“The day after” - Quo Vadis Israel?

If Netanyahu does not attack Iran to prevent its development of nuclear arms, I wonder what the rationale was behind provoking Iran by killing a Hamas political leader who was visiting Iran—thus violating its sovereignty. There were other provocations as well: disrupting the Iranian economy, sabotaging its technological infrastructure, and assassinating several Iranian nuclear scientists.

I assumed the strategy was to provoke Iran into attacking Israel, giving the U.S who pledged to protect Israel, a legitimate reason to retaliate and with Israel attack Iran. The goal would be to jointly topple the radical religious regime in Iran and eliminate the nuclear threat to the West. But if Israel does not attack Iran’s nuclear capabilities, what was the purpose of all the provocations?
It appears that Israeli leadership lacks a coherent strategy for addressing the Palestinian or the Iranian issues. There is no strategy for what to do “the day after.” Suppose Israel succeeds in halting the barrage of rockets from Iran and destroys the infrastructure of Hezbollah and Hamas. This, I suggest, will not resolve the underlying problem. A new war will emerge in a few years. The fundamental issue remains: Palestinians have no future. They are rejected by their Arab brothers. Jordan killed thousands of them, as did the Christian Lebanese militias and Assad’s Syria. And they have no future to look forward to with Israel either. A Palestinian waiter once told me, “I have no future, but what about my children?” It is no wonder that even ordinary people are turning to terrorism.

Who can solve this problem? The Arab nations could, by settling the Palestinian refugees as Israel did with Jewish refugees from Arab countries. But they did not, and do not seem to be willing to do it now either. International powers only send aid, which in turn perpetuates the problem rather than solving it. The only entity capable of solving the problem is Israel. If Israel were to take responsibility, what options does it have? With the current mindset, there are only five.

1. Abandon Israel for the Palestinians: This is what Hamas and Hezbollah want, but it won’t happen like it did with the Crusaders. The Jews have a deep historical and spiritual connection to the land, praying and yearning for two thousand years to return to the homeland they were forcefully exiled from. They were persecuted, killed, hanged, and burned for generations, and yearn for a place to call it their  refuge.
2. Forcibly relocate Palestinians to another region: Whether to Africa or Europe, this won’t happen either. No country will take millions of Muslim Palestinians, though this may be the dream of messianic or nationalistic Jews.
3. One state for both nations: This is the goal of the Palestinian authorities, but in such a state, Jews would become a minority, ending the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland to which Jews, endangered by antisemitism, can immigrate to protect themselves. the world is willing to allocate protected areas for endangered animal or vegetation species but not a piece of land for endangered people—like the Jews? We lost six million in the Holocaust. We are now less than fifteen  million,  size of a major city ,  eight in Israel. What will happen if Hamas or Hezbollah, with the help of Iran, wins?
4. Two-state solution: This is becoming increasingly difficult to implement due to the illegal settlements spread throughout occupied territories  which is expected to be the new  Palestinian state. Relocating 20,000 to 50,000 settlers would be necessary but highly contentious, as they believe that God granted them the land. Forcing relocation could spark a civil war. Many Israelis also fear that a Palestinian state would be taken over by Hamas, surrounding Israel with highly belligerent  enemies. International guarantees to prevent that from happening can not be relied on. Their commitments change as their interests change.
5. Do nothing: This is also not a solution. A disease untreated only worsens. The Palestinians may never cause Israel to capitulate. Israel has nuclear weapons and will use them if its survival is seriously threatened. But living in Israel could become unbearable, sacrificing their children in periodic wars or skirmishes. Terrorism would persist, making daily life perilous going to a movie, sitting in a restaurant, or taking public transportation. Terrorism is difficult to combat because any individual can become a terrorist.  Israel’s  security is deteriorating already. 350,000 Israelis, including doctors and high-tech workers, have left the country.

None of the five options based on the current mindset will work. What is required is a solution that transcends conventional thinking—a change in mindset on both sides. However, given the recent atrocities of October 7, I’m not optimistic that such a change will come soon in Israel. On the Palestinian side too. The hatred of Israel runs deep, and this divide seems unbridgeable. I am nevertheless writing this piece hoping to start a debate on the future of the country based on common sense, accepting reality rather than being driven by revenge, hatred, and religious zeal.

What mindset change is required?
President Lincoln once said, “I destroy my enemies. I make them my friends.” We need to make the Palestinians partners, not just allow them to have a state,  and treat them merely as a source of cheap labor. Hamas will take control of the new state, and Israel’s situation will worsen. Instead, we must foster a partnership and address the perceived injustice.
This idea isn’t entirely foreign—there’s already significant interdependence between the two parties. Palestine relies on Israel for electricity and water and shares airspace. Israel relies on Palestinian labor.  Without it, it would need to import workers from places like Thailand and the Philippines, which is not a sustainable solution. These “temporary” workers will stay permanently, because the need for them is permanent.   Integrating them into the Israeli society  can create a new demographic problem.

What should be done?
Israel must take responsibility for the injustice the Palestinians feel has been inflicted upon them; The Jews secured approval for their state, but the Palestinians lost land, homes, and a future. The mind set need to change if there is going to be peace.

Israel’s first step must be addressing this perceived injustice, which is turning the world against Israel. One way to do this is by creating a trust, funded equally by an Israeli donation and an Israeli investment. The donation is declared to be for all the suffering the Palestinians have had for losing land and their homes. This should, hopefully, stop the yearning of the Palestinians to return. The trust  will be a partnership between two nations, Israeli and Palestinian. The partnership would aim to economically develop the Palestinian state (implementing a Marshal plan), starting with Gaza. Additionally, Israel and Palestine should form a joint police force to prevent both Israeli and Palestinian terrorism. Finally, both sides should have a joint ministry of education to prohibit the teaching of hate—Israelis learning Arabic and Islamic history, while Palestinians learn Hebrew and Jewish history. This mutual understanding could help lay the foundation for mutual respect.

By developing trust through economic partnership and respect through education, we can hope for a sustainable solution. Without this, I fear Israel and the Palestinians are on the road to mutual destruction.

This plan cannot be implemented with Hamas and Hezbollah in power. Nor with Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the messianic Jews, in power. They must be marginalized.  What is needed to do  now, if the solution for “the day after” can become a reality, is that the opposition parties get united, which they are not, and develop a solution that will work.  The presented one here is just one of the possible ones. And mobilize the people to accept the change in mind set so that when the opposition gets to power, the solution can be implemented with minimum resistance.

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