absolutely, ABSOLUTELY, NO justification for the existence of Israel and the massacre they commit. All these comments "but Muslim/Arab countries are backwards" don't justify anything. The holocaust doesn't justify stealing land and committing another holocaust.

There is absolutely no anti-semitism here, I have nothing against Jews. Only the nationalist Israelies which support Israel and their policies. And it is true that there is such a huge Jewish influence over the US government and media through pseudo-foreign agent organizations like AIPAC, that most of the coverage in the media and government policy is pro-Israel.

Israelies completely own the US government (see Ariel Sharon's comment on it), to the point that Israeli spies working for AIPAC Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman ARE FORGIVEN and not sentenced like they should be. Israel can kill tens of americans by bombing US ships like the USS Liberty, and all is A-OK.

The USA is truly under the control of the Israeli machine. They can have nuclear weapons, and it's ok, they can spy on the US (look up the many cases) and it's ok, they can have concentration camps, torture, use white phosphorus on civilians in Gaza, and it's ok, they can use Palestinian children as human shields, and it's ok.

The US and Israel will pay eventually. Everyone pays for what they do.

I have read alot of the comments not all of them but the one I have read say something along the lines of the jewish have a history on these lands and that as a nation since 1948 have developed these lands and so have a right to them. This is pretty much ridiculous!

It was once said that after the Apocolyspe that when all that is left are the cockroaches, the Jewish cockroaches will hate the Palestinian cockroaches.

I am Irish, as a nation with a long history of emigration and as such development of other lands e.g. Australia, America does this give me a claim on these countries. Maybe I'll give it a try. I admit that 2000 years ago or so the Jewish people lived the area now known as Palestine, it was never a Jewish state with a Jewish government. At one stage the Ottoman Empire ruled the entire area, should the Turks now be the rulers of this land. The Romans once ruled Carthage to England, should Gordon Brown hand over his leadership to the Italians.
This is one of the stupidest conflicts (like ever conflict) ever. Just get over it, live in the same lands get on which other and shut up!

I don't get it...its sad to see.....What the hell is wrong with these groups of Jewish Settlers? They are really making the whole look bad right now

The US should pull its teet from Israel's mouth, and let them see how it feels to be truly isolated for a little bit...

@ 114 -

Have you heard of King David? Solomon? Hanuka and the Hashmonai revolt? There were periods of Jewish Independence and Kingdoms in the region and even under occupation and after being exiled to Babylon, Jews returned and were the major inhabitants of the region until the 135CE when the Romans forced them out.

No you don't have claim to Australia or America, they should rightfully belong to their indigenous populations and all European colonialist must be erased by the logic of those calling for the destruction of Israel. You have Ireland, you have a nation state where the Irish can live proud and free.

The Jews also deserve such a place and they have much more claim to their land than North or South Americans have or the English in Northern Ireland for that matter.

114 - witness N and S Ireland...hmmm

#31 "The whole thing was illegal from the start, in my opinion."

That doesn't SOLVE anything. Right or wrong, the fact of the matter is there are people living there. Anyone can sit there and do a recap. What does it SOLVE? What should be done? Exterminate all the Israeli's? The fact of the matter is these people HAVE TO NOW SHARE a part of the world. That is a fact. Finger pointing doesn't solve a god damn thing.

All of you that are so against Israel...tell me. What should they do? Go off and die? People who were born into this mess who didn't choose it, who don't know anything else...what should they do?

I do NOT agree with what European Colonists did to Native Americans but what can I do? Die? Move back to England, Ireland, Italy and every other place I have a drop of blood? The fact of the matter is These people have to learn to live together. And jumping on sides doesn't help anything.

to # 116.. "The Jews also deserve such a place and they have much more claim to their land than North or South Americans have or the English in Northern Ireland for that matter."..
so if you have the right to have a country and a land.. you have the right also to kill Palestinians take their lands threw them out, ..etc???
arent u now subjecting the Palestinian pple (kanaanites) to the same horrors that Jewish pple went threw in the Nazis regime??
what a sad concept.. u kill them treat them like animals then you speak like u are the victims.

Great photos - strange to see so many Palestinians labourers working on building sites in growing settlements, but I guess beggars cant be choosers.

Whilst its sad to see within these comments a repeated failure to distinguish Judaism from Zionism or indeed Israeli citizenship, its equally pathetic to see so much cynical over-emphasis on anti-Semitism as the root problem to what is a territorial dispute. That argument is a tired and flippant disclaimer; the last bastion of a guilty conscience unable to defend its record with any sort of sincerity, nobility, or actual moral authority. The only thing that is more crass is invoking memories of the holocaust in justification for a defensive mentality, that really is the lowest denominator.

