Cool thread OP, I've been having this discussion with friends for a few days now, mock brain storming for a solution as should have take, and should
be, taking place in the UN.
I strongly believe that there were a handful of options available to Israel and the international community that didn't involve a full-scale armed
assault on Gaza, and I'm sure strategists and diplomats all over could come up with a lot more creative options.
In any case, I'm not sure if you mean to discuss the
entire Israeli/Palestinian problem, or just Gaza, I would rather address Gaza to begin
with, as West Bank Palestine under the PA is pretty much sorted. The PA is ready for a diplomatic solution, and has pretty much settled for one.
Here is my solution to the
Gaza problem:
Gaza is a little bit messed up, we all know this, it is a Palestinian satellite province detached from the rest of the country and run by an elected
terrorist organisation, unfortunately. This organisation will [ii]never recognise Israel as a legitimate nation, thus Israel will never recognise
Gaza as being run by a legitimate government.
This strip of Palestinian land can never be reattached to its 'motherland' for obvious reason, so either one must bite the bullet and accept the
Gaza strip as a permanent satellite state and deal with the numerous difficulties that this would entail. Alternately one must bite another hard
bullet and accept that the Gaza strips' existence cannot be a permanent feature in the area.
Israel clearly would embrace this second bullet; they do not want the strip there, and in my opinion are taking measures to drive out the Gazaens.
Remember the air-dropped pamphlets telling civilians to leave? The problem is that Israel does not want them to leave into Israeli teritory and settle
there, they would rather have less than more Arabs living in their land. So they are hoping they will all run to Egypt, but again, the Egyptians
don't want them either. They are cornered, and no one wants to deal with them.
Originally posted by deltaboy
Let them kill each other until they can't handle it anymore. Gaza will be No Mans Land.
This is one solution to the problem, and is perhaps what Israel is hoping to achieve; for what could they possibly be hoping to do once this offensive
is finished? Install a puppet Israeli government? Allow re-elections only to discover that the people have now been filled with so much hatred and
violence that they elect Hamas II?
No ways, instead of the military ultimatum Israel has given and seen expire, they should have given a diplomatic ultimatum: That all Gazaens will be
permanently removed and relocated into PA Palestine. Because if they want to remove the Arabs from the region, you might as well not do so with
weapons.
Israel could have called upon the UN and the US to help finance a mass migration of the peoples to the rest of Palestine, providing transport of all
possessions, they could have commited to building adequate housing for every single migrant, they could have built schools, everything they would need
to start a descent life in a new home.
The people of Gaza could have been warned of this eventuality long in advance to give them time to prepare, UN peacekeeping forces could be sent in to
monitor the situation and provide a peaceful transition. All this could have been achieved for probably less money than it's costing to America to
sponsor Israel every year and Israel is spending on military tools in this incursion.
It would not be easy to convince people of this move, especially the people living in Gaza, but I think the bullet that we're going to have to bite
eventually is that Gaza cannot have a long and peaceful future at its current location.