SUGGESTIONS FOR A BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MIDEAST PEACE PLAN
OP ED | By: U.S. Resist News | December 18, 2023
Photo taken from: https://www.vox.com
This is the 4th in a series of U.S. RESIST DEMOCRACY NEWS recommendations of platform positions for use by 2024 Democratic Party candidates.
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The world needs voices of reason, compromise, and settlement to extricate us out of the quagmire of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The main combatants—Israelis and Hamas— are too invested to sort things out on their own. They need help.
Hamas’s October 7th terrorist attack may have set off this most recent round of hostilities but the resentments and suspicions between Jews and Palestinians go back millennia as these two semitic tribes have struggled to coexist in this region. To put more blame on one side than the other is a waste of time. However, at this point neither side is willing to accept a position of shared responsibility and are going to need the intervention of a third party to assert this and coordinate the way forward. With the UN being sidelined by dysfunction, and other Arab nations embroiled in their own intra-religious disputes, the US is a likely suspect to step into this leadership gap.
So what should the US do: first it needs to form a coalition of allies interested in the redevelopment of Gaza and a two-state solution. The EU and other European nations would probably be interested; as would neighboring Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.
Secondly, The Coalition needs to declare Gaza a demilitarized zone where warfare, the use of military weapons and the existence of terrorist organizations is prohibited. The Coalition can recruit, train, and manage a small interim police force to keep the peace.
Third, The Coalition should raise funds and manage an effort to redevelop Gaza. This will include the rebuilding of roads, buildings and infrastructure (including water, fuel, and electricity) and the re-establishment of essential social services such as hospitals and schools. Consideration should be given to providing small reparation grants to families who have lost loved ones as a result of the conflict. Further consideration should be given to provide all Gazans with access to a basic income for a limited period of time.
Fourth, The Coalition should supervise elections in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza together) for candidates and parties that offer proposals for leading a unified, democratic Palestine committed to a Two-State Solution. Terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, or organizations supporting hatred of Jews and Israel, would be prohibited from participating. Israel would be encouraged to support its own similar elections.
Finally, the Coalition would support the organization of a Palestinian state, consisting of the West Bank and Gaza, that would co-exist with the state of Israel. Israel would keep its present territory but the development of any new settlements would be prohibited. Jerusalem would be divided between West (Israeli) and East (Palestinian). The Coalition, perhaps in collaboration with the UN, would supervise the implementation of the 2-State Solution for an initial 10 year period. A special judicial panel would be established to adjudicate any disputes between the 2 countries.
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