Reply To: Political Statements
They should all stop building stuff in land the other team thinks is there [sic] until they’ve worked out a plan.
That just gives people an incentive to make broader claims, though. Hamas, for example, still claims all of Israel, both sides of the Green Line. So does that mean that nobody can build anywhere in Israel?
Many Palestinians see Israel as a latter-day Kingdom of Jerusalem, and based on that precedent, they assume that it will eventually be defeated and are generally willing to wait it out. Compromise and recognition of the State of Israel within any borders are seen as undermining that long-term goal. Anything that punishes both the Israelis and the Palestinians is seen by many Palestinians as helping their cause, since the perception is that the Israelis will eventually just go away if they face sufficient pressure. It just won’t help matters any.
made a decision to stir things up with his book
Personally, I think Jimmy Carter was trying to make a buck with his book. Controversy sells, and the Jews who complained about his book (myself included) have given him plenty of free advertising. Others have different theories, and frankly I cut him a lot more slack than some people do.