The Palestinian Authority faces a challenging task in restoring the tumultuous Gaza Strip to order and rehabilitating its dismal economy.
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The Palestinian Authority faces a challenging task in restoring the tumultuous Gaza Strip to order and rehabilitating its dismal economy.
What would you do if it were in your hands? How would you advise the Palestinian Authority leaders?
SPECIAL REPORT: GAZA UPHEAVAL
What is your 10-step plan for success in the Gaza Strip?
Click here to send us your comments >>Stephen, USA/UK: Morally-justified peace agreements with non-Muslims have never been upheld because it is a matter of their "religious" creed ... and vision for a fully Islamic world.
Having Gaza means they can organize more powerful terror groups and develop stronger armed forces. The violence will only escalate now. I mean, why wouldn't it?
Let's look at the present situation. What changes now with Gaza evacuated? Well, if Israel wants to quarantine them in a corner, for their eventual liquidation, this could be a start.
But regarding Abbas, he has never had any control over Hamas, so why would one expect him to have power now? Is this not a basic question? Abbas is ultimately just powerless, and always will be, because he cannot control the terror groups. What the heck, even Araft was incapable.
Abbas is a figurehead at best. Moreover, there are no true "Palestinians". I mean, one must have the semblance of a unified culture before one can sustain a nation. The Arabs in that area are bound by nothing of any lasting value. A non-Jewish Palestine would eventually destroy itself. So let's move on.
All this wishful thinking about ongoing peace is utter folly, as I see the situation. Peace would be a short ceasefire, at best and even that is unlikely. Why?
Paul Greenawalt, Michigan, USA: I can't believe the UN, and the EU are even dumber to think there will be peace. They hate Israel and always will. On the bright side at least there are fewer future terrorists that we will need to deal with. I also think Israel should just start moving Palestinians to Gaza and only withdraw from one more city. Also, put walls around that city. I also would say make these two different places two separate nations so they are actually weaker.
Reuven Ben-Daniel, Kfar Mordecai/Gederot, Israel: If this the final end of full sovereignty and ownership by Israel of this piece of land. We can tear up the Bible, both old and new testaments. The old, because of the promises made to Israel, of the perpetual ownership of the whole Land of Israel, which is apparently a lie. And the New Testament because of the constant references Jesus made to the Old Testament. Did Jesus not know he was referring to a book of lies? I am very surprised that there have been no comments by the Christian Churches that the giving up of Gaza impinges on the truth of the New Testament.
David Sherr, Santa Clara:
Firstly, the PA should urge all Palestinians and other Arabs to withdraw to the borders of King Solomon's reign, roughly those of 950 B.C.E. Second, it should also urge all Arab nations to reimburse all Jews displaced from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and other Muslim countries during the last sixty years. It further should spearhead a fund to pay back all Jewish families slaughtered during Arab aggression against Jews and write a formal apology to the state of Israel, the UN and the world. That's a good start.
Carrie, Hawaii, USA:
"Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever." Ezekiel 37:28
It is amazing to think that the moment the gates to the Gaza strip were locked, Zephaniah 2:4 was fulfilled. Do we see the magnitude of the events taking place in Israel are beyond our control? Yes, the destruction is awful and an abomination. I definitely do not experience this first hand since I dwell on the other side of the globe. Yet my eyes are on Israel, God's chosen nation. Since the days of Abraham it has been known that He will come to be with His people, and all that has been part of Jewish practice is a shadow of the Messiah. As for a 10 step plan, I say look to the light. Everything exposed to the light becomes visible. Wake up O sleeper! Ezekiel 38 is next on the list. Even I do not comprehend the magnitude of God's word. I pray for His grace to cover me.
Guran Walker, Brisbane, Australia:
There is only a TWO step Plan.
1 Forget Israel.
2 Focus on the needs of Gazan residents.
It won't happen but when they can see their own reflections in the dark they will not be able to say, "Nobody told us".