Israel's neighbours are far from being a pragmatic, admirable societies, but that has cost them immensely in goodwill, influence and privilege. Its time the same happened to Israel. The long standing strategy to act, "like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother." (General Moshe Dayan) has been exposed for its greed and cowardice, If Israel wishes to maintain any sense of influence in a world whose center is constantly shifting east its would be wise to evolve its medieval mentality to befit its status as a first world nation with first world privileges.

"All of you that are so against Israel...tell me. What should they do? Go off and die? People who were born into this mess who didn't choose it, who don't know anything else...what should they do?"

Wow what a gross over-simplication that is. The solutions are widely outlined and long standing. 1967 borders, sovereignty and rights to return for refugees. This 'kill or be killed' false reality that Israelis have painted for themselves is a delusional political playing card. There are and have always been other options on the table, but its clear to see for reasons of pride, religious fundamentalism and political convenience these have been down-played, ignored and misrepresented.... Israel needs to come to terms with having a greater population density, the solution to any countries growth can never be to periodically annexe land from your neighbours, and if that is unpalatable then perhaps it should consider retracting its invitation to new immigrants. Its called living within your means, and it involves concessions that should have been made decades ago.

Also can I just rubbish all these comparisons between European colonialists and the original Zionist migrants. The Colonialists were never sent to their destinations with a mandate of peace and a legally endorsed remit to assimilate peacefully, the first Israelis however were obligated to both of those principles, and they ignored them horrendously, defiantly and without any real sense of foresight of legacy. Those were the clouded judgements of forefathers intoxicated by post-holocaust fear and religious ambition, now is the time for the sober approach, an approach that pays regard to the institutions that helped create Israel.

Picture #34, staged for affect. Sorry to say but the Jews bring their troubles upon themselves.

Completely, utterly and fully agreed with "G K in London" (@121, 122). Best way to put it yet. Read his comments carefully, and if you don't agree: let it soak in - it'll come.

Just one addition. When reading this: "Israel needs to come to terms with having a greater population density, the solution to any countries growth can never be to periodically annexe land from your neighbours", the term 'Lebensraum' jumped to mind. Am I going too far? Maybe not.

c'est sans fin

unbelievable comments.There ARE NO SUCH PEOPLE AS THE PALESTINIANS.The people claiming that name are the poorest of the poor from a land caslled Transjordan,They have no claim to the land of Israel any more than the Norwegians do.They are unfortunates who have been neglected and abused by their Arab brethren in the hope of formenting trouble for Israel.Do you really believe there is no room or money for these people in Jordan? As for this drivel about Israel "killing Palestinians for the last 50 years."Are your memories really so short? Who attacked whom in 1948?Who invented the whole notion of 20th( and 21st)Century terrorism?Whens the last time you heard about an Israeli settler hijacking an airplane? OR going into a SCHOOL and shooting CHILDREN? did anyone notice #27?was there anything even closely comparable being done by the Jews to the Palestinains?

@ KJ -

The only people invoking the holocaust here are those trying to compare Israelis to Nazis.

Settlement has nothing to do with population pressure it has to do with the historical and religious value of Judea and Sumeria to the Jewish people. The places are littered with the places the Old Testament took place at.

And if oversimplification is the subject in hand, casually mentioning the right of return without mentioning that since Jews are in fact a minority, this would mean that their culture and rights would be crushed by the Arab majority and is just another word for destroying Israel. Jews like Egyptians, Irish, Czech or any other nation have the right to draw a line in the sand and crate a Nation State that will protect their rights. How many Nation States are there for and by Arabs and/or Muslims? Yet they insist on taking away the one, pretty small in fact Nation State for the Jews.

It is possible to give the Palestinians the right of return to the West Bank and Gaza, but this is not what the Arab Peace initiative or the Palestinians themselves are demanding.

King Abdullah of Jordan has suggested amending the Arab peace initiative to this effect, I dearly wish him success, but he is quite week in the Arab world and I don't think he made much headway with this so far.

who the F*CK cares who's land it is?? Humans just have this need to argue, and this blog is proving it.

No need to fight all Israelis are welcomed to Dharamshala (H.P) India.

@ dougB - go learn about Hagganah and the Stern army before you start preaching about some mythical sense of virtuous Israeli conduct. Although ultimately you are only engaging in a circular chicken and egg argument that relies on cynically exploiting historical disputes. The only verdicts that matter are those which were composed after the creation of international conventions and the fall of the British empire, this bickering about 'my people' and 'their people' is like talk from the dark ages..... the outcome of who should've justly received what land was made by the must appropriate judiciary
60 years ago, the failure of the original migrants to honour this agreement can only be justified in terms that are as religiously fundamental and deluded as those endorsed by Islamists, seems the two parties have more in common than they would like to admit.

and @ Z . You don't seem to understand the difference between nationality, race and ethnicity and as such its no surprise to see you crudely categorise all of the Arab states in the middle east as the same entity. And this 'right' to draw a line in the sand is a ridiculous notion, history is on-going, there is no line in the sand, unless that is you view Israel's creation as closure for the holocaust in which case why is it in the Levant and not Bavaria ? Religious fundamentalism / Oppurtunism ?

