The Israeli Solution

Here we go again. Another Israeli Arab war. How many is this? More than enough. The United States has armed Israel, Saudi Arabia, fought Iraq, Afghanistan, paid huge sums to Israel ($2.4 billion per year) and Egypt ($1.7 billion per year), negotiated, pleaded and all for nothing. Here we are 60 years later and the Middle East is still at war. Israel may well have to take over Gaza once again like it did from Egypt in 1967.

In the past before the 1987 intifada the cost of administering Gaza was surprisingly low. In 1994 the Palestine Authority was created to administer the area and in 2005 Israel pulled out. Since then Iran and Hamas have taken control and the situation is as costly as ever. Hopefully with this latest incursion Hama will be eliminated as a military threat and the dull costly process of administering to the needs of the residents will resume.

So how is peace achieved?

First go back to 1948. Where there residences of the area that were forced to leave their homes and businesses without just compensation? If yes then pay them or the surviving family members’ just compensation plus 60 year interest. Fair is fair.

Second build an underground tunnel between Gaza and the West Bank. This would be an easy engineering feat and would allow Israel full use of its land.

Third does Israel want to maintain control of Jerusalem? Parts of Gaza and the West Bank? Fine pay for it. Negotiate with Egypt and Jordan for the purchase of land to compensate the residences of Gaza and the West Bank for any lost land. With all that Middle East and United States money in the till I am sure some arrangement could be made. I would suspect Egypt might be very pleased to part with some acreage for a few billion and the end of this headache.

Treating this as a business transaction, eliminating religion and politics is how this problem should have been handled in 1948. You want someone’s house and land? Fine, pay them for it.