Deborah Mgedzi, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:
I would suggest that first of all they leave behind the past - hatred to Israel - start afresh in their daily lives and be friendly to them. Forget about demolishing the Jewish faith, as it leads to disaster. Whether we like it or not, Gaza was a God-given land to Israel but because of their disobedience they were disbursed and yet God brought them back! All the people who love peace should pray with the Palestinians to learn how to love others, but God being the first one.
Rob Turkeltaub, USA:
#1 Demilitarize Gaza. Do not give any cause for the world to see you in a belligerent fashion.
#2 Educate the hate and evil out of your culture. Start with eliminating those disgusting martyr posters which make heroes out of murderers (Hamas)
#3 Do not continue to fight Israel. Instead, partner more with Israel. The Jordanians did and they gained a lot from it. There are so many Israelis ready to make peace and do business with them they would be fools to ignore that.
#4 Once they have solved the hatred incitement and backed off from an impatient vision of getting it all, now they can make real progress in their goals.
#5 They should focus on accountability in the government. Make the pay of their leaders dependent on their lawful behavior. If they get caught stealing money from the people make them pay the people in fines and possibly chop off their fingers or hands in Moslem tradition. Do not let such thievery of the people by a callous government continue.
#6 If the people of Gaza focus on building their economy, they will be happier. Their children will be happier and such behavior could be exported to the West Bank.
Note: Since most of the West Bank remains uninhabited, it seems reasonable to focus on improving what you have make those people happy by jobs, accomplishments and efforts.
#7 Once the above is accomplished, Gaza could allow more interaction with Israelis and even allow Israelis to buy land and rent offices, with reciprocal arrangements on both sides.
Gazans and Israelis could work more closely together etc. But none of this will happen until the anti-Israeli media stops the idolization of murderers etc.
#8 On a separate note, the Gazans must get away from the corrupt UN. Tear down the refugee camps. Get your people off welfare and put them immediately to work or nothing will ever change. And since UN refugee camps come up again and again, stop the madness and make sure the residents of such camps do not continue to fall into violent culture they are in now. Learn from Sharon. He made strong statements when a Jewish terrorist murdered civilians and himself. Sharon wasted no time in condemning and putting in place safeguards to prevent such future conduct. Collaborators were arrested and the statement was it will not be tolerated.
If Abbas followed through the same procedure, or checked out Israeli allegations after an attack, Israelis would not have to make those strikes and would be confident they had a partner for peace. So far this does not happen.
Ellen Dlott, Beersheba, Israel: The statement "Jerusalem does not belong to you" makes about as much sense as announcing to Moslems that "Mecca does not belong to you." I don't care about Gaza, but re-dividing Jerusalem is beyond consideration. Moslems and Christians (I am the latter) have unfettered access to the holy city. Absurdly, Jews do not, despite it being Judaism's holiest city. No. 1 on the 10-step list should be: recognize Israel! Start building yourselves up instead of sitting on your assess wailing about being victims and trying to dismantle the sole, tiny Jewish state in the world.
Ben, USA:
Insist Jordan become part of Palestine:
1) Now that they got Gaza, the Palestinians should insist that all Jordan become an independent Palestinian state. After all, before 1921 Jordan was part of Palestine, till England cut off that 75% chunk of Palestine and made it 100% Arab Jordan. After all the majority of Jordanians are Palestinians. Then "Palestine" would end up much larger than Israel.
2) As the High Holidays are approaching (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) the Palestinians do serious wholehearted Teshuva (Repentance) and do all they can to eliminate those many thousands among them that insist on being armed and ready to kill and cripple men, women and children for if they do not, well the L-rd of Hosts shall do to them as He did to the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, communists and Nazis.
Fares Raslan, Cleveland, USA: Most of the comments are from Israel supporters, however, I will give it a shot anyway.
The Arabs in the Beirut summit in 2002 put the 1967 lines as a plan for peace, so the faster you recognize that the better.
Silvan shaking hands with a bunch of dictators does not create peace for you, out of the West Bank and the Golan Heights please.
Jerusalem does not belong to you. It is an international city ,for all the Ibrahimi religions.