Can I also just say Its appalling yet ingenious the way the Israeli machine has encouraged the resurgence of the term 'Judea and Sumeria' to replace the PR disaster that is the 'west bank' . Provokes an image of ancient entitlement and wisdom.... great branding, I'd expect no less from the worlds most dishonest PR monster

Funny and sad that fanatics at both sides think the same:
Get these people out of OUR land!

Religion is what is created in peoples minds to replace the loss of their Mothers and Fathers. Praying replaces crying for your parents when frightened of the dark.. Grow up Israel. Grow up Arabs. We're tired of you're juvenile antics. Jews think they're more evolved than Arabs. Arabs think their closer to the source of the natural world. They're both wrong, thus they will suffer as they dwell in their ill-conceived beliefs. One thing is certain, they are all rotten parents.
Jews, learn to share. Arabs, learn to play with others nicely. Mother Earth, be patient, we'll be gone soon..

I've been spending much time trying to understand this conflict. As an atheist and a non-Middle-Easterner, I think I have an unbiased perspective. The first question that fascinates me is the amount of attention and coverage given to this conflict. There are much more horrible and violent conflicts around the world, particularly in Africa, but also in parts of Asia. Compared to those, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is pretty minor both in terms of casualties and in terms of the total number of people and amount of territory affected.

Some of the Muslim world makes a lot of noise about this conflict, but much of that is a cynical and hypocritical use of the Palestinians considering how unwelcome the Palestinians were in places like Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, and how they were fought there. The Palestinian case is just used shamelessly to rally the masses in these Muslim countries and divert their attention from what's happening in their own countries.

As to the Western world, it really is hard to explain the obsession of so many in Europe and the US with this conflict, and the relative lack of interest in much more devastating conflicts around the world. It's hard not to get the feeling that if the conflict was between, say, the Yemenites and the Palestinians, no one would care. The fact that it's the Jews somehow makes a difference, and that's a pretty strange phenomenon by itself.

As to the historical context of this conflict, it's important to realize that this piece of land had a very small population throughout the Middle Ages from the time it was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and until modern times. Before that, the population was mostly Jewish and Christian. During the Middle Ages, there was an Arab population of about 200K. In modern times, population was still sparse until the early 20th century. It was around 500K in the late 19th century, which is less than the population of the city of Seattle. There was an influx of both Arabs in Jews in the first half of the 20th century as the land was developed during the years of the British Mandate.

At the time of the 1947 UN Partition Plan there were about 1M Arabs and 650K Jews. Some areas had an Arab majority, and some had a Jewish majority (such as Jerusalem which has had a Jewish majority since the second half of the 19th century). The Arabs rejected the partition, and this led to the war of 1948 which was won by the Jews. After Israel was established in 1948, there were large immigration waves of Jews to Israel, which resulted in a large Jewish majority. Some Arabs remained in Israel as Israeli citizens - about 20% of Israeli citizens are Arab. Others (the refugees) left to other countries or to places such as the Gaza Strip.

All this is now mostly the domain of previous generations. People (both Jews and Arabs) of the current generations were mostly born into the current reality.

The biggest thing that hurts the Palestinians in my opinion is that they are entirely focused on fighting. They fight the Israelis and they fight each other (note the unimaginably horrible things that Hamas and Fatah people do to each other). There is no focus at all on productive work such as building their economy or creating anything of value. They really need to change their strategy if they want to get anywhere - stop fighting among themselves and shift more energy toward economic development rather than hopeless fighting against Israel. Why not build hotels and develop tourism on the nice beaches of Gaza instead of putting crappy missle launchers there that don't achieve anything other than getting them into trouble? Their current strategy provides the perfect excuse for Israel not to make any significant further concessions.

In picture 31 an isreali and palestinian are yelling at each other. What do they seem to be accomplishing? NOTHING. Basicall 2 brothers that cant see past there noses. What are the yelling over? DIRT. They kill each other in the name of who? GOD. They will continue to live like this for many centuries in the future. Why, NO REASON BUT JUST TO FIGHT AND KILL BECAUSE SOME ONE ELSE SAID SO. Just a bunch of followers and no real leaders. The big question is, Who is worst? THEY BOTH ARE. Thank goodness i am an american that forgives.

I just don't get it, it's crappy land no trees just rocks and dirt. I'm not on either side...just continue to blow each other up.

