Insightful Analysis
Reader comment on item: [UNRWA:] The Refugee Curse

Submitted by Bryan Taplits (United States), Apr 5, 2006 at 12:16

Thanks for the insightful article. However, the 2nd and 3rd recommendation seem to conflict. Specifically:

• Israel should be urged to convince the Palestinian Arabs that they have lost, to influence their psychology.

• An aggressive step like "transferring" Palestinian Arabs out of the West Bank would be counterproductive for Israel, prompting greater outrage, increasing the number of enemies, and perpetuating the conflict.

Is your point that the 2nd suggestion, above, should be disemminated to all Muslims and Arabs in Middle Eastern countries. And the 3rd suggestion, above, relates to all Muslim and Arab populations in Middle East countries-and not to just the Palestinean Arabs.

If your response is that I've misunderstood, then I suppose (in order for the 2nd and 3rd steps to march in lockstep) you believe that the Israel-Palestinean contretemp can be ameliorated using your suggested pyschological weapon rather than winning (and exterminating) on the battlefield.

Is that so?

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Daniel Pipes replies:

"Transfer" would so infuriate Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and many others that it would have the opposite effect of the intended.