A Jewish state, well.. I don't think so. Even if you don't allow the right of return, you have 1.4 Palestinians inside and you just added (your clever wall) another 200,000 Palestinians inside the green line (thank you), so if it was close you made it impossible for yourself to have even a short-term "Jewish" state.
Susan Schylander, Brooklyn, NY: Follow the 10 commandments and jail offenders. Build hospitals and grow food.
Schneur, USA: Arafat and his successors represented the Palestinian people only insofar as they represented leverage for the Muslim agenda and Muslim despots. As such, it was necessary for Arafat and heirs foment hatred and warfare with Israel, foment hatred, suppress infrastructure and educational development and insure that the huge financial resources funneled to them not find their was to developing a civilized society or viable society.
Arafat as successors, Abbas or Hamas or Jihad, are therefore doing their jobs well as agents. The Palestinian people are demonstrably what they have always been, a tool of 1.2 billion Muslims, Shiites, Sunnis, Wahhabi, or what have you, to eliminate Israel. Therefore, the 10 steps will have to be carried out Western nations wishing to win, or at least survive, the current war of civilizations. The 10 steps must relate to the Saudis, Iranians, Indonesians, Pakistanis etc. The populations of Gaza and the West Bank are merely a tool and a sideshow who will not be allowed to lead the way. No 10 steps regarding them can have any true relevance. The proposition is self -evident and not encouraging for Israel.
Leonard Stillman, Florida, USA: The first thing to do is to get the occupants of Gaza doing something meaningful as far as work and creating some focus other than on terrorism. This will be accomplished when other countries help financially to put in industry, schools, etc. When proper infrastructure is in place.
Until the corruption and incompetence in local government is eliminated, they have nothing better to concentrate on than how to eliminate Israel and all the Jews in it.
I believe that once the leaders begin to create a viable economy with hope, and the people have better things to do then kill Jews, will it be possible to disarm them. Do we think that in a territory where the gun to them at present, is as valuable to them as a hoe and a shovel is to a farmer since that is the only viable profession in Gaza; assassination.
Until this happens, Israel must finish the wall and try to protect its citizens until such time as civilization comes to Gaza.
Rachel Moira Simson, Israel: The Gazans should not put a foot over the border to get work - they must not depend on Israel for jobs. The Israelis should not depend on the Gazans for labor. Keep
them out - let them learn to be independent. The Gazans can paddle their own canoe and we can paddle ours.
Joseph Simard, Australia: That's easy:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and your entire mind and all your strength. (In context...PA needs to change the God it worships).
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (In context...PA stop killing yourself)
On these two 'steps' hang ALL the law and the Prophets. (Those are the remaining 8 steps)
Problem solved!! Pretty simple really...eh?
Lewis Pettengill, Peck Idaho, USA: If I was PM of Israel, I would give the Arabs of Gaza one year to disarm the terrorist groups, secure the borders and demonstrate that they truly want peace. I would allow them one terrorist attack from the Gaza Strip, then I would eliminate the Gaza strip of ever being a source of pain for the Jewish People forever. I would apply the same rules for the Arab occupied territories of the West Bank.
Jeffrey Williams, FL, USA: I would recommend to the PA to not allow attacks on Israel from Gaza. Otherwise, reestablish post '67 borders. And that's being nice about it. Yes,I know, that's hate speech, but hey, at least we let them live. They (PA) won't reciprocate, though.
Michael Dar, Tel Aviv, Israel: Keep up terror, initiate massive suicide-bomb attacks against Israeli civilians, attack Israeli interests abroad, stage a couple of mega terrorist attacks, assassinate Israeli politicians, continue incitement in the media, continue to "educate" (!) your future generation to hate the Jews and Israel, aggress Israel in every possible international instance and forum, push for the international economic and academic boycott of Israel and Israelis... etc.. This seems to be the best way to get the Israelis on the run. That is how it is perceived by the Arabs anyways...
Ellen Dlott, Beersheba, Israel: My 10 step plan: Let the Palestinians quit pissing and moaning and get to work on forming a country. Repeat ten times. Or ten times a million.
