Right now, peace in the Middle East is looming large as an issue, and politicians are wasting no time getting to work on the PR campaign to push this issue of the utmost importance to the forefront. Senators like John Kerry, many others are suggesting now is that now is the time, which it is, and others are ringing the alarm, saying the time is "dwindling" to undertake such a task.
Let me say it now to combat myths about my positions and me on this board: I am for a two state solution, so that the two separate peoples, cultures, and values, Israel, and the Palestinian Arabs can maintain their own societies. And am so for pragmatic, and peaceable reasons, not ideology, as if I were to go by my hardcore ideology, it wouldn't be workable.
Now let me tell you what I believe must be done in order to achieve this. I will list certain issues which outline my vision, and what I feel is closest to the best vision of peace in the Levant. I will list reasons for my outlook.
- No "right of return" for Palestinian refugees to Israel.
There are millions of people defined as "refugees" from Mandate Palestine after the establishment of Israel. Not only that, but the definition of "refugee" is someone whose place of residence was in Palestine for anytime between two dates before the Arab-declared war broke out.
Under UNRWA's operational definition, Palestine refugees are persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict
This is frankly ridiculous. A person could have easily moved from Egypt or Jordan to Palestine a few years or days before the war, and now they are "refugees." Unlike the regular definition of refugee,
owing to well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it
The problem with this approach is that Palestinians can be "refugees" even if it cannot be proven there was a "well founded fear or being persecuted," meaning an Arab who lived in Palestine between those dates and then left Palestine can be a "refugee." Also, one can argue about how the Palestinian refugees were a problem caused by Arab leaders telling Arabs to leave their homes and return when the Jews lost. I'll quote Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas:
(The Arab armies]) forced them to emigrate and to leave their homeland and threw them into prisons similar to the ghettos in which the Jews used to live.
I'll also quote former PM of Syria, Khalis al-Azm
Since 1948 it is we who demanded the return of the refugees...while it is we who made them leave...We brought disaster upon...Arab refugees, by inviting them and bringing pressure to bear upon them to leave...We have rendered them disposessed....We have accustomed them to begging...We have participated in lowering their moral and social level....Then we exploited them in executing crimes of murder, arson, and throwing bombs upon...men, women, and children-all this in the service of political purposes.
And they are right. As Benny Morris noted:
In some areas Arab commanders ordered the villagers to evacuate to clear the ground for military purposes or to prevent surrender. More than half a dozen villages-just north of Jerusalem and in the Lower Galilee-were abandoned during these months as a result of such orders. Elsewhere, in East Jerusalem and in many villages around the country, the (Arab) commanders ordered women, old people, and children to be sent away to be out of harm's way. Indeed, psychological preparation for the removal of dependents from the battlefield had begun in 1946-47, when the AHC and the Arab League had periodically endorsed such a move when contemplating the future war in Palestine.
Now you've heard it from leading voices. it simply would not be fair to let millions of people in, who in reality, cannot be proven to have forced out by Israel BY ISRAELIS, and many of whom have little roots there, tho many had long roots in the area. If not for that time clause, and if Palestinian refugees were under normal refugee protocol, the number would likely have dropped precipitously. The problem with letting these refugees back is that now that there are 4 million of them, it would undermine the reason for making a Palestinian state in the first place. Also, the only reason I could see wanted a right of return would be to demographically destroy Israel, as nothing from the old times are left, not even most of the houses people have "keys" to, and family are gone. Second, where are the Jews asking for their right of return to countries that made them leave after the founding of Israel? For actual reasons of persecution. And third, allowing 4 million people back would create a massive tension between the Arab and Jewish population, and given the Arab high rate of birth, the Jewish character of the state, which was the main reason the state was created, would be finished, and Jews would become a minority, and given the Palestinians tendency to extremism, i.e voting in Hamas, and resorting to jihad, Islamist parties, who abhor western values like freedom(ie Hamas) could easily gain in power, implement Sharia law, and turn the Jews into dhimmis along with Christians, and give us another totalitarian Islamic state like their Arab neighbors, which frankly, we do not need more of. We do not need a completion of a new caliphate.
