Thinking outside the box

Submitted by Albert Fresco (United States), Jan 28, 2009 at 09:20

There is no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the current parameters and it is clear that the two-state solution will not work. What the Arabs really want is the elimination of Israel. What Israel has done for the last 40 years is create facts on the ground in the West Bank that make it impossible for a viable Palestinian state to exist.

Israel will never withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. There is no credible Palestinian entity capable of negotiating for all the Palestinian people. Sending a new US "peace" envoy to the middle-east is pointless since all he can do is the same that has been tried over and over again very unsuccessfully.

As you pointed out, expecting a different result this time around is insane. It is high time to start thinking outside the box. The no Palestinian state solution you proposed has lots of merit, but still huge hurdles specially with respect to Egypt absorbing Gaza. There are reports that Hamas is offering a 50 years truce. That with improving the economic situation in the West Bank may work for a long time without establishing Palestinian state.

Eliminating the nuclear threat from Iran should be the priority and Israel should be given a free hand and the bunker-busting bombs to do so. Possibly there are other ideas that need to be examined, but lets stop flogging the dead two-state horse.

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