Mideast Peace - a "Lofty" proposal

Many people have given up hope that there will ever be peace in the Middle East. 2000 years of history would seem to indicate they are right.

I think there are, however, some very basic steps that can be taken to assure it.

However, these steps cannot be accomplished without real commitment and political courage the likes of which we have never seen. So perhaps I am not optimistic either!!

I will outline this over several posts. Please leave comments as we go.

First:

Fundamental reformation of the UN.

Most do not realize but the Palestinian question is held to separate rules and regulations than EVERY other refugee situation in the world.

First, the Palestinian's are given a different definition of refugee than any other people in the world. There is a specific legal definition of what constitutes a refugee. First generation of peoples forcibly removed. They are required to be absorbed by the new country in all succeeding generations.

The so called Palestinians have been given an exception to this. That is why they now claim several million refugees. There is a special definition for them that allows them to be refugees in perpetuity. This must be changed.

Interesting since in 1948, when the supposed "refugee crisis" occurred, 450,000 Jews were forcibly ejected from all of the Arab countries. Because they were absorbed by Israel, they are not considered refugees.

The 250,000 Palestinians, most of whom left voluntarily have never been absorbed, and worse, have purposely been claimed by the Arab world to distract from other issues.

There are approximately 9 agencies at the UN dealing with refugees. But 5 of them deal with the so called Palestinians alone.

These agencies are rife with corruption and are manned by the so called Palestinians themselves. Money is stolen, misdirected, etc.

This must stop. If Darfur, Somalia, Kurdistan, etc don't get their "own" agency, these people should not either.

They should be put in the same organizations as the rest of the world so these agencies are not co-opted by the likes of Hamas.

Next, the US needs to exert it's influence. Real influence. The US pays most of the cost of the UN. It should DEMAND that arms such as the Human Rights commission stop issuing resolutions condemning Israel to the exclusion of EVERY OTHER COUNTRY in the world.

Until the conversation becomes real, and civil, it cannot move forward.

In addition, the UN must assure that the schools that they are operating in the "territories" are not teaching the hate filled rhetoric and the way of the Shahid that they are currently. New textbooks must be used that conform with international educational standards.

In addition, the fact that the various agencies, particularly the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA and one of those agencies that despite it's name is devoted solely to so called Palestinians) are manned by the terrorists themselves, effectively means that the UN is funding terror itself.

This must stop. Aid dollars must be monitored by independent auditors, such as those from IMF or the world bank - to ensure that aid Money is used for aid.

Finally, if the UN establishes peace keeping forces, they must not be like the one currently in Southern Lebanon, which the UN itself has recenlty admitted has allowed Hezbollah to be fully rearmed by Syria.

Next: Who should be involved?