G. K. in London - the comparisons to European colonialism are in response to Europeans bashing Jews. We're just asking people to stop generalizing is all - we're no different from you. Also, your pragmatic statement doesn't take into consideration the fact that anti-semitism is at the root of all the Israel-bashing. Israel does not have "kill or be killed" mentality. They do claim a right to defend themselves however. As long as the suicide bombings continue what else do you expect? As for the settlements, many Jews are against that as well so please stop generalizing already.

I am Jewish and I am often filled with sadness about the settlements and the Palestinians and about the way that Israel turns out and behavees. It's inhuman. Then I get bashed in person just for being Jewish (never even been to Israel) or read stupid comments such as many of these and I think Go Israel!

37 got it right
Genocide, that's what it is!
Ironic from those who call themselves the Chosen People.

Israel could learn a lot from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. You can never ever force a group of people into submission. The fighting will never end unless they move out.

Tiocfáidh ár Lá

All of them are just stubborn morons.... get over a piece of land. They are so obsessed with it that they ruin their lives and their children's lives...

All major disputes in civilization usually boil down to 1 of two things, religion or land. In this case, its both.

Pathetic really.

Wow, I'm completely blown away and saddened by the childish sentiment expressed here. GROW UP. The world is a hard place; living is a difficult endeavor for everyone. We are ALL ONE. We do not need to kill each other, we should not see race, religion, and gender as traits that separate us, but rather make us similar.

The fact that the Jewish people are in Israel living in and among the Palestinians shouldn't be an issue. There are plenty of countries that embrace multiple races and religions, and EVERY country has multiple genders. When BOTH the Palestinians and Israelis stop acting like spoiled rotten children (albeit children with extremely powerful and destructive weapons) and start cooperating with each other to accommodate differing needs and objectives, this overly long dispute will be shelved as yet another example of really bad behavior in the 20th and 21st centuries.

PLEASE. STOP. THE. DESTRUCTION.

Five-year olds are better behaved.

Without engaging in an under-informed opinion about the dynamics of the situations captured (as I far too often do in my online articles), at the very least I want to compliment the excellence of the photography by Ammar Awad, Hazem Bader, Dan Balilty, Ahmad Gharabli, Jack Guez, Nasser Ishtayeh, Menahem Kahana, Gil Cohen Magen, Jonathan Naackstrand, Yehuda Raizner, Baz Ratner, Sebastian Scheiner, David Silverman, and Uriel Sinai.

With modern cameras, just about anyone can take a great picture. More than ever, it is now the scene, the story told, and the risks taken that distinguish the fine photojournalist from the good picture-taker.

My thanks to these fine photojournlists.

@99 "I do so wish the photos showed a comparison of the newly established jewish settlements with the long standing arab settlements in their proximity. How does the quality of life in one compare to the other? How good is the sanitation and garbage removal? How good are the schools?"

What does it matter? If you stole the land, and treat the palestinians like slaves. It is somehow justified because you have a better standard of living?.

Israel has always been on the wrong side of history, and will always be, until its destruction.

There is absolutely, ABSOLUTELY, NO justification for the existence of Israel and the massacre they commit. All these comments "but Muslim/Arab countries are backwards" don't justify anything. The holocaust doesn't justify stealing land and committing another holocaust.

There is absolutely no anti-semitism here, I have nothing against Jews. Only the nationalist Israelies which support Israel and their policies. And it is true that there is such a huge Jewish influence over the US government and media through pseudo-foreign agent organizations like AIPAC, that most of the coverage in the media and government policy is pro-Israel.

Israelies completely own the US government (see Ariel Sharon's comment on it), to the point that Israeli spies working for AIPAC Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman ARE FORGIVEN and not sentenced like they should be. Israel can kill tens of americans by bombing US ships like the USS Liberty, and all is A-OK.

The USA is truly under the control of the Israeli machine. They can have nuclear weapons, and it's ok, they can spy on the US (look up the many cases) and it's ok, they can have concentration camps, torture, use white phosphorus on civilians in Gaza, and it's ok, they can use Palestinian children as human shields, and it's ok.

The US and Israel will pay eventually. Everyone pays for what they do.

Incredible pictures.

Clearly, Jewish immigrants of European origin are behaving rather brutally towards the rural Arabs that have lived here for centuries.

I wish I could blame religion but it looks more like racism from here.

Israel is using the US for its own interests, in no time throughout history have there been two countries whose interests coincided all the time, Israel is now a big burden on the US, already battered and weakened by 8 years of Bush/Cheney reckless adventures and a stifling financial meltdown.

The US didn't commit the Holocaust so why should it see itself entitled to supporting Israel all the time all the way. We did more than we ought too. Let the Europeans clean their shame themselves.

