As the title says, what does everyone think would have happened had Israel annexed its major settlement blocs in response to the PA's UN gamble?
Something to the tune of a Third Intifada by my guess.
Bad things for everybody involved, including ruining for the Israelis any options of even hoping Palestinians might agree to some kind of peace treaty, while for the Palestinians this is a perfect recruiting opportunity for Hamas. After this any prospect for Israel of *considering* further settlements will make the Palestinian territories explode like a grenade, while to Palestinians it only confirms that success for Israel means their ultimate removal from the full territory of the old Mandate of Palestine, while doing absolutely nothing to redress the military imbalance strongly favoring Israel.
Did you read what I said before? Israeli actions by themselves cannot make the territories explode. Its the leaders who can choose to exploit certain actions and decisions, using it to channel Palestinian anger towards Israel.
That seems somewhat delusional. I'm not at all sure how you can credibly justify that position.
Bad things for everybody involved, including ruining for the Israelis any options of even hoping Palestinians might agree to some kind of peace treaty, while for the Palestinians this is a perfect recruiting opportunity for Hamas.
I like how the blame again turned and would turn to the usual suspects again - Arafat, Palestinians in general... Not the Israelis.
hard to say, basically nothing in a big picture sense, the US has some mean things to say, Europe has meaner things to say UN meanest of all, but no body is willing to take real action, Turkey might do something like have big naval war games or something, Hamas in Gaza has a fit and shoots off a lot of rockets, they (as always) fail to hit anything, might see protests and riots in the West Bank and on Israeli borders, likely Israeli Embassies in Jordan and Egypt get attacked and maybe burned down, both say they're going to break relations, than don't do it, likely a month or two of a lot of light a little heat and no real change.
Well, there hasn't been one yet. The Arab Spring is stalling into Arab Winter, much of the fervor and optimism is gone as people return to their daily lives, and the Palestinians still haven't risen. If they would have taken part, they would have rose up by now.
Yeah, I noticed that.
The problem is that no matter how much wishful thinking is at work the Palestinians simply are not going to disappear.
Cynical possibilities;
Occident-US would turn to them is they ALL converted to Christianism. Like Baptism.
Pretty much my prediction, maybe sprinkle in a few high-profile terrorist attacks, but pretty much all of the major players have already taken every measure they're willing to again Israel unless it does something completely beyond the pale (as in "lets annex Jordan" or "Lets nuke the Aswan")