Anne Goodman, Bournemouth, UK: I hear a lot of hate in these ideas, and yet we fear the consequences of our enemies hating us.
I think Israel needs to accept that in the past there was only focus on getting land for Jews and no thought of those supplanted.
Of course it is true that the Palestinians wanted Hitler to solve the Jewish problem in Palestine, and I accept I was not directly involved other than having a Palestinian (Polish) father.
I always felt instinctively that it was hard to justify the sufferings of others in order to make Jewish lives better.
I agree that Palestinian/Muslim children are routinely indoctrinated with lies - but get this - we are routinely indoctrinated with the Jewish point of view. I learnt that a long time ago when I strained to decide what religion I wanted - what I truly felt inspired to believe - and found the indoctrination of the Jewish God in my childhood placed a huge barrier between me and intelligent thought.
Israel needs to show humanity and understanding of the range of emotions and reactions that the citizens of Gaza will go through. The militants will claim victory. People may believe it. If the militants get their way, then chaos will reign and lives for any peace lovers will get worse. They will be told that it is Israel's fault and the hatred will continue.
And all of this is not really a cure for Israel's problems, is it?
It is vital that Israel works with Abbas and the PA to support new institutions to provide all the services that the people need. Happy people don't want to die like miserable ones do.
And if the Palestinians get happy, then they will seek a peaceful end, recognizing that Israel had changed its attitude and wanted truly to live in peace.
That is what Israel should do. Then, if Hamas continues and everything goes into the dreaded chaos, Israel and the PA can demand that the UN come in to sort the sorry mess out. And the UN can take responsibility for education, and maybe we can get back to plan A.
There are always two sides to an argument, and no one persists in arguing this hard when they believe they are wrong - to get anywhere both sides have to accept that.
James Phillips, USA: One step will suffice:
(1)To your own self be true.
Most of the comments are from Israel supporters who have not yet grasped that Gaza is now Palestinian. No longer under Israeli control. This is because Israel could never control Gaza. As Mao said of the USA, Israel is now just a paper tiger, as exemplified by the letters you have received.
Salomon Benzimra, Toronto, Canada: Five steps will suffice:
1. Let Mahmoud Abbas negotiate with Hosni Mubarak the acquisition of about 15,000 sq km of the Sinai Peninsula, abutting the Gaza Strip. The recent spontaneous movement of thousands of Gazans into Sinai shows the two populations are in quite friendly terms.
2. Prepare to "disengage" from the "West Bank" and to relocate in Sinai. After all, if Israel could successfully "disengage" and earn the respect of the international community, why not the Palestinians?
3. Use the huge financial aid promised at the G8 meeting ($3b. per year over 3 years) and additional funds provided by Israel, to create housing and infrastructure in Sinai.
4. Establish a new 22nd Arab state in Gaza-Sinai (call it "Palestine" if need be) in the only possible way to make it contiguous. This will also avoid the incongruity of turning Judea into another "Judenrein" Arab state.
5. Let Egyptians and Israelis cooperate to make sure the new state does not become a haven for terrorists threatening both countries.
Albert Bello, Toronto, Canada: Why should Gaza and the West Bank become single sovereignty? I personally believe, this arrangement makes no sense because these two parts of land are not physically connected.
1) If the people of Gaza have different dialect and traditions from the people of the West Bank, their ideology might be different. Why should they be governed by the West Bank?
2) If Monaco or Liechtenstein are independent sovereignties, the Gaza strip with population of 1.3 million should also be governed on their own.
3) The Gaza Strip borders Israel and Egypt neither of which are interested in annexing it due to its population. It should be physically secure and committed to its seaside security by both countries.
4) Israel has already granted to the people of Gaza the land and independence. Therefore, Gazans no longer need the militants. They should lay the arms down, and start to build a positive and peaceful future.
5) Gazans should immediately start to build their government, home security, education, health, and environmental infrastructures. These challenging tasks should create significant employment.
6) Gaza's economy should continue its 38-year connection to the open market of 6 million Israelis. The future seaport development definitely should invite potential investors from all around the world as soon as the peace accord with Israel is signed.