Besides, the land was stolen in the first place so it's the Palestinian we should rather support since he has the moral high ground but somehow we choose to support the wrong guy.

Why do we care, let them settle their own conflicts. We have so much work to clean our own house right now.

# 27 captures the emotion so well - great shots of very interesting stuff

#113 and many others - hate to tell you this but Israel is here to stay. the continuous extermination and rampant blatant open hatred and legal murder of Jews did not stop until Israel was created. We are hated for having our act together, for being prosperous and smart and industrious. Jewish doctors around the world have saved many lives only to get shot in the head in return. There are plenty of Israelis today who work in defense of the Palestinians, and American Jews who do as well. For some reason all other nationalities who had a hand in the mess in the mideast get off scot-free (I am loving these posts by Britons especailly. Oh yes. GO ISRAEL

I want to say that the Jews deserved a compensation for the Holocaust (I'm Polish so I know what they passed through), but what is now happening on the West Bank passes all international standards laid down by international law.
Significant is the fact that the establishment of Israel state was a theft on the Palestinian state, but what the settlers from Israel do, shows the arrogance and false pride of citizens of that country. Instead of being grateful for all that they received after centurys of wandering and suffering, there claims and aggressive expansion raise antipathy for them over the world.
Peace but not at any price. Long live free Palestine.

Sorry for my poor English. I’m better of whit German.

Why Jews are treated so special as a group. There are many new world races that exterminated or subjugated by european colonialism, Romas also suffered heavily under Nazis. Why nobody talks about homeland to those races .Why Jews are given so importance. They always mention their hardship suffered in the history and use it as justification of whatever injustice they do!!!

To JoeMehl and Aussie , The white supermacist

according to you guys whatever european did is for some beneficial reasons for the natives. They were on the civilzing mission and discharging white mans burden, what u guys think. you always have convincing excuses to hide your misdeeds.
Last thing I can hear is advocating the colonialism!!
u stupids!!

@55 and @102 the guy on the left in 55 is wearing "tefilin" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tefilin), but instead of wearing a single one on his head, he's wearing two. I'm not certain why, but if I was forced to hazard a guess, I'd say that he's trying to compromise between the two kinds of tefilin.

One kind is "Rashi", and the other is "Rabbenu Tam" (the names of these kinds of tefilin is simply the names of the Rabbis most famous for wearing them.)
I hope that helps :-)

The religious guy in picture 7 is screaming at the soldier that he should be ashamed of himself. Instead of protecting his fellow Jews against those that would like nothing more than to murder as many of his fellow Jews (especially soldiers) as possible, he is destroying the houses of people who believe they are doing what his own G-d wants them to do - settle their land as much as possible.

He started out talking nicely to the soldiers there. He only started screaming only from an extreme amount of pain. Why do our own soldiers have to degrade themselves to do the governments dirty work? Because Obama said so?

By the way, the soldier eventually got very uncomfortable and said that he actually didn't want to be there and was disgusted along with the settlers.

The reason I know all of this - I am the person is the picture. :'(

Hey Spiegel - Those races have a homeland already.

Anyway, nobody's stopping anybody else from writing a book or making a movie. And, they have. Plenty of them. The majority of people who were killed were the Jews.

"They always mention their hardship...etc." Or really? Always? As for injustice, all the Palestinians need to do is stop detonating bombs in Israeli streets.

The Big Picture should have expected this with this theme. I wish they'd do something far more important and that would be a picture set about the destruction to the environment, which affects absolutely everybody. We need to stop beating up Jews or somebody else for everything, stop pointing fingers, educate people who live in countries that still behead people for speaking their minds, and start taking better care of this beautiful earth that belongs to all of us.

Pic #31 captures the problem perfectly: two sides screaming at each other, neither one listening.

Until the Jews, Palestinians, Christians, and all the other groups in that land look at each other and see each other as brothers, none of this hatred will ever change.

"We're one, but we not the same - we have to carry each other, carry each other..."

There is nothing to be proud... shame on you Israel. Israeli settlements are problem number one in Peace Talks. No justice = no peace!

Israel survives because arabs sleep, when arabs wakeup there will be no israel.

try explain it all to the baby in pic 34...
so sad.

I have been to Israel and I know that the normal people want and KNOW that there will be eventually a Palestinian state, so the politicians inevitably will have to comply to this...it s just a matter of time.

of course there will always also be those who talk NONSENSE, from BOTH sides, like comment 57 here (Israelis were once in control of all countries??? LOL!!!) and comment 156 (just a reminder, in 1967 Israel beat all of Arab countries in just SIX days...so maybe there will be no Arabs if Israel wants it my friend).

take this advice from a neutral Greek who likes both sides: stop argueing and LIVE IN PEACE at last, you have nothing to divide. build an underground motorway to unite Gaza strip and West Bank and you have a Palestinian state, with its regions connected.

