Solutions

Submitted by George Murzin (Canada), Sep 17, 2003 at 15:24

The refugee problem has been decades in the making, it would take at least a decade to fix it. What would happen if UNWRA immediately stops giving aid to "palestinian refugees"? In the short-term, their conditions would simply deteriorate even further, and even more would face mal-nutrition, disease, and death. And it doesn't solve the long-term problem, their resettlement.

Resettlement in one form or another should be the goal. With self-delusion and bad leadership on the palestinian side, a general agreed-to solution to this is just not happening, so how can this possibly happen?

Perhaps it is possible to use America's leverage as a funder of UNWRA to change its mandate into one of resettlement. But would the palestinian refugees themselves, after all these years of suffering, accept that this suffering was utterly pointless? It is THE arab symbol of Israel's basic injustice. And where would they be resettled? Jordan? Lebanon? Its not something the arab leaders are likely to agree to. West Bank? I really doubt that Arafat has any interest in solving this problem, but it is possible.

It is hard to see a realistic solution to refugee "problem" without a more general solution to the conflict.

Speaking of which, perhaps Israel, USA and maybe Jordan are ready to impose a new, more democratic leadership in the West Bank (like USA is doing in Iraq)? USA can draw another coalition of the willing, ask countries like Japan to join...

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