Australian Man Runs Amok, Sets House on Fire, and Smashes Vehicles in Pattaya
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Thailand Eyes Direct Flights from US Amid Growing Tourist Demand
How would non-stop flights between the USA and Thailand actually help you in practice? If you live in a place that requires multiple connecting flights now, you are not likely to be served by any nonstop to Bangkok. You could connect to the nonstop through YVR today; having a nonstop at some other North American city would make little difference (and would be a longer flight, since YVR is geographically the most proximate to Asian cities). -
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Amnesty International "It's a Genocide in Gaza"
Judaism is a religion, not an ethnicity, and even if it were there's no justification for ethnically cleansing one group of people to make a ethnostate for another group. -
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Why Do You Enjoy Posting Here in The Pub So Much?
Because missing Bob. Hoping he might return to here one day. -
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The Messianic Vision for the West Bank Is Untethered to Reality
Do you not understand the forum fair use rules and policies ? Like, the first three sentences and a link ? How many times does it need to be stated ? -
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The Messianic Vision for the West Bank Is Untethered to Reality
Last week, dozens of right-wing activists, public figures and local government heads met at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem for an unusual conference organized by the Yesha Council of settlements and chaired by Likud MK Avichay Buaron. The conference was motivated by the desire to prepare practical plans for the coming years ahead of the upcoming inauguration of the Trump administration. The declared goal was "to create the conditions to make Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley an integral part of the State of Israel." The plans reflect an understanding that the current trends in the West Bank settlement enterprise do not provide a basis to change the reality in the area. As Buaron explained clearly, "We have a window of opportunity here, and we can be dumb or smart in how we use it. … If we are dumb about it, we will have 700,000 residents and however many extra homes in four years' time." (Actually, according to the current trends, in four years time the number of Israelis in the West Bank will not be more than 570,000.) Based on data from the Tamrur-Politography group, I will seek here to examine in detail the feasibility and ramifications of the grandiose plan revealed at the conference. The main points of the plan are: the establishment of four new cities in the West Bank, including one for the ultra-Orthodox and one for Druze; transforming strategic settlements into cities; extending the area of jurisdiction of the regional councils to include the areas between the settlements; imposing Israeli sovereignty on unbuilt areas, and establishing Arab municipal authorities to replace the Palestinian Authority (as reported by Hanan Greenwood in Israel Hayom.) Regarding the first item, four new cities: it is safe to assume that Haredim can be found for a new city in the West Bank, despite the fact that the two existing Haredi cities in the area – Betar Ilit and Modi'in Ilit – have recorded negative migration balances over the past five years. The most important factor will be the location of the city, given the unsuccessful experience with the settlement of Immanuel. Immanuel was established 40 years ago in the heart of Samaria, but currently has a population of just 5,500. Unless the new Haredi city is established on the Green Line and to the west of the separation barrier, its chances of success will be minimal. As for the other two planned cities, it is important to bear in mind that secular Jews are leaving the West Bank: They accounted for 36 percent of all settlers in 2010, but this figure has since fallen to 26 percent. As for a Druze city – how likely is this unless Israel amends the Nation-State Law?! The second goal proposes turning Ma'aleh Efraim, Efrat, Eli, Nahliel and Kiryat Arba into cities. Ma'aleh Efraim was established almost 50 years ago and currently has a population of just 1,692! The settlement was supposed to provide services for settlers in the Jordan Valley, but this population itself numbers no more than 7,500. Ma'aleh Efraim has no industry, agriculture or tourism. Although it is ranked in the relatively high socioeconomic cluster 6, the government covers 75 percent of its current budget. The population of Efrat has grown to 12,392, although over the past three years it has recorded a negative migration balance. Its built-up area is just 350 acres. Efrat is relatively prosperous and ranks in socioeconomic cluster 7, but again the government covers 70 percent of its current budget. It is very close to Jerusalem and Betar Illit, and accordingly is unlikely to attract Haredi or secular residents, despite its good connection to the national road network (Route 60). Eli is situated in the heart of Samaria and is part of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. The settlement is remote from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; it has a population of less than 5,000 and its built-up area is smaller than that of the Old City of Jerusalem. The settlement relies on its proximity to Route 60, but has no industry. Nahliel in western Binyamin is a small settlement at a considerable distance from the main traffic arteries (such as Route 443). It has a population of 744 in a small area of less than 50 acres. Kiryat Arba has a population of 7,600 and has had a negative migration balance for almost a decade. It is extremely weak in socioeconomic terms (cluster 2) and is situated in the heart of a Palestinian population of almost 850,000. The third goal is to impose Israeli sovereignty on all of Area C. This would increase the area of the Jewish local authorities by a factor of 10. For example, Samaria Regional Council would expand from 72 sq. km. to 680 sq. km. The proposed move would ensure Israeli control of all the archeological sites (which total around 2,000 in Area C) and dozens of tourism sites in open areas. Based on the experience in East Jerusalem, imposing sovereignty and establishing municipal authorities for the 400,000 Palestinians who live in Area C will require a current budget of 15 billion shekels ($4.2 billion) a year. Tens of billions more will be needed for infrastructure and institutions mandated by Israeli law. After annexing Area C, Israel's border with the Palestinian territories will expand from 311 km. (the length of the Green Line) to 1,800 km. – three times the total length of all Israel's other borders! If Israel decides to establish a separation barrier along this course, the additional cost will be 60 billion shekels. It will also be necessary to mobilize reserve forces on a permanent basis to protect the new border. Moreover, over half of the land in Area C is owned privately by Palestinians who live in Areas A and B. How will the planners allow these landowners to reach their land – or is the idea simply to expropriate it?! The plan to turn the Jordan Valley into Israel's solar energy center will have to address the need to conduct electricity from the lowest place in the world west through the central mountain ridge, which reaches elevations of 800 meters above sea level. The conclusion is glaringly obvious: The plan is completely unfeasible, and Israel will not be able to cope with its financial, security and diplomatic ramifications. In 1982, Yehoshafat Harkabi succinctly explained the difference between a vision and a fantasy: "The risk of a national disaster was inherent in our existence as a land of vision, since a vision wishes to change reality. However, the magnitude of this vision, which determines its successful realization, depends on its connection to reality, so that even if the vision wishes to override reality, it is always embedded in this reality. That's the difference between a vision and 'a fantasy floating on an illusion.'" by Col. (Res.) Dr. Shaul Arieli is one of the heads of the Tamrur-Politography research group. -
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People who support Cashless Society, you are a disease.
Some good points raised by the op. I suspect if and when there is a stranglehold on the desires of the citizen who wishes to behave in ways not authorized by the state most posters on here will be long gone. Bit like burning fossil fuels our generations receive the short term benefits while future generations will possibly be paying an awful cost. -
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Thailand Vigilant Amidst 'Disease X' Outbreak in Africa
....an outbreak of Ebola in Pattaya would spread like wildfire, ..what is X ??
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