Ugly. The only word that crosses my mind after seeing this. I wish strength to the palestinians.

Neither #8 or #16 are bulldozers. 8 is a front-end loader, 16 looks like the arm of an excavator.

I am American. I hate the fact that we are always associated with Israel like we have some choice in the matter. I don't know enough about the situation over other than to say my personal belief is that the Jews are wrong for trying to take land that is not rightfully their land. I am sick and tired of our association with and our constant "ass-kissing" of Israel. It gives the United States a bad rap and most of the world hates us just for this alone. They have proven no loyalty to us and do not deserve our support or our respect. I feel bad for what happened to their older generation in Nazi Germany, but it gives them no right to act the way they do now.

One must understand that Israel including the West Bank is a very small country (1/4of NY state) with a growing population and is bursting at the seams.
While I'm no politician and don't know what solution there is for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (if there is one, I doubt it actually), I can't help thinking that the Arab population has million of square kilometers of Arab territories nearby where they can settle, whereas the Jews as such have no other state.
I myself am not Jew, but Christian (and not a believer at that), but I can understand their predicament, unfortunately the settlers are always depicted in the Western medias as nasty bigots, I think it's too one-sided.

What would have happened if any one of the world's leading countries had just given up some of their own land to create a Jewish-state?

Please explain to me what is the difference between the first american settlers & the Jewish ones ? I know one difference: The Jewish settlers return to THEIR land , from which they were expelled by the Romans. this land was occupied by nomade tribes in the last centuries, with no historic roots, contrary to our ones. The American settlers came to a foreign teritory , occupied the land , massacred the Indian native inhabittants, and built settlments that became the beautiful cities of today.
Do you know another differences ?

dr. abraham shampanier,

The Jewish settlers return to THE land , which they lost in war. Quit your crying and move on.

I agree with GK. I'd just like to add something for the benefit of DougB et al. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli-American doctor living in a settlement in Hebron, entered a mosque and opened fire on Muslims at prayer, killing several before being shot himself (There is now a shrine to him in Hebron to which numerous settlers from Israel, Europe and the US flock each year. Go figure).

Neither side has, or ever has had, a monopoly on civilian-directed violence. To argue otherwise is naive.

These settlers are the main hurdle toward peace. They, through some self-devised feigned theological prophecy, presume that any land, no matter where, in the occupied territories belong to them -- because God said so. They grab land from Palestinians and have the full backing of Israeli government then wonder why there is a conflict. Of course, occasionally, the Israeli authorities clamp down on these rogue tribes but they go back a week later just to resettle until a year later, the government send another batch of people to uproot them. Of course by that time, they have aggravated and harmed so many people that their very presence fuel antagonism. Moreover, the Israeli government, through some coercive but supposedly unilateral legal measures, allow thousands of settlements to be built throughout the occupied territories which ultimately stymies the peace process.

These settlements and others are the major obstacle in drawing a "contiguous" and "sensible" Palestinian territories so they can have their own independent sovereign country. But Israelis are no fool, they know how to get a rise out of Palestinians so in return, they would point fingers and felled the peace process and continue on with the expansion of settlements and eventually, have the Palestinians out of the West Bank by the mid century.

I'm happy that the Israelis keep fighting for their slice of territories, and don't give up, because after all is said and done, they are part of the West, and all Western people have been or are being expelled from Africa (see "Zimbabwe" , "Azania", Algeria, etc) and we are constantly criticized because of "colonialism" , "slavery", "the bigotry of the Catholic Church", etc., we should be ashamed to be a Westerner in the Liberal mantra.
And I admire the Israelian pioneer spirit from the "kibbutzim" , it's a nation of pioneers much like the US and Australia, those are courageous people!

1. Not Occupied, but Disputed territories under International law.
2. Jews did not get Israel as a "compensation" for Holocaust. Holocaust happened because Israel was not created earlier - before WW2.
Jews had no place to go and Nazis started to exterminate them rather than deport (it was their original idea) in 1942. No "civilized" or any other country wanted to accept them. British were given rule over Mandate of Palestine by League of Nations after WW1 for ONE PURPOSE - to create Jewish National Home there. They failed. But managed to heat up hatred between Jews and Arabs. Arabs were actually in Support of creating Jewish state back then (see Faisal-Weizmann Agreement for Arab-Jewish cooperation):
"We Arabs ... look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement. Our deputation here in Paris is fully acquainted with the proposals submitted yesterday by the Zionist Organisation to the Peace Conference, and we regard them as moderate and proper. We will do our best, in so far as we are concerned, to help them through; we will wish the Jews a most hearty welcome home.... I look forward, and my people with me look forward, to a future in which we will help you and you will help us, so that the countries in which we are mutually interested may once again take their places in the community of the civilised peoples of the world ".

