- Moderator
- #221
I’m responding in kind to what I perceive from a person who has already advocated ethnic cleansing and has no desire from what I can see to share space with Muslims.Perhaps I missed something, but could you clarify why you assume an "apartheid" system in this scenario? I mean, I essentially suggested the same and you declared you could get on board with it. What was different in what I said?
“…The Palestinians who remain are likely tied to HAMAS via relatives and/or hate Jews…”. Remain from…what?
The idea of Israeli sovereignty is appealing to me, particularly if it can be pulled off in a way that provides equality, justice, respect, safety, security and opportunity to every one and people can be made to see this. If you can’t build this, you could end up creating an Aparthied type system even unintentially.
I’m curious to see your opinion here and whether you think these are or are not issues to you.
Opening up Gaza to Jewish settlement. Will it be just be an open gate, with people flooding in to claim what they can? Will priority be given to those already living there to reclaim their property or to develop Gaza? Or will they end up marginalized further? There are examples of this elsewhere in history and Israel has a desperate shortage of affordable housing.
Religion. Religion is huge. Gaza is more religiously conservative than West Bank and the settlers as a group who most want to “settle” Gaza, who have substantial political influence are more conservative than other Jewish groups. How will we get them to not just tolerate but accept on another as equal partners? The other side of the religion issue is this: countries that mix religion into government (as opposed to separation of church and state) do not have a good track record in regards to their minorities and the less secular the population, the more problematic. Look at Al Aqsa/Temple Mount.
Who will pay for this…it will take decades to clean up Gaza and rebuild what has been lost. There is a lack of will to invest in Arab populations within Israel from infrastructure to security to education and that divide has increased lately. International partners have their own concerns with investing.
Security. For everyone. Huge issue. And with it trust. Trust in the government to keep people safe, to deal with people fairly and equitably, and to do so without increasing divides such as checkpoints, barriers, limitations on movement.
Demographics. 2 million more people who are Muslim, in a state with a religious identity that is Jewish and Jews are a minority. Understandably those in a minority, particularly given decades of conflict, will be concerned. And there are examples elsewhere where the minority population was dominant (which was a deliberate strategy in many places under colonial rule) and when things flipped, either gradually or suddenly and violently they lost rights, property or were even killed or forced to flee. Likewise not giving the same rights to the others might continue the conditions that led to conflict.
There are plenty of countries where minority populations and majority populations live together without issue despite history but the key to success seems to forging a strong national identity that overcones tribal, ethnic and religious identities.
I think if things can be done thoughtfully and carefully it can work. But demographic governments are subject to the will of their people and may not be able to maintain the will.