While I have been sitting in a San Franciso hospital, recovering from a stroke, I've been spending many hours reading Kos diaries at 28k and watching CNN (no MSNBC or Comedy Central here) I've had enough time to develop some positive ideas (anti-depressants will do that!) on the mess in Palesztine.
I want to share with you a radical proposal to reform Hezbollah and Hamas so that they can lead their people to civilized safety and put an end to Israeli ethnic cleansing while securing an Israeli state and bringing peace to the region. I don't think this is a utopian goal.
read on ...
We must recognize some realities. Hezbollah and Hamas are the legitimate representatives of many people, providing critical social services and infrastructure. Among their followers are many commited to the destruction of Israel and willing to use guerilla tactics and even terrorism to regain territory stolen from them by a zionist (racist) state where the displaced families are treated like second-class citizens.
We need to find a way to let the present inhabitants of that land live in peace and safety, while compensating the victms of the displacement.
Terrorists can be reformed if the reasonable part of the agenda can be achieved. There will always be some radicals but they can be marginalized. Remember that our own revolution involved acts of terrorism, and we settled down, as did the French several times after descending into barbarism. Revolutions usually involve guerilla warfare and some terrorism.
The overwhelming majority of Hezbollah and Hamas supporters just want to live in peace and security. This can be achieved if Israel recognizes that it is stolen land and pays appropriate reparations. With billions of dollars of aid Palestine and Lebanon can develop vibrant economies and satisfy their people. Israel should pay for the stolen land it occupies.
There will always be some radical element, but without the support of the people they can't do much harm. We can't impose our notion of "democracy" and America can no longer lead by example as very little is left of the dream of our founders. But we can give Palestine a chance to evolve and develop some democratic institutions within a basically Islamic culture.
Economic prosperity without a huge gap between rich and poor leads to stability. If Israel would agree to pay just reparations a secure Middle East can be achieved in our lifetime.