Time running out in Middle East!

UN Secretary General warned that the tensions in the middle east were extremely high and almost to a breaking point. He was talking in response to the Israel and Palestine conflict. He blamed them equally and criticized both sides for their actions.

Source

In his last address to the Security Council as head of the world body, Annan offered tough words for both the Israelis and Palestinians, declaring that time was running out to negotiate a two-state solution to avoid a greater outbreak of violence.

And I agree with him. With the latest increase in attakcs and tensions situation is getting worse and worse. Its surprising that both countries have not managed to wipe each other off the map yet. But if the trend continues then that time will come soon.

"The use of military force in densely populated civilian areas is a blunt instrument that only produces more death, destruction, recrimination and revenge," Annan said. "And as we have seen, it does little to achieve the desired goal of stopping terrorist attacks."

Very true, but military takes the easy way out by not selecting their specific targets and often bombing entire neighbourhoods thus contributing to the terrorism rather than attacking it.

I think the time is up to point fingers and call names. Both sides are causing nothing but violence and death of innocent civilians. It does not matter who is right or wrong. I feel supporting either side, hamas or israel governement is only gonna cause more tensions and no real solution. From a third person view, we should look beyond the 'whos is right and justified' to the suffering of the people. A solution needs to be achieved soon which can end the conflict once and for all. Any ideas on how that can be achieved thus satisfying either side?

Add: Sorry mods, I Should have put this in the mid-east conflict section.

How are both countries suppose to wipe each other off the map? The Palestinians have no country unless you are talking about a war between Gaza and Israel. Either way the Palestinians have NO WAY to even come close to wiping Israel off the map by throwing rocks and and firing homemade rockets.

Stating that the Middle East is coming to a "breaking point" would imply that at sometime in history the ME was peaceful. It would even imply that right now, at this very moment and all moments until, I guess NBC and Matt Lauer does, someone declares the point broken there is stability.

We should build a big dome around the whole region and let these idiots kill each other for Yaweh, Allah, Jehova, money, power, oil or whatever damn reson they want. When theyre all dead we can roll in and open up a Wal*Mart

Or......since most of the mess in the ME was arguably caused directly by western interference for the last 200+ years, western nations could could pool together resources that don't carry guns, or intend usery, and engage in the largest humanitarian effort ever concieved or attempted.

Of course that's not going to happen.

As I see it, the middle east, after WWII, became the wargrounds between the eastern and western powers. It is heavy with resources, and sits smack dab in the middle of everybody. They just happen to be surrounded by nuclear weapons as well. It must be quite unnerving to regions leaders.

My heart says to pull all unwanted influence out of the region and let them catch up in some philosophy's and practices. My head says I like my way of life, and keeping an advantage against any aggressors in this world, where cultures come and go through conquest, is not necesssarily a bad thing, maybe.

The ME problems have existed long befor WWII. The Ottoman Empire was constantly at odds with the British Empire. Both empires wanted through to Asia and the Far East but they couldnt stop butting heads with each other long enough to get anything done. Even before that there were problems IN the ME both B.C. and A.D. . Im sure all of those knee-jerk blame America for everything people would love to believe its our fault but whatever damage we could have done in our less than 250 years of existance is merely a drop in the bucket.

The first blame can go to the origional empires. Next come the modern empires of France, Britain and China. Then you have to start blaming every existing Western nation. Maybe you can connect some puritans or Pilgrims to the conflict but being the youngest of the existing world powers American influence would have to be blamed dead last.

I didn't say the ME started having problems after WWII.

I also did not say the blame was America's alone. I didn't even mention countries by name. Please reread my post. It will do your replies to me opinions some good. If you don't understand something in it, please ask, I will clarify it for you—the best I can.

QUOTE: "pool together resources that don't carry guns"

What???!!!!! Do you realize where this is and what is taking place?? You suggest sending in folks who are unarmed into a terrorist haven?

I don't think that the Middle East has a breaking point as such . Unless the map of the Middle East is redrawn there will be no solution to the tribal/ethnic warfare that has been raging for thousands of years. Such events are very difficult to stop with military force and containment is a wise option.

If the nut jobs venture out of the containment area nukes should be dropped.

see that's the problem, you westerners think that you know everything, and think that eveyrbody over there wants to go live in a tent somewere and make his own tribe, then you come up with those fancy dumb solutions like redrawing the map on tribal lines, what freaking tribal lines are you taliking about. all we freakin need is to beat down Hamas, Hezbollah, and all thos emilitias, get a sane government in israel, like Rabin's back in the ninetees, that would actually want to negotiate and reacha solution, and then we can easily have a two state solution, it's been freakin 60 years, about time we put an end to all this.... btw i'm from jordan, don't go talking about setting the ME map on tribal lines while your sitting next to a computer in an apartment in NY(figuratively speaking here)... anyway once again what freaking tribal lines are you talking about???!!!!!

Something along these lines Lines

The tribal and ethnic groups that made up the ME for the lack of a better description before political boundaries were drawn up after two world wars. No political solution can deal with any form of extremists. For the record I'm not an American I live in New Zealand.