Saturday, September 22, 2018

Showdown at the Gaza Corral -


(originally posted in 4/2017)



 If the person in the story,  did nothing as more and more balloons reached him, burning his crop, and some buildings in the property injuring his daughter, he or she would immediately be recognized as as insane, bizarre, irresponsible (in caring fir his children) by everyone. Yet , this is what Israel did when Hamas sent balloons, anything that could fly ,even condoms, into Israel. Each had a little firebomb attached.   How can the illogic of such behavior elude Israel? 

The actions of Israel's leaders, the strength they do not muster, their consistent denial of what their enemies are doing to destroy them, their seeming inability to even recognize people like Abbas as the enemy, their failure to take the initiative, the unrealistic and lethal principals they teach and demand of their soldiers named 'purity of arms' the goal  to never kill a civilian,  the concessions they make, the consistent policy that puts enemy lives over their own, their need for approval rather than respect from others and the disastrous foreign policy consequences are destructive  and demoralizing..

Incredibly , they haven't noticed that the strategy is not working. Dropping leaflets over homes, aborting missions when people who look like civilians are present (even though Hamas do not wear uniforms)  temporary ceasefires that allow Hamas to rearm, submitting to pressure to stop before the job is finished have earned them no approval., more reports condemning their actions that any other nation on earth.  Failing to complain rewards those who hate them fanning th flames of  Jew hatred.  The picture that the world gets of them is more ir less the opposite.

For   many  months Hamas has been launching balloon bombs into Isael's south. This caused, destruction, injuries, loss of homes, mental breakdowns and a major ecological disaster.  What has Israel done? The IDF tries to shoot the balloons down and Israeli firefighters try to put our fires.   There have been no actions to stop this., no complaints to the world community , no photographs of now extinct species. The financial costs are astronomical. Nobody knows. 

Strangely, the only clear action was negotiation with Hamas about a Hudna - a temporary cease fire. An airport and dock were on the table.  The Israeli population surveyed at the time had a clear point of view. If the negotiations failed, they wanted military action that this time,  did not stop until Hamas surrendered unconditionally 

The constant wars with Gaza  are officially named campaigns but everyone knows they are wars, that have taken the lives of too many Israelis.  Before any one 'campaign' is over, people try to guess how long it will be until the next one. If you don't end a war, you end up fighting it again and again and..... The number of people who die, the damage, disruption of life, PTSD is much higher.  Israelis hate wars. and rarely agree on anything  When most Israelis say it would be better to have one, this is a strong statement..

If only someone would listen.


Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Muda Zahran's Progressive Solution for peace between Israel and Palestinians

Mudar Zahran’s progressive Solution for Israel and Palestinians


An Arab spring in Jordan is causing a severe humanitarian crisis Few people know that most Jordanians (75%) are Palestinian victims of severe discrimination. Palestinians in Jordan, are denied schools, medical care, jobs and civil rights, simply because they are Palestinians.  60% of the county’s GDP  funds King Abdulla’s II lavish lifestyle.  Queen Reina spends more than any other Royal on her wardrobe  (313 thousand dollars annually) while Jordanians starve. Children dig through garbage already emptied of food. There were tears in Abed  AlMalia (a Bedouin Sheikh in the largest tribe in Jordan - Beni Hassan ) cried when he displayed this picture at a conference a year ago.

Jordanians have had enough. Many are risking their lives to join demonstration demanding the king’s resignation. .

It’s been a long time since a leader put his life on the line to fulfill a humanitarian vision.  Dr. Zahran’s vision is a Palestinian homeland based in Jordan.  Palestinians who live in the West bank are Jordanians who hold Jordanian passports. and have a legal right to enter or live  in  the rest of Jordan - a right that the King ignored and that Dr. Zahran will restore.

Mudar Zahran calls himself a Palestinian Jordanian,  His family left Jerusalem in 1948 when Jordan’s King told them they would return in few weeks. Seventy years later many are still waiting. Zahran’s family refused to be victimized and worked their way into the Jordanian elite. Mudar could have had a cushy life. Instead,  he jutoce and  better life for his people. When he. publicly opposed the King and and was sentenced to hard labor for life (read death) he ws forced to flee and was granted sanctuary in Great Britain.

Despite fierce opposition, seemingly insurmountable obstacles and death threats , he built the Palestinian government in Exile, filled cabinet positions, outlined their duties and established  a constitution for the New Jordan - a  homeland for Palestinians in the same way that Israel is a homeland for Jews. Any Palestinian who wishes to live there will be welcomed. The New Jordan will be a  country where people are treated equally, where the government provides education, medical care to all,  and where people are not victims of a very small small greedy royal family (88 at last count) that steals Palestinian charity money. Without the king, Jordan’s annual budget will more than double.

Mudar Zahran has accomplished what many view as impossible. He has built a strong relationship with Israel and gained their support. Israel sees in Zahran the genuine peace partner they have been looking for - someone they can negotiate with, who will keep his word, and who is genuinely committed to peace. While details of an agreement remain it’s outlines are agreed upon.

Both Israel and New Jordan will gain immeasurably.  An end to incitement, pay to slay and terrorism inflamed by the Hashemite Jordanian king are clear and immediate benefits to Israel. Palestinians could be citizens of Jordan regardless of where they they chose to live.  Similarly,  Jews would have the right to live in Jordan and be citizens of Israel if they wished.  People would have choices and nobody would have to relocate

Israel would, empower citizens of the new Jordan with technology, with drip irrigation and aeroponics proven to increase yield per dunam,  currently in use across China, with field hospitals that are used in crises all over the world and that address poverty iworldwide. Medicine is a very  popular profession among Israeli Arabs who could choose to help. Israelis will benefit from lower food and consumer prices and control of terrorism.  Joint tourism could be a profitable industry and Jordan’s free trade zone could provide Israel a gateway for trade in the middle east.

For naby  a two state solution has become an impossible dream. Most Israelis want it but don’t think it can ever happen. Palestinians agree. We have a unique and rare opportunity to implement progressive goals in the middle east. Such an opportunity will probably not come again.

Mudar Zahran is a rare Arab leader who deserves our strong support. To learn more about Dr. Zahran watch his videos on youtube or contact him on facebook.