Gideon Polya, “Holy Land Peace Plan. Two-in-One Holy Land Peace Plan”, MWC News, 4 September 2006.
Holy Land Peace Plan. Two-in-One Holy Land Peace Plan
THE WORLD has been appalled by the latest Israeli war on its neighbours. Lebanon is devastated – over 1,000 dead, 1 million homeless, nearly $4 billion of infrastructure damage and an estimated 20,000 annual avoidable deaths if Lebanon has been reduced to a UK-US-occupied Iraq scenario (see MWC News ). The Israeli bombing, shelling and deprivation of Gaza continues, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and Palestinians are living in appalling conditions. Decent people feel helpless in the face of such evil.
However out of this darkness comes a marvelous essay by Israeli humanitarian and journalist Deb Reich entitled “Calling All Semites”. Deb Reich is an author, editor and translator for Ha’aretz-International Herald Tribune and for various organizations in civil rights and related fields. She was born in Manhattan, New York, was educated at Barnard College and now lives and works in Israel. Deb Reich argues for a peaceful and sustainable for a “two-in-one” solution to the brutal 4 decade Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In short, she argues for a unique “parallel sovereignty” solution involving 2 states that occupy the same territory of the Holy Land but which exist confederally (see: HERE ).
Ms Reich gives the background to the present nightmare and argues that violence, whatever its temporary success, is doomed to failure. Israel has become a “world-class military power” but the Palestinians have been driven into a corner with the consequent “majestic dimensions of Palestinian civilian endurance” after nearly 40 years of violent and traumatizing occupation.
Reich rejects the exclusivity of Zionism (I would be blunter and call it racism), which she accurately describes as making “this bit of land ours at the expense of our cousins”. She applies a marvelous analogy to the multilayered “historical” justifications of Zionism, calling it “peeling the onion of blame” (with consequent weeping and little else).
The crucial problem of “exclusive ownership” and “attachment” is addressed, with Reich citing Solomon’s wisdom over the two women claiming ownership of the baby – should he chop the infant in half? “Does the flea own the dog?” asks Ms Reich. The crucial point is that “attachment to the land need not be exclusive”, two peoples can “share” the land. Further, Ms Reich argues from contemporary cosmology and the postulation of “parallel universes” and reinforces this by citing differential cultural views and the insights of mystics over the centuries about supposed “reality”.
Reich rejects the exclusivity of Zionism (I would be blunter and call it racism), which she accurately describes as making “this bit of land ours at the expense of our cousins”. She applies a marvelous analogy to the multilayered “historical” justifications of Zionism, calling it “peeling the onion of blame” (with consequent weeping and little else).
Deb Reich’s proposal involves Greater Israel and Greater Palestine existing “simultaneously, in the same territory, with the same national boundaries – parallel universes: each with its own flag, anthem, and membership in the UN. Each with its own government, foreign services and taxes. Call it a new form of confederation or the actualization of parallel realities – the terminology is not central.”
Ms Reich applies a supermarket analogy – we commonly use the parking spaces, shopping carts and shopping areas even though we don’t actually “own” any of these things. We “use” and “share”. Of course, as all citizens of multicultural Melbourne, San Francisco and Vancouver know full well, we “share” our cities with culturally disparate fellow human beings and it is an enriching experience. If I want to eat Italian in Melbourne I go to Carlton; if I want Chinese food and culture in San Francisco I go to China Town; and in Vancouver if I want jellabies, berfi, pakoras and samosas I go to Punjab City.
One can cite formerly violent Northern Ireland and still peaceful Fiji as places where conflict has been resolved sensibly and humanely. Catholics and Protestants now co-exist peacefully in Northern Ireland. Notwithstanding 3 “bloodless” coups and inevitable political tensions, Indo-Fijians and Indigenous Fijians co-exist cooperatively. Deb Reich cites the examples of multilingual Belgium and Switzerland. Canada represents another good example of productive multicultural coexistence (and Canadian kids grow up to be variously bilingual with the consequent opportunity for great cultural enrichment).
The key part of Deb Reich’s brilliant essay for me is as follows: “We can have truth and reconciliation commissions on the South African model to deal with defining what is a land grab, and what is not; repatriation of the exiles, confession, compensation, forgiveness, and all the other thorny questions. They can be solved, but we need to put the basic paradigm in place first. When we can see one another as resources rather than threats, we will be able to solve anything. First comes the vision; then the details. And at the risk of repeating myself: the vision comes from love – not from anger.”
Such a non-racist, multicultural, “two-in-one” society would be a unique and fabulous ideal. However we must recognize that the current situation involves a racist, lebensraum-obsessed Israeli Establishment still bombing and shelling Gaza, having already devastated Lebanon, leaving 1 million homeless. Some problem for a marriage counsellor.
Nevertheless an “interim” half-way house (after 2 millennia of appalling violence) is the European Union paradigm of multiple states (after all we all live in separate houses or apartments) with intimate confederal EU cooperation and profound mutual respect. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have amicably gone their separate ways but belong to the common EU (see: HERE ). Europe is heading towards a Fukuyama “end of history” of no wars, immense prosperity and borders that simply reflect history and demographics as in suburbs of a great multicultural city.
I have long advocated an “interim peace plan” for Israel/Palestine that is “temporary until trust is firmly established” and which involves essentially confederal (joint) provision of “total airport level security” and “interim” Israeli defence of the borders of the Holy Land (on the assumption that most Israelis would accept nothing less at the present time) – the rest is essentially, in practice, similar to Deb Reich’s “parallel sovereignty” and involves 2 states, 1967 borders, equality, justice, reconciliation, abolition of racism and bigotry, guaranteed human rights and secure access by ALL to ALL of the Holy Land (do a Google Search for “interim peace plan” or, for example, see MWC News ).
The racist, genocidal, “endless war” policies of the Israeli Establishment and Bush Amerika variously constitute a serious threat to Jewish Israelis, Jews around the world, all Middle Easterners and to the world in general. What will happen to an increasingly hated Israel when Decent America finally rejects US-Israeli State Terrorism and turns away from racism, colonial occupation and genocide in the Middle East and Central Asia? Peace with Equality, Justice and Reconciliation is the only sustainable future for the Holy Land and its neighbours.
One can cite formerly violent Northern Ireland and still peaceful Fiji as places where conflict has been resolved sensibly and humanely.