There is no such people - Palestinians. There is no such language, such history, nothing of this. The land is for 3.500 years Jewish land. Kings and prophets of Jews lived and died in this land. Every story of Bible is rooted in this land.
G-d will help to Jewish people to free it and live peacefully.

Thank you for bringing these pictures to us. It makes me so sad to see people fighting and the injustice occuring on both sides. I wish that there were no land disputes and that both peoples could live side-by-side in peace to each pursue their rights to live safe, happy lives.

"Picture 28

Only place in the world where a civilian is allowed to walk alongside a soldier and carrying a weapon and not be in trouble for it. "

Not the only forum for the dumb. EVERYONE in Israel has a weapon. Perhaps because the arabs are killing the Jews there already 150 years - long before Israel. Each settlement has a civilian security that cooperates with an army.

Even when confronted with the pictorial evidence of continued strife, most of the comments don't seem to be made by people wanting to rise above it to live in peace and prosperity.

I don't understand how Israeli and Palestinian people can continue to kill each other over a scrap of land that could be shared. Far be it from me to believe in large-scale conspiracy, but the only reason that makes sense to me is continued prodding of the people to engage in hostilities. This is not a war being fought by armies, but by regular Joes wielding automatic weapons. The will to exterminate a fellow human being can't be so strong.

When the youth of Israel refuse to believe that the Palestinian people wish to destroy them, and when the youth of Palestine refuse to believe that Israel wants to do the same, maybe the two groups will meet and enmesh, accepting the humanity of each other. The only thing stopping them is their agreement to believe the prodding exhortations of their elders, who continue to perpetuate their state of fear.

If the jews are just returning to reclaim there land then on this lines buddhist from far east and Zoroastrians should create their own country in India!!

Is there any sensible guy who can explain to me as to why on earth anyone should stand with this so called israel?
Why is it a crime to call the fascist zio-israelis criminals when they kill Palestinians by the scores while those oppressed inn humiliated Palestinians are called terrorists when they retaliate every now and then?
Why do we always stand with the wrong side and easily find them excuses for all the wrong they do and go blind against the sorrows and misery we intentionally help to cause against innocent others?
Since when it is just to equal the occupier with the occupied?
Till when are we going to be taken for a ride by our politicians who got away with such big lies as the WOMD in Iraq which we all know now was an intentional lie?
Since when do secular states stand so fiercely with the creation of a religious jewish state? why do not the jews go fight their own wars without forcing tears out of our eyes for the lies they plant everywhere on earth? go on give me the semitic cleche"

This story show how hard is it to understand this conflict. It will be wiser to stop this endless war ... life is enough hard without fighting all the time our neigbour.

A mixed country between muslim and jewish isn't possible ?

In this case, knowledge and respect of tradition just cause more dammage to tow nations regardless of their people.

@#86

..exactly.....neverending...

but btw...what do the aim with this "outposts"??

israelis take over the land by force, they arrest (kidnap) palestinians by force with no trial and indefinetely, they take crops by force, they cut down palestinian crops, they bulldoze palestinian land, they embargo palestinians, they prohibit them from fishing or trading their agricultural products fairly, they do not allow free movement of palestinians across their own land, they arbitrarily harrass palestinians in checkpoints/their own homes/streets, they BOMBARD palestinians strategically and methodically causing much death and destruction (compare this with 12 israelis dead from hamas´ rockets, in many years)..... all of this with virtually complete impunity.
and then people wonder why palestinians act desperately with anger and vengeance...

I thoroughly enjoy your blog, and usually find it to be objective and unbiased, but I was disappointed in this edition. Very few of these photos show the real impact of settlements: the loss of land and liberties by Palestinian families. And in many of these photos, the Jewish settlers are portrayed as innocent victims being bullied by Israeli police when they, in fact, are expropriating Palestinian land to build their settlements. There is no shortage of land to build on in greater Israel; the settlers are simply trying to promote a political agenda by settling in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As one who has lived in the Holy Land and seen the injustice firsthand, I am disappointed in your biased coverage. For accurate facts on the Palestinian-Israeli coverage, please see ifamericansonlyknew.org.

I don't think that this is one-side enough. Please, please, Boston Globe, show us more of these "evil Jewish Settlers." Does anyone recall how this area was governed under Jordanian rule? Remember when laundry was hung from the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, when Jordan ruled East Jerusalem?

