I read a really interesting suggestion on a settler's blog a while back. Apparently there was a survey done saying that a large portion of the Palestinian population was interested in leaving the area if they could. We should give them financial aid/incentives to leave. I wish I could remember which blog it was. They ran the numbers and worked out a way to offer each Palestinian family enough money to leave and live for a year or two in a first world country, or 5+ years in a third world country. It sounded like this would be less expensive for Israel than the current military actions.
I mean.. if I lived in constant fear (of local armed gangs, a corrupt government, AND a hostile country next door) and someone offered me more than 10 times my yearly salary to pick up and leave.. I would SERIOUSLY consider it.
I agree this might work, to a degree, and would certainly be cheaper than war in money, lives, and diplomatic repercussions. There's plenty of historical precedent in Jews buying Arab-owned land to form the nascent state of Israel under the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate. We could end up with a patchwork of die-hard Palestinian patriots and vacant lots (too dangerous for settlers). And at least those who wanted to flee could do so without being financially ruined.
I do have slight ethical qualms about a strategy that relies on the Palestinians being fearful and miserable to encourage them to leave; but again, it's better than war.
I'd have ethical qualms if Israel were making a peaceful ethnic group miserable in order to encourage them to leave, but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about a way out for people caught in the cross fire of a war.
I have ethical qualms because I think that Jews should not be involved in causing a diaspora of anyone. We, more than most, should know that it's a bad thing.
Well part of the problem with Pallastine is that they are a perminant underclass. Why should they want the contined existance of a nation that does not benifit them?
People tend to fight for the existance of avantagious institutions, so the question is: In what way does Hamas offer benifits that Isreal does not?
Sure part of that might be cultural/religous, but a large part of what Hamas offered was economic stability. And Isreal left that hole open.
I personally think that if Isreal offered good economic oppertunity to young palastians the whole thing would die out in a generation.
That might seem like a long time in a county that has barely been in existance for two generations, but on the scale of cultural conflicts that would be lighting fast.
They were offered economic opportunities, but the suicide bombers made it pretty difficult to keep the crossings open. When Gaza was turned over, they were left in control of a huge cut flower and fruit/veggie industry. Many of the greenhouses were immediately destroyed. The ports had to be closed down because Hamas was more interested in shipping arms than flowers. I don't see Hamas offering economic stability-- I thought it was more a reaction to Fatah corruption. Do you have some facts I don't?
I am just going off of the interview I heard on the BBC World, but it seems like the wish was for stable goverment and opportunity.
As for keeping the crossings open, it seems like that is EXACTLY what you should do to stop sucide bombings. The only way to can have targeted terroist attacks is if the targets are spatially segrigrated from your friends. A sucide bomber would have a harder time blowing up a sidewalk cafe if there were muslem waiters or customers, it would be hard to target a school if there were muslem teachers. I think segrigration is what makes terror attacks, at least on a large scale, possible becasue you don't have to be specific about targets.
If your enemies are too numerous to police and imprison, too filled with hatred to pacify, and too diffuse to ethically and selectively annihilate with WMDs, how do you stop them?
Pacify them. I don't believe that it's impossible. It might be very difficult, and it might mean that you can't have everything you want, but it's not impossible.
Possibly so. If Israel gave up Gaza, the whole West Bank, evacuated Jerusalem, and gave Palestinian families back their land and property that was overrun in the course of various wars, that might be enough to get most Palestinians to put down their bombs and rocks. Note that it wouldn't appease the Al-Qaeda types who want Sharia rule over the whole Middle East (if not the world). But it might reduce the problem to occasional terrorists rather than mass uprisings.
I don't think so... I think it would make them want it all and be more aggressive about it because of the momentum. You've pretty much given away Israel. Plus, then you have the Jewish backlash to deal with too. Jews aren't going to just give up Jerusalem. I don't think that's practical.
They've asked for Gaza, the west bank, and Jerusalem. And the "right of return" which will give them all of Israel. They've been offered EVERYTHING they asked for except for the "right of return" and Jerusalem. They (at least their leaders) are not interested in compromise or appeasement. They're interested in pushing the Jews into the sea. Period.
I know.. that's basically what you wrote. This whole subject just makes me see red. My *sister* was even brainwashed over this issue. They're the poor, put-upon underdogs. My freaking foot. The MAJORITY of the people living in the area have immigrated within the last 80 years-- both Jew and arab. The Palestinians don't have ANY more claim to the land than the Jews. I hung out with a 7th generation Israeli my last visit. How many Hamas members have been on that land for seven generations?
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I mean.. if I lived in constant fear (of local armed gangs, a corrupt government, AND a hostile country next door) and someone offered me more than 10 times my yearly salary to pick up and leave.. I would SERIOUSLY consider it.
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I do have slight ethical qualms about a strategy that relies on the Palestinians being fearful and miserable to encourage them to leave; but again, it's better than war.
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--josh
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People tend to fight for the existance of avantagious institutions, so the question is: In what way does Hamas offer benifits that Isreal does not?
Sure part of that might be cultural/religous, but a large part of what Hamas offered was economic stability. And Isreal left that hole open.
I personally think that if Isreal offered good economic oppertunity to young palastians the whole thing would die out in a generation.
That might seem like a long time in a county that has barely been in existance for two generations, but on the scale of cultural conflicts that would be lighting fast.
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As for keeping the crossings open, it seems like that is EXACTLY what you should do to stop sucide bombings. The only way to can have targeted terroist attacks is if the targets are spatially segrigrated from your friends. A sucide bomber would have a harder time blowing up a sidewalk cafe if there were muslem waiters or customers, it would be hard to target a school if there were muslem teachers. I think segrigration is what makes terror attacks, at least on a large scale, possible becasue you don't have to be specific about targets.
Reply
Pacify them. I don't believe that it's impossible. It might be very difficult, and it might mean that you can't have everything you want, but it's not impossible.
--josh
Reply
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I know.. that's basically what you wrote. This whole subject just makes me see red. My *sister* was even brainwashed over this issue. They're the poor, put-upon underdogs. My freaking foot. The MAJORITY of the people living in the area have immigrated within the last 80 years-- both Jew and arab. The Palestinians don't have ANY more claim to the land than the Jews. I hung out with a 7th generation Israeli my last visit. How many Hamas members have been on that land for seven generations?
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