Solving the Palestinian Problem

Israel has been in a very painful, costly, conflict with the Palestinians for over 75years, as both are trying to cause each other’s demise and, in the process, committing a joint suicide. Who should solve the problem?

‍It should be the one who can solve the problem.

The Arab countries can, but do not want to. They have their own problems. Egypt transferred the Gaza Strip with its Palestinians in it to the Israelis. The king of Jordan did the same thing with the occupied territory. The ChristianLebanese ​killed thousands of them. Saudia is willing to finance a solution but only if the Palestinian problem is solved.

The Palestinians themselves cannot solve the problem. Hamas, ruling them ​ ​is trying to imitate Salah A​ Din, who defeated the Crusaders and kicked them out of the ​Sacred ​Land. Israel helped them get billions of dollars from Qatar to build Gaza. They used it instead to build 350 kilometers of underground tunnels from which they could attack Israel. The Palestinian ​Authority being accused of being heavily corrupt can be ineffective. United Nations cannot. It has no enforcement teeth. America or the EU cannot without Israeli cooperation.

So, who can, and thus should, lead in finding and implementing a solution? Who?

Only we!!! Israel. And for that, we need to change our mindset.

So far ​the Israeli government's mindset is to move Palestinians to Arab countries or somewhere else which is an unrealistic expectation​ or to kill Palestinian ​terrorists. Itproduces just the opposite result. For everyHamas terrorist killed, their children become terrorists. No one in the history of mankind succeeded in defeating the people. Russians left Afghanistan with their tail between their legs, and so did the Americans and also Vietnam.

So, a change of mindset is IMPERATIVE even if it feels unfair, unjust, and extremely hard to realize. Is there no better alternative?

Changing the mindset requiresstopping making decisions based on who is right and who is wrong. This is the endless discussion that ​in a marriage usually ​leadsto ​a very dysfunctional divorce. Whatone has to do is ask oneself instead WHAT MIGHT WORK.

In my judgment, Israel should make a donation estimated to equal the value of all assets the Palestinians lost in the wars and make that money available as a 50% investment​ in rebuilding the Gaza economy. The other 50% is Israeli investment. That will create a Palestinian-Israeli partnership to build the Palestinian economy. The partner is not the Palestinian government. It is the individual Palestinians who lost their home and land. Let us gain the Palestinian people and provide a future for their families.

Let’s start with Gaza and proceed later with the other territories. Build​ the Gaza port and airport. Build with them anincredible flourishing, tourist, destination. ​They havegorgeous beaches.

Israel with Arab Israelis and Jews who are fluent in Arabic and thus know their culture well and can relate faster and better, should work with open-minded Palestinians in building their government structure without corruption so they can start self-government. I don’t think they can do it by themselves.

All this has to be done while fighting Hamas in parallel keeping them in their tunnels. A complicated maneuver but when you do not have the choice you must at least try.

This Marshal plan will achieve several things. Number one, it should stop the increasing hatred that the world has towards Israel. It will see us in a positive light. Second,the expectations of the Palestinians for the right of return ​willevaporate; they have something:​ partnershipin economic endeavors. Third benefit:only the Palestinians can defeat​ Hamas. If we build their economy, we are partners and we build the government, the Palestinian people will defeat Hamas because we offer a better alternative, as it happened with Israeli Palestinians.

‍I am suggesting two states but not a divorce. A light, well-monitored marriage with rules, instead.