(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . One Controversial Solution to Achieve a Quick Peace in Israel [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-25 [after reading, share your thoughts through the pole at the end] Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s speech on the floor of the United Nations yesterday framed the conflict in Israel accurately. While Israel does have the absolute right to defend itself against terrorist attacks and secure the release of all hostages, the code of war accepted on the world stage calls for proportional response, and subjecting Gaza to universal humanitarian hardships falls outside those bounds. This threatens a regional war from its neighbors, most notably Iran. Blinken warned Iran in no uncertain terms of the perils of escalation that the US would not stand for. But then he closed with the hoped for endgame noted by President Biden, reaffirming that the best outcome would be a two-state solution. But how do we get there with the least amount of lives lost? How can this be achieved without Israel looking like they caved to Palestinian demands? What if the Israeli government were to agree to that concept, including Gaza as part of the Palestinian-controlled land, with one caveat: that all Hamas leadership in Israel surrender and pay the ultimate price for their attack? What is the carrot of peace were to go hand-in-hand with the stick of retribution, albeit with a very narrow focus? Imagine how Palestinians would be willing to hunt down Hamas leaders for the promise of their own recognized state. For those Hamas fighters not in leadership and not implicated in atrocities, perhaps they could surrender with a penalty of one year in prison, followed by release into the newly created Palestinian sector near the center of Israel. The light sentence may not be well received by Israelis, but this may be the best way to get Hamas fighters to surrender their arms. It’s not exactly justice, and Netanyahu has a lot of blood on his hands himself. Perhaps the other carrot dangled in this peace agreement would be for Benjamin Netanyahu to step down at the same time. That way, none of the leadership in this war remains in a position to lash out further. Clearly, Netanyahu would not want this. But the Israeli people might, seeing as how their Prime Minister has generated protests of hundreds of thousands in the streets for his trying to control the courts to avoid corruption charges. It should be up to Qatar or other negotiating bodies to propose this. It’s too risky for America to go there if any deal with this included were to fall through. And what might be the repercussions if this were to actually work? What if the two-state solution results in peace, with Gaza rebuilding with no Hamas or Israeli influence? What if this outcome lessens Arab/Israeli tensions in the region so much that war is no longer an aspiration for anyone? Consider this an example of #22ndCenturyThinking; where humanity starts a sequence of proper and just choices to elevate peace to a primary goal. This could set the table for non-capitalistic priorities as food and water shortages, mass migrations due to climate change, and overpopulation become the specter that our species must address. Imagine if peace in Israel, demonstrating the valuing and respect for individuality, jumpstarts the “people over profits” perspective carried out to its best incarnation. To make it to our 22nd century, the greed of today’s capitalism must yield to the needs of all, where money and profit is no longer an imposed barrier at local or international levels. Peace is where it all must start, with its inherent respect for others the foundation for meeting the challenges ahead. The generation growing up today is already pointing us there. Let’s deliver it for them. What do you think? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2023/10/25/2201510/-One-Controversial-Solution-to-Achieve-a-Quick-Peace-in-Israel Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/