Does Israel want peace in Palestine?

[Opinion. It serves Israel’s interests to have Palestine fragmented. What amazes me is that any Palestinian could vote for Hamas.]

Marwan Barghouti has sat in an Israeli prison since 2004, serving five life sentences plus 40 years. Khalil Shikaki, the Palestinian pollster, this past October found that in a race between Barghouti and Khalid Mishal of Hamas, the vote would be 58–39 Barghouti.

“The second reason is his popularity gives him legitimacy from the people and not from the Israeli government or even from the international community. And that’s something that we Palestinians really appreciate. There’s nobody else here who can do that. 

After leaving Ramallah, I visited Ami Ayalon at his home in central Israel. Now 80, Ayalon is a former Shin Bet leader (2000–2005), a former admiral of the Israeli Navy, and a former Labor Party politician. He is part of a small cohort of previous security and military leaders who are outspoken against Netanyahu’s government, including its conduct during the war against Hamas. Ayalon was a featured speaker at the regular Saturday night Tel Aviv demonstrations against Netanyahu in early January. For the last several decades, Ayalon has been a forthright promoter of justice for the Palestinians as a way to secure Israel.

Ayalon insists that Marwan Barghouti be freed from prison, and that if Palestinian elections are allowed, a victorious Barghouti will attempt to negotiate a sustainable future for both Palestinians and Israelis. To answer critics who say that Barghouti has “blood on his hands,” Ayalon says: “When we say somebody has blood on his hands, what do we mean? I have blood on my hands. I killed many people. I’m not proud of it, but this is why you send soldiers and warriors to the battlefield, not to negotiate. If you want to negotiate, you send diplomats. 

“I’m saying it as a director of the Shin Bet: Marwan himself did not kill anybody, personally. But yes, he was a commander. So when we say blood on his hands, yes, he commanded.” That’s why he was arrested. But today, Ayalon says, Barghouti is no longer in prison because of any acts he may have committed: “If you ask me today, why is he in prison? Because in the eyes of the Palestinians, he is the only alternative. He became a symbol.”

Neither side want's peace in most wars.

War is a great business. War brings in big money for the corrupt heads of states on both sides from their respective allies. War is the best saviour for any head of state who can fall into any legal proceedings for corruption or whatever...War is great for the stock exchange and to soar prices. War is a great business plan for those is power. War is something where only the civilians of the lower classes suffer and die, but rarely harms the elites of the country involved.

Peace would be nice, but as long as they control & mistreat Palestinians, they'll never have it. Not that they actually care if they do, since having more fire power.

Israel will and has done what ever it wants. Ignoring so many UN resolutions if proof of that. Sadly, the USA supports most of their actions.

Israel wants Palestine.