On 4/13/2024 at 1:55 PM, Arthur Jackson said:

this is all i remember 

Yeah, Muffy has nothing on Penelope.

3 hours ago, Arthur Jackson said:

Still leaving this big matzo* ball hanging out there?

 

 

*pun intended

Accuracy is not important to that particular poster 

27 minutes ago, Dave Moss said:

Accuracy is not important to that particular poster 

I mean, why say if you don't know yet?

2 hours ago, jsdarkstar said:

Yeah, Muffy has nothing on Penelope.

5,6,2,7,4,1,3. Back court !

Come on.

 

25 minutes ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

Come on.

 

Now you’re just teasing. 1, everyday, anytime and twice on Tuesday !

1 hour ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

Come on.

 

Saudi official says Iran engineered war in Gaza to ruin normalization with Israel

An unnamed official from the Saudi royal family tells the Kan public broadcaster that "any suspicious object” that enters Saudi Arabian airspace is intercepted, an apparent nod toward the kingdom’s alleged role in shooting down Iranian attack drones headed for Israel last night.

The Saudi official also criticized Iran for having "engineered a war in Gaza” in order to destroy the progress it was making in normalizing relations with Israel, Kan reports.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/saudi-official-says-iran-engineered-war-in-gaza-to-ruin-normalization-with-israel/

@Dave Moss So where do you stand with regards to Iran?  Do you support their overall position against Israel?  Do you condemn their attack on Israel?

3 hours ago, DrPhilly said:

@Dave Moss So where do you stand with regards to Iran?  Do you support their overall position against Israel?  Do you condemn their attack on Israel?

You mean am I surprised they retaliated after Israel bombed their consulate?   Should I be surprised that Israel invaded Gaza after October 7th?  Or that the U.S. declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor?

10 minutes ago, Dave Moss said:

You mean am I surprised they retaliated after Israel bombed their consulate?   Should I be surprised that Israel invaded Gaza after October 7th?  Or that the U.S. declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor?

I didn't ask if you were surprised.  I asked if you supported the actions of Iran in their manner of attacking Israel.  Do you?

Worth noting that in addition to Israel, US, and the UK defending against Iran's attack, Jordan and Saudi Arabia also was part of the join defense.

I wonder if Trump could pick out Jordan on a map.

42 minutes ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

Worth noting that in addition to Israel, US, and the UK defending against Iran's attack, Jordan and Saudi Arabia also was part of the join defense.

I wonder if Trump could pick out Jordan on a map.

Everyone knows it shares a border with Nambia

1 hour ago, DrPhilly said:

I didn't ask if you were surprised.  I asked if you supported the actions of Iran in their manner of attacking Israel.  Do you?

You mean supposedly trying to limit casualties?  I guess…

As long as Israel has the power of the U.S. military behind it the other Middle Eastern countries don’t stand a chance.  As you know, I don’t consider Israel an ally of the U.S. though.

1 hour ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

Worth noting that in addition to Israel, US, and the UK defending against Iran's attack, Jordan and Saudi Arabia also was part of the join defense.

I wonder if Trump could pick out Jordan on a map.

The fact that the Saudis and Jordanians were helping defend Israel was by far and away the biggest story of the weekend. 

This move by Saudi Arabia and Jordan, along with Saudi officials stating publicly that they believe Iran engineered the conflict in Gaza to try and weaken Saudi-Israeli relations, really is the first hopeful sign we've seen since 10/7. The roadmap to a possible resolution of the Gaza conflict is now in front of us.

1. The Israelis pull back from Gaza and are replaced by a regional peace keeping force lead by the Saudis, Jordanians and Egyptians.

2. The hostages, or more likely their bodies, are returned to Israel.

3. Hamas is declared an illegal organization in Gaza and the peace keeping force continues to hunt the terrorists and bring them to justice.

4. Eventually, the Arab neighbors help administer elections in Gaza in which Hamas is barred from participating. 

5. The Arab force continues to defend the border with Israel and prevent attacks.

6. The Saudis and Jordanians invest in building infrastructure in Gaza.

7. Israel agrees to no more settlements in the West Bank and talks with the 3 Arab nations about dismantling existing settlements in exchange for security guarantees.

8. Jerusalem becomes an international city under joint control.

Baby steps, but if Israel and the Sunni countries can work together due to their mutual distrust of Iran, we could actually achieve something.

10 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

The fact that the Saudis and Jordanians were helping defend Israel was by far and away the biggest story of the weekend. 

Jordan less so than Saudi Arabia. 

I believe the Saudis only supported with in-air fuelings, not sure they directly defended.

1 minute ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

Jordan less so than Saudi Arabia. 

I believe the Saudis only supported with in-air fuelings, not sure they directly defended.

They intercepted missiles and drones that breached Saudi air space.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/saudi-arabia-acknowledges-helping-defend-israel-against-iran-797201#google_vignette

Quote

"The individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening, citing that Saudi Arabian airspace automatically intercepts "any suspicious entity"", the report on the royal family’s website stated.

 

12 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

This move by Saudi Arabia and Jordan, along with Saudi officials stating publicly that they believe Iran engineered the conflict in Gaza to try and weaken Saudi-Israeli relations, really is the first hopeful sign we've seen since 10/7. The roadmap to a possible resolution of the Gaza conflict is now in front of us.

1. The Israelis pull back from Gaza and are replaced by a regional peace keeping force lead by the Saudis, Jordanians and Egyptians.

2. The hostages, or more likely their bodies, are returned to Israel.

3. Hamas is declared an illegal organization in Gaza and the peace keeping force continues to hunt the terrorists and bring them to justice.

4. Eventually, the Arab neighbors help administer elections in Gaza in which Hamas is barred from participating. 

5. The Arab force continues to defend the border with Israel and prevent attacks.

6. The Saudis and Jordanians invest in building infrastructure in Gaza.

7. Israel agrees to no more settlements in the West Bank and talks with the 3 Arab nations about dismantling existing settlements in exchange for security guarantees.

8. Jerusalem becomes an international city under joint control.

Baby steps, but if Israel and the Sunni countries can work together due to their mutual distrust of Iran, we could actually achieve something.

Have a hard time believing 1, 4, 7, and 8 would actually happen

5 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Have a hard time believing 1, 4, 7, and 8 would actually happen

It won't be easy or quick, but the solution to this problem will need the involvement of Arab nations and Israel forgoing settlements. The lack of Arab involvement in the Palestinian situation has made a resolution impossible to date. 

14 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

It won't be easy or quick, but the solution to this problem will need the involvement of Arab nations and Israel forgoing settlements. The lack of Arab involvement in the Palestinian situation has made a resolution impossible to date. 

They might help a bit but not sure they'd sign up to do any actual peacekeeping long-term. I'm basically a moron when it comes to this stuff and I very easily could be wrong, but I just don't see Israel giving much in the way of concessions anytime soon.

1 minute ago, we_gotta_believe said:

They might help a bit but not sure they'd sign up to do any actual peacekeeping long-term. I'm basically a moron when it comes to this stuff and I very easily could be wrong, but I just don't see Israel giving much in the way of concessions anytime soon.

It would take the US at the table as the negotiator. It would be a risk step on all sides. For the Arab countries, they risk would be internal revolt among the population. For Netanyahu, it would be looking like he was giving up something (settlements) despite being the victim. And all of it would require a US guarantee of Israeli sovereignty. 

It wouldn't be easy, but the window is now open.