69 million page views

More ideas

Reader comment on item: End the False Israeli-Palestinian Parity

Submitted by PezDispenser (Israel), Jul 11, 2017 at 13:35

Dr. Pipes, we are arguably halfway to your ideal outcome. Recall that during the heyday of Oslo, the PA hosted EU ministers at Orient House in East Jerusalem with the acquiescence (or acceptance) of the Israeli government. Only after one of the Palestinian Oslo War massacres did the Israeli government close down the defacto Palestinian foreign ministry.

To add to your idea, how about explaining to countries seeking Israeli tech that any visit to Israel will require them to copy the Indian model of an Israel-only visit? They can waste time and effort rolling out the red carpet to Abbas in their respective capitals or visit him via the Allenby Bridge after a stopover in Amman, but the road from Jerusalem to Ramallah is closed until further notice.

Finally, I watched your conference at the Begin Center. Congratulations on the initiative! Every speaker had their own twist on the idea. I would like to add one strategic idea: Jabotinsky's Iron Wall, but with some levers added in to wrap up the conflict sooner rather than later. No one wants to wait out the Palestinians for another century unless it is absolutely necessary.

For example, lets consider a disincentive model for prolonging the conflict. As long as the Palestinians know that they can always get almost 100% of the West Bank via negotiations, why not continue fighting for another 50-100 years? I think that for every five years that the Palestinians fail to give up, there should be a ratcheting up of US/international and Israeli sanctions, pressures, consequences, etc.

There could also be a positive lever: A Future Peace Trust Fund (FPTF) set up today for post-peace agreement Palestinian families who are not involved in the conflict (rather than going to the PA government). This would be managed by the US and funded by Europeans and/or existing UNRWA funds. All Palestinians will be informed via television, Al Jazeera, radio, and pamphlets dropped from the air that the FPTF and accumulated interest will be there for their families and decendents to improve their lives if and only if they give up and pressure their leaders to make peace with Israel sooner rather than later. Also, any family that is involved in terror will be crossed out of the FPTF recipient list. This may serve as an additional deterrent. If the Palestinians do not end up making peace with Israel, the FPTF will be forfeited to Israel or returned to EU contributors by a preset deadline.

I know you don't think that materialism is key to moderation, but my idea shifts the current model of dumping all the money into an unaccountable PA into affecting the current and future incentives of the average person (according to some polls, 25% of West Bankers and 50% of Gazans wish to immigrate) and dismantles complaints of economic suffering under occupation, since the money will be there for them with some type of sovereignty if they only want it enough.

Feedback would be appreciated.

Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Daniel Pipes replies:

I sure like your idea of Israel-only visits.

I also agree that building Israeli residences on the West Bank serves as a useful incentive for Palestinians to come to terms.

I am cooler on the FPTF but could live with it.

Submit a comment on this item

Reader comments (15) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Paradigm shift in Congress has started [134 words]PezDispenserAug 27, 2017 01:52240607
The Origins of False Parity [454 words]Sigmund DermanJul 11, 2017 14:36239937
More ideas [497 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
PezDispenserJul 11, 2017 13:35239936
1enough, already [113 words]richard hirschhornJul 9, 2017 11:18239914
2Democracy in the Islamic world [212 words]PrashantJul 12, 2017 22:17239914
Dealing with a rogue interprise [86 words]KesselmanJul 5, 2017 15:51239874
Dilemma [101 words]VijayJul 5, 2017 15:02239873
Israel's Leaders Should Admit Their Fears [290 words]DaveJul 5, 2017 14:49239872
3The original terrorist [302 words]PrashantJul 5, 2017 13:51239870
The original terrorist [141 words]PrashantJul 5, 2017 13:29239866
American Jewish criticism of Middle East Decision Making - Oslo compared to Iraq [118 words]Saul SteinJul 5, 2017 13:20239865
There Will be NO PEACE without Israel's Prince of Peace on the Throne [104 words]M ToveyJul 10, 2017 12:32239865
Well said, thank you! [20 words]Rachel NeuwirthJul 5, 2017 12:39239861
1At Oslo, when Israel legitimized its genocidal enemies, Israel delegitimized itself [832 words]G MarcusJul 5, 2017 11:51239859
1PLO [21 words]Muhammad ArdeshirJul 5, 2017 10:05239856

Follow Daniel Pipes

Facebook   Twitter   RSS   Join Mailing List

All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes

Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes

(The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998.

For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.)