7) The final peace agreement with Israel would elevate the investors confidence, investments not only create new industries but would pave the way to develop one of the best resorts for tourism and related businesses with strip of contemporary style hotels and attractions in its beautiful shore of Mediterranean sea.
8) After final agreement, Israel may build a new toll highway between Gaza and West Bank if it requires.
A peaceful Gaza might create the best economy with in the Middle East.
Fredy Ross, Tel Aviv, Israel: I have no 10 Step Plan for Gaza. I think the Palestinians have to initiate their 10-step plan for themselves. I only want two actions by my government. The first, a promise that no Israeli soldier will ever enter Gaza to be killed or injured, that instead we will retaliate from the air and send the entire extended family of any suicide bomber to Gaza. The second, till the Palestinians show the world, in all their actions, we just ignore them and build our own country to be a viable flourishing economy whilst keeping control of the west bank till there is peace.
Steve Franco, Boston, MA, USA : Assuming the Sharon led government of Israel properly anticipated results of unilateral disengagement from Gaza, the following is submitted:
1. Allow Palestinians, to continue present counterproductive, (for them), series of provocations, or move progressively toward creating a national state unhindered.
2. Respond when such actions harm Israelis,
and then, in effective, but moderate proportion
to the injury.
3. Do not provoke or interfere with actions Abbas is now taking, (or not taking), in Gaza.
4. Take no actions considered harmful to "Roadmap", expectations. This includes, plans or actions related to expansion of settlement beyond the "Greenline".
5. Await results of PA elections, (and don't bank on win for Pal/Arab peace camp).
By that time, dire predictions concerning Gaza withdrawal materialized, or did not. If results created well armed, active terror base in Gaza, rather than civil order, and birth of statehood for Pal/Arabs, will be more apparent then, than today.
By this time, concurrent situations in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, will have progressively improved, or not. These may include, UN admonition of Syria for previous actions in Lebanon, military action in Syria, (response to providing safe haven for Iraq insurgency), another successful election in Iraq, UN sanction
on Iran, perhaps general worldwide advance for PAX Americana.
6. If results in Gaza are positive, continue further discussion with Abbas, furthering peaceful Palestinian entity, (to eventually join federation with Jordan). If not take effective military action in Gaza, to eliminate it as base for terror.
7. If military action needed, reform national unity coalition government. Include willing participants from secular, religious, left and right. Appoint Bibi, deputy premier, and heir apparent, prior to national elections in 2006. Address the nation, calling for national unity.
8. Many Gazans may choose to flee across now open border with Egypt. Egyptian military force of 750, will be inadequate to stem the tide. As inadequate as they had been stopping population flow, and arms smuggling prior, to Israel's military action.
9. Unilaterally declare Israel's permanent borders. Include major settlement areas, land areas needed for security, including Jordan valley. Encourage worldwide Aliya to Israel.
10. Give Pal/Arab populated areas complete civil autonomy, and administration. Allow both free emigration, and family reunification.
The Pal/Arabs would have met the challenge of statehood, or the possibility of Pal/Arab statehood will have been revealed as an impossible myth.
If this is after all Sharon's grand design, as I think it is, he may be inscribed among Israel's immortals. If not, Bibi, is still your capable leader in waiting.
Ben Plonie, Galus, USA :
1. Listen to Laura Gutman posted earlier.
2. Let Gaza collapse into anarchy, violence, poverty, gang warfare.
3. Take it over or buy it cheap.
4. Allow Arabs agreeing to live peacefully and lawfully under Jewish sovereignty to remain as resident aliens if they will not be a public burden.
5. Kick out the rest.
6. Kick out all the first ones who were lying anyway.
7. Award all legitimate Jewish residents land and compensation
8. Build a Samson theme park for the tourists,
9. Annex the Gaza District to the State of Judea.
10. Establish the 'United States of Israel' consisting of 12 States corresponding to the original 12 branches of the Israelite nation.
Michael L J. Martin, Maury NC,USA:
Step one: Don't sink your roots to deep!! You will not be there very long. Isaiah 11;14 "But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the philistines toward the west." End of plan!!!
