Re: Eyes Wide Open

[William B Ward]

Harry,   Since we are into homilies, a Swedish colleague of mine working with the Lutheran World Federation's vocational tech center in Beit Hanina [ http://www.poica.org/casestudies/beit-hanina25-9-01/ ] , was asked by an Israeli census worker as to when he came to Israel. My friend stopped him and said , "I didn't come to Israel. Israel came to me. "   Israel has existed at 2 points in time for about 65 years the  first time and around 54 years this time. The Palestinian population has been in the area for a couple of thousand years and 7% of that population at the time of the 1893 World Zionist Council was Jewish AND Palestinian.   Bill Ward     On Mon, 30 Sep 2002 13:03:29 -0700 Harry Pollard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > Karen, > > What a great piece of work. Excellent! (Even the gifting!) > (Especially the > gifting.) > > Definitely an A. > > However! > > As you know, my favorite story concerns the scorpion who crossing > the > Arabian desert comes to a river. He asks a nearby frog to take him > across. > "No" says the frog. "You would sting me if I let you get close." > > "If I did that," said the scorpion, "we would both drown." That > seemed > reasonable to the frog. The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway > across the > river, he stung the frog. Screamed the frog "Why did you do that?" > > Said the scorpion with a shrug, "It's the Middle East." > > I'm afraid that's what reason and common sense are up against. > > More to the point, the problem on the West Bank is that their are > two > organizations running it. One is the official government, led by > Arafat. > The other is the Mafia, better known as Hamas. The Mafia are those > who can > get you a bite to eat when you are hungry, get you a job when you > are > unemployed, and suchlike. > > Perhaps similar to the IRA in Northern Ireland among the Catholic > population. > > Hamas are mostly in the Gaza, though it seems to inhabit the famed > refugee > camp. > > Hamas also sends the bombers. Although Arafat does "round-ups" from > time to > time, I doubt he - even with the best of intentions - could winkle > them out > of their enclaves. > > And I'm not sure he can exhibit the best of intentions, for can he > afford > seriously to annoy Hamas? They have committed a few assassinations > of > Palestinian leaders on occasion. > > And remember the Arab leaders' intention - to sweep the Israelis > into the > sea replacing Israel with Palestine. > > That hasn't changed. > > Inasmuch as the Israeli "deterrence" has killed or captured Hamas > leaders, > it may make them think twice. > > Before continuing what they do. > > Politically, it may cause the Israelis to feel a bit better. > Something is > being done. > > Harry > _______________________________________________________ > > Karen Cole wrote: > > >Harry wrote: Devorah and Karen, If either of you two ladies > replaced Sharon, > >what would you do to stop the procession of the suicide bombers?  > There's a > >simple one for you. > >Harry, is the assumption in your sentence that Sharon's deterrence > is > >preventing suicide bombers? > > > >Off the top of my head, I'd say that Israel needs to do something > dramatic > >and symbolic to prove that it is serious about stopping the > violence and > >serious about making a future for itself that does not depend on > bullets and > >walls to survive.  Deterrence alone cannot sustain Israel, and Bush > needs to > >learn that lesson quickly.  Sometimes it takes something unexpected > and > >risky to change a mindless cycle of destruction and > self-destruction.  It's > >like being on drugs, you do things you'd never do sober. > > > >First, if I was a new Golda Meir, I would remove the fake > settlements that > >have been established in construction trailers on cell phone line > roads.  I > >read that they were going to do this but haven't seen that it > happened. > >Anyone know?  Devorah?  Then I'd take a deep breath and close and > >consolidate established settlements that have been deliberately > overbuilt > >into a few viable and defendable ones, as a compromise to the > radicals in > >Israel who feel it is their moral right to steal land from others.  > Promise > >that the gov't will participate in a long and tedious process of > determining > >the rightful property owners, instituting payouts for those who no > longer > >want to live inside enemy territory.  It should be cost-effective. > > > >At this point, I'd be threatened by mutiny at the Knesset and in > need of > >more bodyguards.  BUT ISRAEL MUST DECIDE TO RID ITSELF OF WHATEVER > IS > >COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO ITS EXISTENCE, NOT JUST ENEMIES WITH BOMBS.  > IT MIGHT > >SURVIVE AS A MILITARY STATE, BUT IT CANNOT THRIVE.  Israel has > education, > >infrastructure and technology that its neighbors don't and these > will be the > >survival tools of the future, not their oil.  I'd pursue more > productive > >economic experiments, such as the ones funded by the businessman > Stef W. > >with projects in Aqaba and the IMF zone, New Marshall plans, > finding jobs > >for displaced settlers and displaced refugees.  I'd publicize every > jobs > >achievement I could and ask the UN and IMF for as much assistance > as > >possible.  Open the door to economic opportunity.  PLANT A VISION > but also: > >1. Establish borders that are defensible.  Do not overreach.  Greed > is bad > >for survival.  Remember Rome. > >2. Declare a ceasefire and truce for 15 days and hunker down.  Ask > the local > >media for cooperation in building a psychological timeout. > >3. Announce plans for a summit in a neutral place in less than 1 > week, so > >fast your opponents in the Knesset couldn't mobilize against you.  > Go with > >an open mind and listen.  Give a small treasure, some very personal > gift, > >like a chess game or jewelry you inherited, as a personal symbol of > your > >commitment, to the person designated as your equal in negotiations. > >Something from a holy site?  Find a small thing that can be agreed > upon by > >both sides and do whatever it takes to accomplish it within 3 > weeks.  