A powerful theory that says that Arabs and Zionists are inherently malevolent toward each other perpetuates the persistent Arabic-Hebrew conflict with its periodical violence. After successfully building the Jewish state, Zionism and the Jewish people, the political and social Right and Left should together undertake a large-scale project to refute this theory and pave a practical path to peace.
About 20 km. (12-13 miles) from Gaza, close to Egypt, Israel should build “New Gaza” – a futuristic, free, demilitarized, autonomous city for one million Palestinians, utilizing the latest technology for rehabilitating refugees and generating replicable DNA for an exemplary Arabic-speaking society cultivating humanistic, future-oriented leaders. New Gaza would physically manifest Israel’s willingness, expressed in the Declaration of Independence, to extend its hand in peace to Arabic speakers willing to act benevolently toward Hebrew speakers.
Builders workers, and inhabitants of New Gaza would swear allegiance to its covenant, which would include pride in the Arabic, Muslim and Palestinian legacy alongside expressed recognition in Jews’ and Hebrew-speakers’ right to live in dignity, security, freedom and prosperity in Israel, the Middle East and Islamic countries; maintaining and encouraging cooperation and amicable relationships with Israel; full and practical equality for women and minorities; freedom of considered thought and speech; and the duty of public service. Violations would result in escalating sanctions: losing the right to be elected, the right to elect, and finally, the right to live or even work in the city. Children of New Gaza would be educated accordingly, study Arabic and Hebrew, and upon reaching the age of 18, swear allegiance to the covenant and become entitled to choose Israeli citizenship with full privileges and duties.
Water for New Gaza would come from a desalination plant on the Gazan coast, built to also serve “old” Gaza. Renewable energy sources would likewise serve both. Universities for technology, engineering, life sciences, agriculture and the humanities would be built, alongside hardware and software companies catering to the Arabic-speaking world, publishing houses, TV networks, financial centers and hospitals. Indeed, everything needed for a city destined to lead the Arab world into the 21st century could be built in dozens of similar cities, and form a bridge between the Arab world and Israel.
New Gaza would be a for-profit national Israeli project supported by the Zionist institutions and the Jewish people. Any other entity may participate as long as it acts according to the city’s covenant. A large loan fund would help suitable Palestinians move into the city, study in it and integrate into its economic life. Priority would be given to young and capable women and men from Gaza, then the West Bank, and then the Palestinian diaspora and the Arabic citizens of Israel. Jews and internationals could join at their own expense. Migration would be controlled to ensure that the city was being populated with suitable people.
BY BUILDING New Gaza in Israeli territory and building additional such cities upon its success, Israel would refute the theory that it is motivated by racism and greed, and demonstrate its benevolence toward benevolent Arabic speakers. By moving into New Gaza, Arabic speakers would expressly recognize the right of Israelis to live in dignity, security, freedom and prosperity, in return for the same rights, thus refuting the theory that they are motivated by primordial hate towards Zionists or Jews.
The New Gaza project would likely gain wide international support as Israel would be partially accepting the Arab League initiative and taking practical measures to resolve a significant portion of the refugee problem. Israel would also declare that as a solid majority of the Palestinians and Arabic speakers choose to act according to the covenant and normalize relationships with Israel, it would gradually accept other components of the initiative, including eventually transferring the new cities into Palestinian sovereignty.
During this long process, Israel would treat Arabic speakers according to their choices: Those who publicly and resolutely spoke and acted according to the covenant, Israel would treat as esteemed partners; those who harmed Israel and its citizens physically, economically or politically, Israel would consider as enemies to defend against; those who remained on the bylines, Israel would “respect and suspect.”
The greatest beneficiaries from building New Gaza and the new possibilities it would open for talented and ambitious young women and men would be the citizens of Gaza – the same people whom Hamas and Islamic Jihad are working to recruit. These organizations would likely choose to attribute the project to the “success of their resistance that forced the occupier to treat them as human beings.” However, they might also opt to portray those choosing to join New Gaza as betrayers of the “national struggle.” If they violently fought it, the Arabic and international umbrella of the project would grant wide legitimacy to ousting them.
Would there be enough young Palestinian pioneers willing to find meaning and pride in leading their brothers and the region forward, while constructing a new narrative that accepted Hebrew speakers? Quite a few already hold this position. New Gaza would magnetize these and the many who are still afraid to openly take this position.
The first step should be an open call for the nucleus of the New Gaza – a founding team of young Arab experts in city-building, engineering, economics and education who would participate in planning New Gaza and wording its covenant. They would be the first to populate the city and lead it.
Building New Gaza would also greatly benefit Israel. It would create development momentum in the South of Israel and ease pressure on unrecognized Bedouin villages. Israeli companies would gain experience working with the Arab world and would hire Arabic-speaking employees for that purpose. This would advance the Arab sector in Israel, encourage the study of Arabic among Jews, and accelerate the practical integration of Israel into the region.
The writer is a solution engineer with an academic and practical background in conflict management.