March 7, 2017
“Foreign Policy: The Israeli/Palestinian Issue”
Let me first be very clear that I am a fervent defender of the right of the State of Israel to exist, peacefully with its neighbors and the rest of the world. That will never change, and those who still maintain as part of their “agenda” that Israel must be destroyed need to “find a new recruitment tool.” It perpetuates hatred and waste and death and a goal that cannot ever be attained, at least not so long as there is life on this planet. “Get over it; move on; and spend your time and resources improving the lives of your “people.”
Okay, that being said, I also want to be very clear that I am a fervent defender of the right of the Palestinians to have a “recognized State of their own.” The United Nations should immediately create the boundaries for and openly recognize an area which includes not only Gaza but the territory from Mediterranean Sea to the West bank of Jerusalem, and all the land in between to be the Palestine, the country. Those in Israel and United States who don't agree with that need to “spend their time and resources on working toward a peaceful co-existence with this new country.”
Those two positions being made clear, that leaves the difficult work of creating an atmosphere in both of those countries where they recognize each other's right to exist, eliminate the violence between them, and helping both grow and develop thriving economies. Peace is always more work than war; it requires diplomacy and time. Both countries and their neighbors must work together to rid themselves of the radical forces which create the violence. The reality is that the majority of people in the Middle East want peace, want to live their lives and be left out of religious and political struggles.
Israel must stop building settlements which encroach on land which should be reserved for Palestine. It must recognize that its capitol should be in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. Israel must turn Jerusalem over to the United Nations who will be responsible for the holy sites, the government of the mixed population, and provide security to residents and citizens alike. That's a great deal for Israel to give, but peace and freedom from fear are worth such a sacrifice.
The Palestinians, on the other hand, must recognize Israel's right to exist, exchange diplomatic representatives to work on differences which will arise, and remove the radical groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and any other violent factions from its society. Peace, prosperity, a homeland, and freedom from fear are worth such a sacrifice.
The other countries in the Middle East who oppose the existence of Israel will, eventually, see the folly of their ways and cease to be a problem, but that will require diplomacy and a commitment from the rest of the countries of the world to support peace between Israel and Palestine. So long as they refuse, they should be boycotted by every other country. Isolation is a great teacher.
People who have a good, peaceful life don't go out of their way to create war and suffering and hostility with their neighbors. It takes statesmanship and diplomacy to create such a society, along with financial support and guaranteed security from the rest of the world in order to achieve these lofty goals; however, if we don't have these as goals, we're doing nothing!
The United States, Europe, Australia, Russia, China, and other financially stable countries need to help Palestine create the climate in which people have something to live for, not feel hopeless and desperate, willing to die to affect change. Spending money on building homes, schools, factories, hospitals, businesses, etc. will be a more productive use of resources than building mortars, RPG's, tanks, bombs, etc., that which has been the case up to now. If all those countries who have spent trillions fighting wars and working against the existence of the state of Israel would have built a homeland for Palestine and provided security for Israel instead, the history of this region would today be much different.
The time is past for a new approach to the issues which exist in the Middle East. Guns and war have not solved any of the problems, simply changed the characters in the lead roles. I say that it's time to change the script! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Robert Butler
P.O. Box 193
Marmaduke, AR 72443
"...Therefore, never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee...: Meditation 17 by John Donne 1624