Like > >transfer the withheld payroll monies to a UN account if its being > held in > >Israeli banks making money off the interest.  Publicize the success > of the > >summit and accomplishment of baby step #1.  Especially on step #1, > act like > >a super salesman: Underpromise.  Overdeliver. > >4. Extend the ceasefire for 15 more days.  Do not retaliate, but > publicly > >reserve the right to do so if the goodwill established by your > gesture and > >hard work are not valued with an end to the suicide bombers. > >5. Identify baby step #2: Hold out a carrot, like resumption of > jobs within > >Israel for those with work permits, if the 2nd ceasefire is not > violated. > >6. Shout down the radicals in the Knesset reminding them that an > eye for an > >eye has contributed to the slaughter of the survivors of Hitler's > pogroms > >and gas chambers. > >7. Promise to resign if the change does not yield peaceful results > in 30 > >more days.  State to both outsiders and insiders that the goal is > mutual > >recognition of sustainable and separate states.  Keep the ceasefire > going. > >8. Do not give the enemy reasons to say that you have backed down > on your > >dramatic change of tactics. > >9. Announce plans for a longer summit, at the end of the ceasefire, > stating > >the goal is to build a framework for more baby steps for both > sides.  Show > >up and have lots of experienced peace brokers on hand. > >10. Prepare to be assassinated. > > > >Even if this playbook fails, there might be 60 days in which both > sides > >could rest from the endless cycle of violence, grief, mourning, > anger and > >fear.  Maybe more people will imagine the possibilities and > opportunities. > >Sleeping through the night might be a fresh way to start.  BEGIN A > PROCESS > >AGAIN SO THAT PROCESS BUILDERS HAVE A CHANCE, and war as an answer > seems > >costly, wasteful and backwards. There is surely enough exhaustion > and > >growing threat of economic collapse to give something like this a > chance. > > > >Almost forgot: > >11. Do not issue visas to American tourists for 6 months.  Keep > those > >fundamentalist Christians with their US flags out of the country.  > Israel > >will be in nation-state rehab and doesn't need to be tempted by > people who > >want it to be a in constant state of drugged holy war to sustain > their > >beliefs, people who are not willing to live there and pay the same > price as > >its citizens do.  Send those yellow-bellied holy rollers home.  > Invite them > >back when they can spend their money at your beach resorts and arts > >festivals.  Better yet, build casinos and duty-free shopping malls > to become > >the Hong Kong of the ME. > > > >Seriously, any Israeli government that cannot honestly admit that > it has a > >fundamentalist "Taliban" problem is no better than Saudi Arabia or > the US, > >for that matter.  Treat them like telemarketers - they're not > welcome at the > >dinner table. > >Israel should state that it will honor a legitimately and > democratically > >elected Palestinian Authority, release all the withheld payroll > funds and > >promise to work towards a future of shared distrust with strong > borders as > >long as the suicide bombings end and the ceasefire is maintained.   > Then, > >let the natural markets of economics take hold. > >I do not believe that there will be any real progress in the I-P > issue > >dividing the ME today unless jobs and productivity are addressed > seriously, > >not just as election issues.  A dramatic and symbolic gesture is > needed by > >the Israel government as well as by the Palestinians.  It's a > matter of > >survivability and that is supposed to be a hallmark of the Jews.  > ISRAEL HAS > >PROVED THAT IT HAS MUSCLE, NOT JUST BRAINS, BUT NOW IT MUST PROVE > IT HAS > >WISDOM.  THE PEOPLE WHO ONCE UTTERED NEVER AGAIN MUST NOW SAY > ENOUGH AND > >READJUST THIS TIME NOT 360 BUT 180 DEGREES. > >And if these things don't work, Israel should build a wall around > the > >country, lock its borders, survive on its own for 20 years (like > the > >Japanese hiding out for 200) and see if still likes itself then. > > > >I guess I'd like to know who are doing all the jobs that the > Palestinians > >were doing before the Intifada?  Have they been taken by unemployed > Israelis > >or are they unfilled and contributing to lack of productivity in > the Israeli > >economy?  Do the Israelis really want those workers back? > > > >I realize that I'm going to be inundated with posts pointing out > that I'm > >not Dennis Ross, George Mitchell, Kofi Annan, Rabin or Peres, > Mother > >Theresa, the latest celebrity chef or the Prince of Peace and these > >suggestions are just not going to work.  I yield to the more expert > among > >you.  But it seems from an analytical woman's point of view that > something > >dramatic from the targeted puts the assaulters off balance and > opens the way > >for a change in direction.  Take the rhetorical ammunition away > from Hamas > >and Fatah.  Maybe then they will be seen for the radicals that they > are, > >extremists not interested in governance, just violence.  If people > are > >backed into a corner, they usually come out swinging their fists.  > Here is > >where a little ancient Chinese military and philosophy may be in > order. > > > >Both of these peoples are targets, both of them victims.  Which one > is big > >enough to take the first step to a bomb-free sanity?  That would be > heroic. > >Retaliation and deterrence may be one answer, but they are not > sustainable. > >Harry, I've spent too long having fun with your challenge, but the > elves did > >not finish my To Do List for me.  Next time, don't add "there's a > simple one > >for you" and maybe I won't reply at such great length.  Please > don't ask me > >what the Palestinians should do.  Your obedient student, Karen > > > ****************************** > Harry Pollard > Henry George School of LA > Box 655 > Tujunga  CA  91042 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Tel: (818) 352-4141 > Fax: (818) 353-2242 > ******************************* > >