How To Achieve A Little Peace In The Middle East
We have yet another ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. The war that began in 1948 and never really ended has another lull. The question is how to get to a sustainable peace.
Let’s begin by noting the so-called two state solution is a dead end, waste of time that should be abandoned as a foolish goal. Many Western pundits and politicians continue to push it, as they have done for years without any results. That’s because Hamas, the political group that controls Gaza, unequivocally rejects it. Hamas’ goal now is, as it always has been, the complete abolition of the State of Israel. It’s a stupid, unrealizable fantasy, but it makes the two state solution impossible.
(I’ll agree here that Israel is also not a fan of the two state solution, but for them it’s more a matter of indifference. My guess is that they would accept it if Palestinian politicians decided to abandon their goal of abolishing Israel and committed to living peacefully with their neighbor.)
So how do you get to a sustainable peace when Hamas does not want it except on their unrealistic terms? The question almost answers itself. Get rid of Hamas.
How do you do that? It’s not as simple as rounding up the leaders and jailing them indefinitely. Gaza still has to be governed and who would or could do that? Abbas, the holdover, aged and corrupt leader of the inept Palestinian Authority is a not viable alternative. Who then?
Take a look at the map of the area immediately after the 1967 war. As a result of the war Egypt lost control of Sinai and Gaza. Jordan lost control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. And Syria lost control of the Golan Heights.
As part of a 1979 peace treaty with Egypt Israel returned Sinai to Egypt. Israel dismantled eighteen settlements, two air force bases, a naval base, and other installations by 1982, including most oil resources under Israeli control.
As for Gaza, in 2005 Israel dismantled 21 settlements and evacuated its settlers. Hamas has ruled Gaza since its election in 2006. But there have been no elections since then, so Hamas’ legitimacy is questionable at best, especially given that the Organization of American States, an international coalition of 35 countries in North and South America, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization.
So how to get rid of Hamas? Like Sinai Israel should return Gaza to Egypt, the country that controlled it before 1967. Egyptian sovereignty over the area will render Hamas superfluous and its leaders and anyone else would make trouble there at their peril. Israel and Egypt are at peace, so this would spread the peace to Gaza.
Would Egypt take Gaza back? I think Egypt would do so under a little pressure from the United States combined with a decent foreign aid offer. A cheap price to bring a sustainable peace to the area!
Of course, resolving what do with Gaza still leaves the West Bank and the Golan Heights unresolved.
As for the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), I suggest returning the area to Jordan, another country at peace with Israel. But what about the settlers?
Recall the settlers in Gaza were repatriated to Israel. So the same could be done with the ones in the West Bank. Those who did not wish to leave could stay as Jordanian citizens. Israel has Arab citizens. So Jordan could have Jewish ones. Jews have lived in predominately Muslim countries before and they could do it again provided they are treated fairly.
What about East Jerusalem? That is a thornier issue. But I think making it an international city probably makes the most sense, given its importance to so many different religious groups.
That leaves the Golan Heights. Returning it to Syria’s al-Assad makes no sense whatever. Maybe if Syria ever regains a semblance of stability and civility that could be revisited. But keeping the status quo would not severely threaten a sustainable peace, so there is no reason to do anything else now.
So there you have it, how to achieve a little peace in the Middle East.