David Marx, Toronto, Canada :
I suggest we give the Gazans party hats and noisemakers and let them write their own Megilat Gaza. Let Sharon be their Haman, let a Hamas leader be Mordechai. Let them write down their epic struggle of how they overcame the clutches of the evil Israelis. Let they celebrate this victory every year, just like we celebrate Purim.
As a grand finale, let them do as the Jews did, which was to get busy and build their own country with hard work and prudent planning. The Palestinians have everything to learn from Israel, in particular how to build a nation. Now is their chance, it may not be available for ever.
Mindy, USA:
The Palestinians have NEVER been held accountable for any of THEIR war crimes. All of them STILL support Hitler, every murderer of innocent civilians they call "martyrs" and continue their culture of violence and dependence on others. They blame Israel for EVERYTHING they themselves are guilty of.
It is time to place on them the same consequences and punishment that the world laid on the Germans for their crimes and support of Hitler in World War II, a war the Palestinians actively sided with Hitler on. If the Germans were guilty and paid a price for it, why wasn't the same standard held over the Palestinians. They should NEVER have been rewarded with Gaza. "Palestine" was already divided once before to accommodate them, and we now have Jordan. Jordan was the larger portion of "Palestine" to begin with. Why should these uncivilized, Arrogant people who feed on hatred and violence ever be given anything? Why does everyone have to respect all their religious locations, but ALL of Judaism's most important religious sites are supposed to be just handed over to the Palestinians to destroy at will, with absolutely no regard even to their historical significance, let alone for their religious significance, simply because they claim to own them? They destroy everything they put their hands on, even their own children.
The only way Palestinians will EVER live in peace is for them to live in a police state, have every child removed from their homes and sent to intensive reprogramming schools where everything they are exposed to is monitored. They must be taught real school subjects, and honest trades, not bomb making and hatred. The Palestinians must be taught to build their own lives, and that they are not entitled to everyone's free handouts. Maybe after several generations they will be able to live as decent, civilized human beings and actually earn the world's respect. And when they finally are willing to discuss paying reparations to the thousands of Jews who lost land and suffered so greatly in all over their lands, then maybe we can discuss reparations for them as well.
Kenneth S. Besig, Kiryat Arba, Israel:
There is no need for ten steps to reform the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or anywhere else, there is only the need for one step.
The present Palestinian leadership must state clearly and publicly, in it's schools, it's mosques, on it's TV and radio stations, in it's newspapers, and at the political level, in Arabic, that Israel as a Jewish State has every right to exist in peace and security. The Palestinian leadership must also state clearly and in Arabic that the destruction of Israel is morally wrong, an affront to the Koran and Islam, and any calls for this to happen will be treated as a criminal offense.
Menachem Litenatsky, Los Angeles, CA:
1. Deport Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all other terrorist groups. Include all individuals who hate Israel more then they love life. That would be all those who believe Israel has no right to exist.
2. Establish a government that will fight terrorism as passionately as all free and peaceful people desire.
3. Establish a government that is free of corruption and will use money sent by other nations to actually help their people instead of using them as excuses so that they can cling to victimization. The victimization has been at the hands of their own till now.
4. Force out the UN so that they cannot continue to infect the region through their support of terrorism.
5. Rebuild the Jewish houses of prayer to prove their recognition of a free and just society. Allow access by the Jews to those locations as Israel does for Muslims all over Israel including Jerusalem.
6. Establish a security force which can be monitored by other democracies till they establish (through their actions) that they will protect all life.
7. Write a constitution that includes the protection of a woman's right to live even if their family believes to kill her would establish family honor. Include the rights of children to be children by destroying books that preach hate and intolerance. Keep them away and free of mini-terrorist camps that has them wearing bomb vests or holding a weapon. ETC.
8. Build businesses that will establish jobs and commerce that can be grown slowly and cannot fall victim to the global economy.