History is ignored to accommodate terrorists. "Palestinian" and "peace activist" are mutually incongruent phrases. The Palestinian leadership has stated it worships death. Perhaps that's why they haven't developed hotels along the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza. Perhaps that's why they tore down the greenhouses left to them when Israel withdrew.

When has land conquered in war been returned? Only once, by Israel. And all it got them was a cold peace. Boston Globe, give us a break with your one-sided photoessays!

Religion is a mental sickness and probably the number 1 killer in the world. Where is the surgeon general's warning on religious books? sad sad sad.
Great Pictures as always.

How Israel can predend they want peace, when they accept and encourage juwish fanatic religious settlements outside their borders! This is unaccptable. They will pay for that, soon or later. And western countries are not supporting them anymore.

Watch carefully in the pictures, all the building are builded on desert land, on empty mountain.

The "occupied west bank", indeed occupied by the arab judenian in 1948 from israel that release that part of east israel, so you may say now the free west bank.

there is no palestinian nation, language, or culture, that term of new speak only [ask Mr. j. Orwell {erik blair}], Palestine lay over 2000 years from the time of rome exile the jews from israel, do not fall to the lie of palestine, 2000 years of noting and from 1967 "Palestinian" POPUP to the world OUT from the blue.

Teak a look in Europe open your eyes and mind.

good Bless you all.
miki

For more information about settlements see in PEACE NOW web site: www.peacenow.org.il

The “Palestinians” exists for a few years now, they were invented when the state of Israel managed (to everyone’s surprise) to survive all of the attacks against it. The “occupied territories are actually just a part of Israel that was freed from Jordanian occupation.
Gaza was offered to the Egyptians when the peace treaty with Israel was signed, but they claimed it is not a part of Egypt, so that too is part of Israel.
One thing you must all remember:
When the Muslims lay down their weapons-there will be no more war.
When Israel lays down its weapons-there will be no more Israel.

I LOVE ISRAEL!!!!!! they are the best pepole i ever met. i live there.........

I love Israel and wish it's citizens no harm, but seriously, f*ck the settlers. If they want to remain in their settlements they should accept to become Palestinian citizens. Why not have a jewish minority in a palestinian state when there's an arab minority in Israel? If they are hellbent on staying there for religious reasons, let them, but not as israeli outposts. Israel would be better off without them anyway, I would hate to have to deal with them as a soldier or police officer. Same applies to Palestinian radicals - Israel is here to stay, move on!
The middle east is a clusterf*ck and religious/nationalist zealots on both sides don't help.
Sorry for the coarse language, this endless bickering starts to annoy me.

picture number 9 tells a deeper story, this man is one of the quietest sweetest men you will ever meet. He Is a Mohel, when a jewish male baby reaches 8 days old they are circumcised that is his job.
On the 6th of March 2008 a terrorist came into the yeshiva (talmudical college) library where his 19yr old son was studying and murdered him and 7 of his piers because he was Jewish not because he was a settler not because he had done anything, he was a child.
The picture in my eyes shows Rav Hirschfeld picking up the remains of his shattered life, the building in the background was a synagogue and place of learning set up in memorial for his son.
that is all we are trying to do live our lives I left England because of the hate I felt from society for being a Jew
I lived for 5yrs in a "settlement" I have never thrown a stone at anybody before in my life, I have seen more stones thrown by people around me after one football match in the uk than I have seen in 8years of visiting and living in settlements. Most of the time the people live in peace.
The only burning of crops I ever saw was by foriegn "peace" activists trying to get revenge on "settlers" for trying to make a living from vineyards which I helped plant on land we bought, for a lot more than it was worth.
When your child falls of his bike you dont take his bike away you let him try again, he might fall off and hurt himself but you let him try and try.
My message to the world
Leave us alone we will make mistakes but we are the only ones who can solve this
you only show the hate and the dis-pare i know this is what sells but why not for once look at the co-existence the people that strive for peace.
I am a Jew, I am an Israeli, I am a settler, I am a humanist, I want peace when we both deserve it

These photographs bring a couple of questions to my mind. The Palestian guy who is arrested for building a canal on his own property.. why? Why is he not allowed to build on his own property? Why is he arrested and blindfolded and taken away in a helicopter when Israeli settlers who build settlements forbidden under international conventions have their settlements knocked down, but are not arrested and taken away?
Why are Israeli settlers able to rebuild within hours? Who is paying for their materials? If they can get materials to rebuild so quickly, why does the government forbid building materials to be brought into the Gaza strip, so that the Palestinians can rebuild after the destruction of their homes?
Last thought, beyond the pictures.. Israel is a theocratic state which holds that some of it's citizens are more equal that than others based on the religion they profess. Is it really possible that we can expect peoples to live together harmoniously when there is not equality under the law? Why can Israel not administer justice as a secular society, with the same laws applying equally to all citizens?