Headstrong they might be, but if America threatens to take away the Billions in aid eventually it will have an effect. Israel does need that money, and who else will they get it from. No American President wants to go down that path because there is a strong Jewish lobby that will scream bloody murder, especially in an election year. Egypt does not get more aid than Israel, here are some links I found with a quick google search.
http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm
http://www.ccmep.org/hotnews2/usforeignaid041402.html
There are militant Israeli's that have and will sabotage any peace efforts. So once again there is plenty of guilt and blame on both sides. As you said SC you are emotionally invested in this so maybe it is hard to look at this objectively. A good start might be to read Righteous Victims by Benny Morris. He is a Professor of History at Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel and this book is considered by historians as an objective and accurate accounting.
Arafat is a pig.
Adam:
You say that the Palestinians were given 40% in 1998 and not happy. Well it was all their land not to long ago and they have been systematically displaced. And it would not be easier for the surrounding Arab countries to absorb the Palestinians.
Chomsky is third on my list and was read with a grain of salt. When I study something I try to get all sides. I am not afraid to do so. I find it a good way to get to the heart of an issue. I noticed no one mentioned anything about Benny Morris.
I have no emotional ties to this issue, but I do see it as central to US security and strategy, and thus important to be knowledgeable on.
Outside of the US the Media is more sympathetic to the Palestinians. In the US I do not find that to be the case.
Adam your whole tone shows that you hold the entire Palestinian population in low esteem. Is that being fair? They are an oppressed people. They have been given the shaft numerous times, used as a political pawn by the bigger players around them, with the end result being that they lose and suffer.
There is truth in what Doc has said, but that is another long post.
There is strong pressure within Israel to wrest control of greater Zion as defined in biblical terms. That is why the settlers go into the West Bank. Manifest Destiny.