9. Teach the real values of G-D such as love thy neighbor.
10. Reward all citizens who pursue peaceful ways to effect change in their and other societies.
Harry Schnapp, Sydney, Australia:
1. Provide employment;
2. Establish public order;
3. Establish proper judiciary system;
4. Start urban development;
5. Encourage agricultural development;
6. Ensure all children go to school and receive a decent education;
7. Establish public service;
8. Develop infrastructure-health, electricity, roads;
9. Put end to hatred propaganda toward Jews and Israel;
10. Care for the environment, plant trees and vegetation.
David Singer, Sydney, Australia:
1.Get the 22 existing Arab States to agree to grant the Gazan Arabs citizenship in their respective countries.
2.Get the international community to provide financial compensation to those who accept the offer and have their emigration completed as quickly as possible.
3.Annex Gaza to Egypt as part of Egypt's sovereign territory and grant those Gazans remaining Egyptian citizenship and passports.
4.Get the international community to provide financial assistance to develop Gaza, whose population and infrastructure requirements should be much less following the implementation of points 1 and 2.
5.Appoint Abbas and the PA as the regional administration for Gaza.
6. Egypt should clear Gaza of all weapons and military material and restore civil order and the rule of law.
7. Egypt to negotiate with Israel on reopening the Kissufim crossing to allow security cleared Gazans to work in Israel.
8. Gaza be demilitarized and a peacekeeping force installed to ensure there are no violations.
9. The US and the European Union declare Gaza a preferential trade area as the US has done with Jordan.
10. Israel allow the airport to be reopened and the sea lanes handed over to Egyptian control.
Ronny Schnapp, Canberra, Australia:
1. Stop blaming everyone else for our problems.
2. Collect all private- and terrorist group-owned weapons and consolidate all factions into a single security service called Palestinian Security Force to follow orders from the political echelon. Arrest/shoot anyone who refuses to comply.
3. Set up a functional, democratic system of governance.
4. Use the billions of dollars of aid to build a modern country.
5. Consult with Western countries on successful education techniques that do not teach children that the greatest "profession" in the world is to be a suicide bomber.
6. Encourage immigration back to Gaza of all the Palestinians who fled Gaza over the years and currently live in refugee camps all over the Arab world. This would be to give them permanent homes and jobs in building up industries.
7. Set a goal of having a Palestinian win a Nobel Prize within 15 years for literature or science.
8. Encourage tourism to show the world what we have achieved in such a short time and be a model for the Arab world.
9. Begin competing with neighbors in the global economy.
10. Continue to educate and build a peaceful society.
L. Feigh, Jerusalem, Israel:
1. Establish industry
2. Give people jobs
3. Set up a good educational system
4. Get good volunteer systems going
5. Educate your people
6. Teach people what real peace means
S. Michael, USA: Prepare for war... The American Left is against you and will attempt to turn the American people against you.
Laura Gutman, USA: In order for Gaza to prosper, its inhabitants will have to give up their fixation on violence and begin the hard work of nation building. Abbas cannot and will not heal his severely intoxicated population from their lust for Jewish blood and the sense of entitlement with which they are afflicted. But we, in the US, can do much to detach them from that fixation by making it unrewarding and very expensive. So far, terrorism has been rewarded. This must stop. Here are 10 first steps toward that goal:
1. Close all refugee camps. Cease our funding of them through the UN. The definition of a refugee to include only the individual who has lost a home; subsequent generations are excluded from the definition. The adjacent Arab nations (especially Egypt) to be pressured to absorb those in camps. The world to be reminded that there was already a Palestinian nation, and the name of it is Jordan. Now there are two, and the names are Jordan and Gaza.
2. For every missile fired into Israel, the US deducts $50,000 from its appropriations for the PA or its successor, and deducts an equal amount from US payments to the UN.
3. US supports, publicly, a genuinely massive retaliation by Israel for terrorist, missile, and all other attacks by any Palestinian.
4. US supports Israeli expansionary development in Ariel, Maale Adumim, and other West Bank areas, and announces that the development is supported because the Palestinians failed to take advantage of opportunities for peace. More land will be lost if there are further delays in preparing the Palestinian population for genuine peace.
