More ideas

Submitted by PezDispenser (Israel), Jul 11, 2017 at 13:35

Dr. Pipes, we are arguably halfway to your ideal outcome. Recall that during the heyday of Oslo, the PA hosted EU ministers at Orient House in East Jerusalem with the acquiescence (or acceptance) of the Israeli government. Only after one of the Palestinian Oslo War massacres did the Israeli government close down the defacto Palestinian foreign ministry.

To add to your idea, how about explaining to countries seeking Israeli tech that any visit to Israel will require them to copy the Indian model of an Israel-only visit? They can waste time and effort rolling out the red carpet to Abbas in their respective capitals or visit him via the Allenby Bridge after a stopover in Amman, but the road from Jerusalem to Ramallah is closed until further notice.

Finally, I watched your conference at the Begin Center. Congratulations on the initiative! Every speaker had their own twist on the idea. I would like to add one strategic idea: Jabotinsky's Iron Wall, but with some levers added in to wrap up the conflict sooner rather than later. No one wants to wait out the Palestinians for another century unless it is absolutely necessary.

For example, lets consider a disincentive model for prolonging the conflict. As long as the Palestinians know that they can always get almost 100% of the West Bank via negotiations, why not continue fighting for another 50-100 years? I think that for every five years that the Palestinians fail to give up, there should be a ratcheting up of US/international and Israeli sanctions, pressures, consequences, etc.

There could also be a positive lever: A Future Peace Trust Fund (FPTF) set up today for post-peace agreement Palestinian families who are not involved in the conflict (rather than going to the PA government). This would be managed by the US and funded by Europeans and/or existing UNRWA funds. All Palestinians will be informed via television, Al Jazeera, radio, and pamphlets dropped from the air that the FPTF and accumulated interest will be there for their families and decendents to improve their lives if and only if they give up and pressure their leaders to make peace with Israel sooner rather than later. Also, any family that is involved in terror will be crossed out of the FPTF recipient list. This may serve as an additional deterrent. If the Palestinians do not end up making peace with Israel, the FPTF will be forfeited to Israel or returned to EU contributors by a preset deadline.

I know you don't think that materialism is key to moderation, but my idea shifts the current model of dumping all the money into an unaccountable PA into affecting the current and future incentives of the average person (according to some polls, 25% of West Bankers and 50% of Gazans wish to immigrate) and dismantles complaints of economic suffering under occupation, since the money will be there for them with some type of sovereignty if they only want it enough.

Feedback would be appreciated.

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