I was just sitting here watching PMS NBC and it looks pretty bad there.  Looks like the situation is going to continue to deteriorate until either Israel takes control, or you're just gonna have complete anarchy.  Have a really stupid question; why doesn't Israel just close it's borders to all Palestinians - I know this questions reflects my total ignorance of the situation there, but I'm just informed by our media here.

Many Palestinians coss the border to go to their jobs in Israel. Not all of them are terrorist, many are good, law abiding people but due to many issues this would be a continuous problem.

Its deeply rooted and goes way back in history.

Many of the countries around Israel also stir the pot. Its not simply a matter of "wanting peace" as some countries/groups what the complete distruction of Isreal.

Israel has been a lone island since it has existed.

I've heard that the Palestinians have to cross the border to work, but that still doesn't answer the question as to why they just don't close their borders.

Israel needs the Palestinians for the mass cheap labor---that's the ugly truth.

Just like California, Florida and now other states. If Cali, for example, deported all the illegals and the US closed down the US-Mexican border to legal and illegal "immigrants"---for REAL, the Cali economy would virtually collapse.
That is an economic certainty. If you doubt this, you haven't seen much of California.

On Israel and Palestine:
God only knows WHEN this sordid middle-east situation could ever come to a truce.

It is physically impossible for Israel to completely shut down its borders. They already have many Palestinian "refugee camps" and towns in a military chokehold, and still the militants infiltrate Israeli territory to commit their terroristic deeds.

It is the age-old wisdom:
You cannot control people who do not want to be controlled and you cannot force unlawful savage people to obey civilized laws.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
It is true that "most" Palestinian workers are peaceful and would rather carry-on making a living in Israel and not "actively" seek trouble, but it is their mass moral support for the Palestinian militant cause that enable the few militant terrorist groups to continue their destruction--which is just a way of life for them by now. The monetary and military support from sympathetic Mid-East regimes enables them materially. Actually, the 'sympathetic Mid-East regimes' are not really at all that sympathetic, per se, but it's more about political interest from their typical ego-maniacal rulers.
What causes the deep resentment among the Palestinian masses is simply an economic reality: Israel has the economic prosperity and they the Palestinians are the working beasts that feed it. They don't like their position of course. Nothing new. That is the story of mankind.

On most recent events, my guess is that Israeli shells will eventually score a direct hit on Arafat The Terrorist(wittingly or unwittingly),  
OR  Palestinian militants (Hamas, Al-Aqsa Brigades, et al) will kill him themselves for the coward he is to all sides; then the blame will conveniently be placed upon Israel in an effort to draw a military response from Syria, Jordan, Iraq and others. That is their wettest of wet dreams.

I am constantly surprised that Arafat The Terrorist hasn't been whacked by his own people yet. But I think his days are really numbered now that he isn't so good anymore at getting the teary-eyed, bleeding heart U.N./E.U. to pop up and pander once again for the Palestinian Terrorist cause before the world.

Well, there's my too long opinion...

Wow, M4C, nice post. I guess that Israel may be prospering from their labors, but they are paying a ever higher "tax" for having them.

yyyyyyep.

And that's kind of why your average Israeli has pretty much resigned himself to this fact and take the blows.

They're not ever going to make Arabs disappear from their doorsteps and backyards...nothing short of genocide will do---and even then, who knows....

Oh, on Arab-fat, what did I say say??
Just today news reports that Israeli shells hit his offices NEXT DOOR to where he was actually sitting. Closer and closer, inch by inch....--
Bad idea for Israel though, he better not be killed or they will have far too much to chew this time!

M4C is right on the money.  IMHO the only last approach to the problem is to integrate Palestinians and Israelis.  Grant Palestinians full citizenship.  Close down the refugee camps, let people vote, etc.  The US is the only society in the world where people of different religions, ethnicity and backgrounds live in relative peace.  Change the name of the country to Israelstine or Palerael and make them equals.  Short of killing every Palestinian, this problem will never go away for Israel.  They would still own the businesses, infrastructure, etc, and could control power in government for the next 50 years.  Let future generations grow into acceptance.  This takes TIME.  We still don't have have a black president and it's been 140 years since the Emancipation Proclamation.  We still haven't had a female president.  The Indian wars have been over for 110 years and the reservations still suck.  There is no quick fix or peace plan but integration is the only solution.

they will never agree on anything or make peace.

GreenLocust, it was not 1 month ago that SHaron offered Palestine STATEHOOD. They refused that, they did not stop. They don't want statehood. They want the destruction of Isreal.  The media here counts on the populace forgetting the sequence of events. Sharon offered them that and was just making sure that he was in the right. Now he is going to tear them a new asshole.

Benjamin