5. US publicizes the incitement to violence contained in Palestinian schools and school books, and demands it cease immediately. Random interviews of students to obtain information on sources of incitement and rejectionism. Perpetrators of incitement and rejectionism to have homes demolished.
6. US demands that each and every imam, teacher, radio and TV station, and politician preach and exhort the population on a weekly basis to embrace peace and to abhor terrorism, "struggle", murder, hatred of Jews, and militancy. Those who fail are identified and homes destroyed. Incitement on TV or radio to result in closing the facility. Zero tolerance to be given to sources which perpetuate classical anti-Semitic canards such as Protocols of Zion and holocaust denial.
7. Whenever the subject of compensation or right of return is raised, it is US policy that it only be discussed in conjunction with the compensation for Middle Eastern Jews who lost property and life at the same time.
8. Abbas to announce weekly and publicly that all Gaza residents are to acknowledge the legitimate State of Israel and its right to exist as a Jewish state. If he fails, or makes contrary statements in Arabic, he should be aware that the US will cease support of him and of his opposition also. Abbas to refuse government position or employment of any sort whatsoever to any member of an armed group.
9. Israel to be encouraged to renew the successful policy of targeted killing of leaders of any group which attacks or is planning to attack Israel or Israeli Jews.
10. Israel to be encouraged to enlarge area behind the green line by 400 sq km for each Israeli who is either wounded or killed by any Palestinian.
Following the implementation of these policies, it is very likely that the citizens of the strip will quickly discover that there are other things to do than manufacture bombs, and that it is a bad idea to harbor criminals. A work ethic might begin to take hold, and they might lose their assumption that the UN and EU will support them indefinitely. They might even rediscover the possibility that actions can have consequences, the possibility of which they have been sheltered from for far too long. Those developments would make a good start toward a more prosperous and civil society, which we all wish for them.
Irwin Kaplan, Oakhurst, NJ:
First you must build up the military forces of the PA. They must construct a strong, disciplined, professional military. You must have that to enforce rule of law.
I believe that would be very difficult in a society where one brother is in the PA and another brother is with Hamas and the father is with Jihad and so on. What you have now is brother against brother, father against son, cousin against cousin and on and on. If this set up is not dealt with, the Wild West, Arab-style will continue.
Jim, USA: Just listen to the PA leadership's comments in the wake of Israel's "withdrawl": "...Yassin, Shikaki.. martyrs" - Good grief! Germans have ceased from extolling the virtues of Hitler, but our (G-d forbid) would be annihilators mask no such feeling, they come right out and tell us that they are all terrorists, bent on our destruction. The Israeli government, on the other hand, is bent on appeasement. Never in the annals of world history has this policy worked. N-E-V-E-R!
M. Allred, NY, USA: My advice to the Palestinians would be to quit the crap, hunker down, and try to build and live civilized lives.
First, they should keep track of their children, get them off the streets and into schools that will teach literacy, numeracy, world history, and skills. The sight of 18-month-old babies being held up in mobs by their loving fathers, with shahid rags on their heads and dynamite strapped around their waists, told me all I need to know about this people.
Second, they should spend less time fomenting hatred in the minds of their children ad infinitum, and instead, put in a bit of time turning Gaza into the wonderful Palestinian Garden claimed as their due.
Third, they should understand that a demand for return to 1967 borders is, inevitably, a Declaration of War...a war that they will (and should) inevitably lose. And, from the looks of it, in the not too distant future)!
For me, any legitimate claims they may have had to anywhere were long ago forfeited by their culture of death, hate, spite, and murder. What can I look at to see the wonderful humanity and creativity of the Palestinian people? Hanan Ashrawi? Abu Mazen? Saeb Erekat? They're the top of the heap, and all I've ever heard from them all is "It's all the Israelis' fault." Q. "What's all the Israelis fault?" A. "Why, everything!" Palestinians have built nothing. The land was arid and fallow before 1967, and everything they touch -in their current mind set- will continue to be so. (Lest Israelis be blamed for this, I am an Italian-American gentile).
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