I do support monetary compensation for refugees and their families, from Israel, and the countries that could have given them refuge and that didn't, ie Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, etc.
- Jerusalem be divided between Israel on the West, and the Palestinians on the East
Personally, I would rather Jerusalem be all Israel, as far more Jews live there than Palestinians. But I know this would not work in negotiations because of a number of Islamic holy sights. Therefore, West Jerusalem would be Israeli, East Jerusalem would be Palestinian. However, security would be maintained by an international force for security. Sadly, given the history of terror attacks Palestinians have undertaken in Jerusalem, they should not be fully trusted until they have proven that they will live peaceably with the Jewish State next to it.
- Israel may tweek the borders of the West Bank for security and residential purposes
As you know, the border of the West Bank is not very far from Tel-Aviv, and it wouldn't be hard for left over jihadists to shoot qassam rockets into the second most populated city in Israel. Therefore, I say Israel should move the border of the West Bank near Tel-Aviv back about 10-25 miles, so as to deter jihadists who think it would be easy to hit Israel. No doubt some of them are going to try, but the harder it is made, the more likely security is to stand up in the region. Also, there are some Israeli settlements near the border, and it would be unfair to have to make more Israelis homeless and take them away from their homes. Also, the fact is Israel won the West Bank from Jordan, not from any country called Palestine. Jordan, who now has a peace treaty with Israel, does not want the West Bank back. Therefore, Israel shall have the definitive but fair say in the final border arrangement, given all its been through via rocket attacks, suicide bombers, and general jihad.
- Israel will not recognize Palestine unless Israel's right to exist is iron-clad. As should major political parties in Palestine
Guys, this is pretty obvious.
- A non-militarized Palestine
Given the Palestinian's history of jihad, using human shields, suicide bombers, rocket launchers, and the history of aggression against Israel by neighboring countries who enlisted Palestinian Arabs in former quests to destroy Israel, Israel, already giving away land it won in wars of defense, deserves a sense of security. It has not had one, as extremist groups have constantly attacked her simply for existing. As an example, I will use Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza a few years ago, and even left some greenhouses for Palestinian use, and they tore them down, and gave the world more extremism. Also, given the Palestinian history of destabilizing other countries, like Jordan during Black September 1970, or Lebanon in the 1980's. I don't feel other countries should be subjected to possible jihad. Even a bi-partisan report agrees that Palestine should not be militarized for the sake of Israel's security.
- Economic assistance not only from Israel, but from the neighboring countries
Given that neighboring countries could have given Palestinian refugees a home, and didn't, unlike other refugee situations in the world, Israel should not be the only one to foot the bill. Jordan, whose population is mostly Palestinian, who could have easily taken many in chose not to, but can afford to help them. Egypt could have taken refugees from Gaza or given people who want a chance to escape the violence a chance to start anew in Egypt. But they didn't.
Also, I believe before a Palestinian state goes into effect, Jordan should have a protectorate over its former territory which it doesn't even want back, so it can use its infrastructure to assist in the building of the economy, and purge extremist elements, like Hamas, which is illegal in Jordan. Egypt should do the same with Gaza. Should Palestine continue to flounder, the protectorate should continue. But overall, my idea is pretty fair, and I hope politicians pursue a path similar to what I think should be done. Moreover, Iran's influence must be destroyed, I feel, before anyone should talk of implementing Palestine, as they are the ones funding Hamas. Hamas will stand in the way of peace, until it is eliminated, and it has already said that it will not sign a permanent peace treaty with Israel or recognize it. Also, eliminating the Ahmadinejad threat will demoralize extremists, who hope Ahmadinejad will do their work for them and "wipe Israel off the face of the map." A Palestinian state can work. But it must be stable, and extremist free, and hopefully democratic, which I will not count on.