ISRATEEN?

What Is Isratin?


OK class be seated. The lecture begins!

How many in this class have heard of Qadafi? How about the "Green Book"? ( Waiting while tapping finger tips on desk) OK, enough! Qadafi is the leader of the country of Libya; he came to power in a coup and has been the leader ever since. The "Green Book" was written by Qadafi and is about the proper way to govern the country. There are some valid points in his book and I recommend it to all for an insight into an alternate form of governing the people.


Hopefully, my classes have given a unique perspective to the ME region and the problems faced by the people of the region. In the past there has been a wealth of proposals to find a solution to the Palestine-Israel debate. Plans such as the Arab proposal of 2002, Oslo Acord and the US attempt with the "Roadmap", just to mention a few. All have been a failure or outright dismissed by either party to the conflict. While all sides debate, confront and just plain talk, many have died on both sides of the conflict.

There ws a plan that not many took very seriously. I was offered by Qadafi and/or his son. It was put forth in a document called the "White Book". Basically, it is a plan for a single country, to be called something like Israteen, Isratin. He said that there was no way a 2 state solution would work to bring peace. Why?

1) The land area is too narrow to accommodate two states living side by side.

2) Two states would come into conflict, because the land of each, they believe, forms part of the land of the other, and each statelet would feel threatened by the other party.

3) Neither could absorb Jewish immigrants and Palestinian refugees.

4) Each party has settlements on the land of the other. At least one million Palestinians live in the so-called State of Israel and about half a million Israelis, at least, currently live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Other sects include the Druze, Catholics, Christians and Muslims. The area provides a model for integration and co-existence.

5) The workers in Israeli factories are Palestinians.

6) Mutual reliance, if not integration, in respect of goods and services.


Here are the reasons it would work.


1) Return of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons to their homes.

2) A single state. Lebanon serves as a good example.

3) Free elections under UN supervision on the first and second occasions.

4) Removal of Weapons of Mass Destruction from the new state and, if any, from the Middle East.

5) Conflict in the Middle East would then end. The new state would be like Lebanon. It would receive recognition and could even accede to the Arab League.


OK , Isratin could bring about peace in the region. Would it last? IMO, it would not, no matter how willing the players are to achieve peace. Why, do I say that? WATER!

With the expansion of population the pull on the resource would become greater and greater, until it was a major problem and when it becomes that the conflict would reignite and with the rebirth of conflict, a civil war would be in the making. Which in turn would see increased deaths, famine, violence and , once again refugees. The cycle would start all over.


CHUQ

25/04/07