Re: UN Hq to Jerusalem

[Don Allen]

Peter-

Ok, I give up. What does this have to do with Psychology?

-Don.

On Mon, 24 Sep 2001, Peter Dybwad wrote:

> After we’ve dealt with bin Laden,
> Why not move the UN Headquarters to Jerusalem
> 
> I want to encourage people to consider the benefits (and liabilities) of
> having the Headquarters of the United Nations be in Jerusalem.  In
> conjunction with this, the UN, through the Security Council, would provide
> and oversee the security for the key parts of the city – the parts that
> the Christians, Jews, and Muslims have fought over for the past two
> thousand years.  The UN itself could be on "international land."  
> 
> If we solve the problem of Jerusalem, we make much easier the solution of
> the problem of Israel and the Palestinians.  This problem is the need to
> provide a homeland, i.e., nation state, for two peoples who have
> long-term, legitimate, claims to the same land.
> 
> If the United Nations is in Jerusalem, all member nations will have a
> vital interest in seeing to it that there is peace in the area.  The
> members and leaders of major world religions/cultures will have a keen
> interest in supporting political peace and stability in Jerusalem and the
> surrounding area. In essence the world will guarantee Israel’s security by
> placing their diplomats between Israel and the countries it fears.   If
> Israel feels secure, then it can allow the Palestinians to have a fully
> sovereign state of their own.  
> 
> What does this have to do with bin Laden?  I assume that bin Laden, the
> Taliban, and other terror sponsors will be brought to justice for their
> evil acts. 
> 
> I also assume that even if we rid the world of bin Laden and many of his
> followers, we will still need all nations, particularly the countries in
> the Islamic world, to take the necessary steps to prevent terrorists from
> operating from within their borders.  (It’s not just Islamic countries,
> though; in the 1970’s it was Germany, Italy, and Japan that were "homes"
> for terrorists.)  We need the rest of the world to work with us to
> identify and lock up any future bin Ladens.
> 
> It’s unrealistic to expect nations to take serious action against their
> own citizens or even visitors if large numbers of people in the country
> believe in the underlying "cause" that the terrorists claim to be
> supporting.  The governments will looks the other way – and not act.  They
> may talk the talk, but they won’t walk the walk.
> 
> In the Islamic world there is a lot of resentment about peoples’
> circumstances compared to those of Europe/USA, and great popular
> resentment about the imbalance of power between Israel and the
> Palestinians.  In forty years of trying, we have not been able to change
> that view.  
> 
> I assume that we will not abandon Israel’s right to exist in order to
> placate present and potential terrorists.  But by the same token we can’t
> expect the Muslim world to abandon the Palestinians.  
> 
> We may not be able to solve the problem of resentment about the good
> circumstances the West has achieved; but we can take action to end the
> festering wound that is the situation between Israel and the Palestinians;
> and we can try to build bridges to the other peoples, cultures and
> governments in the rest of the world.  Our willingness to allow the UN
> headquarters to move out of the USA and to the Middle East also serves as
> a sign of respect to the Islamic world, as well as to Asia, Africa and
> South America.  It will create a significant doorway through which the
> rest of the world and Europe/USA can seek more common ground. 
> 
> There are significant economic costs involved in moving the UN to
> Jerusalem – but we’re preparing to spend billions if not trillions to deal
> with the variety of future threats of terrorism.  Spending a percentage of
> that to eliminate a source of terrorism’s appeal should be considered.
> 
> 

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Don Allen                               email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dept. of Psychology                     voice: (604)-323-5871
Langara College                         fax:   (604)-323-5555
100 W. 49th Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada, V5Y 2Z6
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