TheVoiceOfJoyce

Dear reader, events are moving in the Israeli Gaza conflict quicker then I have written and Published. Though the setting is the last cease fire, the scenario was unchanged. Rockets from Gaza continued to be fired upon Israel but Israel held firm and proceeded with the cease fire. As I write, all sides are meeting in Cairo. Though these thoughts came to me prior to these events, I hope you’ll find them relevant and think about outcomes for Peace. Wishing you the best, Joyce

Back in time, 1 week, what if the murder, kidnapping on Thurs (7/31/14) evening  just before the cease fire, was in fact, an “error”, by unplanned “rebel factions” of Hamas or Islamic Jihad”?  . In  War , bad intentions have real consequences. Though you may have misgivings and distrust of the enemy, a cease fire means you are living up to everyone’s expectation and you agree not to participate in more killing. On micro and macro levels, trust issues are played out daily. When A Conflict may result in someone’s death, or the death of many, these issues of trust are magnified with dire consequences. In Gaza not only were IDF soldiers needlessly murdered , countless civilians gave their lives as well.

Substitute parents for “the Nation States” , contributing to this dance of violence, as they arm their preferred ” kids” for the continuation of violence and the kids don’t disappoint. They act as expected. Only on the World’s stage , this dance, this cycle of violence is deadly. Do we want to continue these cycles of violence or do we want to call a halt to the ” dance”?   In all it’s horror , the cycle of violence is comfortable and predictable. Everyone knows their places and paces.

BIBI knew Hamas was not to be trusted. Every time there is a humanitarian cease fire,  Hamas seizes the opportunity to break the Peace and someone is killed. This time BIBI wants to stop the cycle of violence for once and for all. He needs help to convince the world to stop their old games , stop arming terrorists , stop the verbal hatreds of Jews and stop the reflexive  anti semitism around the World.   Israel is a growing thriving civilized Democracy, that deserves our respect , not our hatred.   Give them a chance as the new kid in the neighborhood to show the others how to create and form a middle Eastern trading block, rather then promoting the barbarians and condoning  destruction and hatred and murder dating back to the 7 th Century. This is absurd and would be laughable, if not tragic.

We have had so many watershed moments in this conflict; the kidnapping and deaths of the 3 Israeli Teens, the subsequent death of the Young Arab boy,  the dismissive Hamas response when the teens were murdered,  the rockets fired upon Israeli civilians , the carnage in Gaza leading to untold civilian casualties and IDF deaths:  all these occurrences  ,  violence against one another without end!

You have to ask, since the UN understands there were weapons among their midst, why didn’t they speak out? They understood that civilians and children were at risk if War occurred. Why didn’t they alert the international community and Israel in particular, that tunnel building was preceding, that rockets and weapons of destruction were implanted amidst the civilian population? Why was the UN silent? How can you claim to be a humanitarian organization and maintain a blind eye to the damage Hamas was inflicting on their population? Where was the UN responsibility to bear witness to potential atrocities ? As part of a human rights watch, they have failed. I have no idea what their Mission Statement says, but I do question their motives for remaining silent as Hamas armed for War, knowing that innocent children would be in harm’s way?   Why wasn’t their Mission to influence society and create an educated populace, one who would value and choose Peaceful coexistence and commerce over War?   If the UN was not part of the solution they became part of the problem.

It is time to rethink the influence of the UN on world affaires. I have never Re entered the UN since the early 1970’s when I brought my children to the UN to educate them , to explain the significance of this World body in our lives.   The time was after the Ma’alot school massacre in Israel when 22 children were killed by grenades along with Arab and Israeli civilians.    I opened the door to the General Assembly , which was in session, to educate my children about World affaires.   As I opened the door, I heard a motion on the floor of the assembly condemning Israel. I quietly closed the door, walked out of the UN and never walked back. Almost 40 yrs later, this memory remains with me. What is their purpose? What influence do they have ? In their present state are they relevant as a representative of World government view points? Since Israel is such a small nation , do they matter to the rest of the World? So far, independent of the rhetoric,  the answer is yes.  The largest Powers on our Planet believe in the existence and prosperity and contributions of the Israeli State to modern civilization. Perhaps the other nation’s should rethink their goals for the future of their People and rather then hating and envying Israel they should learn and prosper as well?

I’ve thought about the road to Peace. I’ve concluded that Israel should meet with her allies and construct The Road to Peace . Then and only then, should the warring factions and their proxies be brought to the table. Listed below are my conclusions,  your input dear reader, is valued as always.

A cease fire leading to Demilitarization:
Parties involved: Egypt, Israel, US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and any other Party/State Israel and Egypt decide to include.

• They should draft the terms of the cease fire and their goals for a demilitarization of the area
• They should plan for a security force in place
  They would also require an overseer of reconstruction and a leader for a newly established temporary government
  This government should be responsible for establishing various ministries for the well being of the Gaza Community and the eradication of weapons and rockets
  The teaching of hate in the schools and mosques should be stopped. There should be zero tolerance on all sides for racism

After the coalition drafts their treaty for cease fire, disarmament and self rule., the parties involved in the previous conflict and rule of Gaza should be invited to state their case. This would include: Hamas, (PLO) Fatah, Turkey and Qatar. There has to be an agreement on how much money is going into Gaza and by whom and for what purpose.

After 9 mos to one yr , following the agreement of the formation of government in Gaza, the people should be presented with a referendum for self rule.

I reiterate:  No building products should be allowed into Gaza without a designated place for construction. A police force should be left in place to determine the soundness of the construction and affirm that it is free of tunnels. The old terrorist ways are to be abandoned in favor of rebuilding and coexistence.

Any leader in Gaza should be responsible and speak coexistence. No more hatreds please!   There should be a concentration on building an equitable society that includes the 47% disenfranchised and left to die.

A government by the people, all the people, should be put in place. An end to violence. Calm should prevail allowing all people a time to heal. Anyone breaking the Peace should be identified and tried for treason subject to the  death penalty . Better to lose one life then to sacrifice the fate of many to the one!

The end goal is embracing a commercial partner with a viable economy and trade. This should not be instant acceptance into the Larger Community of States. Their status must be earned thru hard work and the renouncing of violence. Any society who can build sophisticated tunnels for death and destruction should be able to build houses, schools, infra structure and a society capable of nurturing all their people.

I’m sure both Israel and Egypt would seize the opportunity to have Peace on their borders.

It’s an outline of a plan,hastily written. My 2 cents on the road to an enduring Peace.

No one needs more War. I’ve tried to include the relevant Parties and outline a framework for Peace. It would be desirable if objective, honest journalism could be part of reporting their progress to the World. The Gaza Israeli conflict has triggered too many emotions worldwide to remain secret. We are all involved in the stability of this region. Perhaps whatever plans are made for an enduring Peace here,  can lead to plans for Peace elsewhere? Let’s stop the killing and do something we have never done, intervene and ensure an endurable Peace.

If we never take the first step toward listening to each others  needs, we can never get to the second step, implementing peaceful coexistence. Maybe, just maybe, This Israeli Gaza conflict can be the last as we all build toward coexistence. We have nothing to fear, except War and we’ve seen that!   Can Peace be worse?