Fascinating video, Rayan, thanks so much. I am afraid your “Sons of Palestine” plan runs into the very different history that Iraq and Gaza have. I interviewed a terrorist in Gaza when I was working as a journalist there (he was not Hamas, he was with another faction) who had been released from Israeli prison in a prisoner swap. His name in Arabic was “the Beast” because his duty when in the Israeli prison was to strangle to death anybody thought to be an Israeli collaborator with a wet towel. He had a nice wife who served us melons and a couple of nice kids. He was not nice.
My point is that collaboration is frowned upon by these guys. And the long history of this conflicts makes for long and bitter memories and whatever possible sympathy some Gaza’s might have for Israel (and there is not a lot of sympathy) was probably obliterated by the bombing and the 30,000 killed so far, all of whom had relatives and friends, and the massive destruction of the place.
Keep in mind that there are many families on the West Bank who keep has a holy relic the key to the house in Israel their grandfather left in the 1948 Nakhba, which was something like 76 years or so ago. So the chance of getting enthusiastic young men to help the Israeli’s (or Americans) out, who are not concerned about whatever contemporary version of the Beast is hanging around is pretty small, I think. The locals have had plenty of chances to tell the Israeli’s where the tunnels are and they have still have not found the hostages. I think it is hard to overstate the level of hatred most Gazan’s feel towards Israel and of course fear of Hamas. And it is unimaginable to me that the Israel’s would give any Gazans anything more lethal than a toothpick.
I also think you misread the chances of Hezbollah shooting missiles at ships, because Iran has actually kept them on a comparatively short leash. It is a mistake to think the Iranians are crazy or irrational. They know we have those air craft carriers off shore and they know the Israeli’s have the capacity to do to Lebanon what they did to Gaza.
But it is still a very complicated situation and you have done an excellent job in showing why it is. The Israeli’s have shown themselves to be of not much help at all in making the humanitarian situation better, or making Biden’s political situation better and for whatever reason the Biden administration has shown no stomach for putting the hammer down on Israel. Seems like the better thing to do would be to open up the crossings, and expedite shipping of food into Gaza, but the Israeli’s do not want to do that, whether for tactical reasons or just cruelty and anger. And this is even thought their actions have cost them terribly in world opinion.
Also, with respect, making fun of political activists is not helpful. Some of these folks are deeply wrong headed, but they are also demonstrating against genuine atrocities, something they are not only entitled to do, but they should do if their moral center demands it of them (ask Gandhi or Martin Luther King).
Thanks again for this great piece and keep up the good work.
That kind of deeply rooted hatred, where they prefer being abused by HAMAS to maybe not so badly treated by Israel is hard to change. Maybe if the death rate reaches a tipping point and basically the gene pool osmehow starts all over again... It really is a tragic sewer of a situation.
I am not so sure "maybe not so badly treated by Israel" would be seen as preferable by Gazans who have suffered their tender mercies all their lives. This conflict has been going on now for three generations without much of a sign of letup.
Yes, they seem to have a cut off their nose to spite their face mentality when it comes to Israel. I can see both sides but nothing excuses 7/10/23, or their prefernce for HAMAS despite obviously being abused by their 'elected' leaders.
It is a common misconception that Palestinian terrorism, including their terror bombings of busses and restaurants during the second Intifada and the terrible October 7th terror attack, are somehow beyond the pale, beyond civilized behavior and understanding. But the Palestinian resistance or “armed struggle” (as they like to call it) is the result of asymmetric warfare, where one side has a powerful military and the other side does not.
When the Jews of Pre-Israeli Palestine found themselves in conflict with the much more powerful British over restricted immigration and land purchases, they indulged in terrorism against them, the King David Hotel bombing, which killed 91 people, is the best known example of that and it remains the most deadly terror bombing in Israel’s history. They also practiced kidnapping and random murder and the killing of captives. As I think I posted earlier, Palestinian Arabs have been fighting the European Jews who were moving to and buying land in Palestine since the 1920’s. There is nothing new in this fight. As the more powerful of the two antagonists, it is Israel who must take the initiative to find a political solution to this long and difficult conflict, something they have never had the political will to do.
As to their preference for Hamas, Hamas was supported and encouraged by the Israeli’s in order to maintain a weakening imbalance against the Palestinian authority, another brilliant tactic of Netanyahu, like counting on the “impenetrable” barrier surround Gaza to keep terrorists away from Jewish civilians living close to Gaza.
Two wrongs never make a right. You are spot on that this is asymmetric warfare. I once wrote a paper on this regarding the 2006 Summer War with Hezbollah. The same for the atrocities committed by the Stern Gang and other terrorist groups that operated prior to 1948, not to mention the events of that year itself. Neither side has clean hands. The difference here (7/10/23) is the extent of the atrocities and the intent to perform such, fully expecting the level of retaliation. Netanyahu and the machinations of Israeli politics is a full bottle of something discussion in itself. The resolution of this as amicably as possible, perhaps having to accept a less than ideal solution by both sides is the only way it will improve but I seriously doubt either side, at the level of having any authority to decide, will swallow the bitter pill. Too much hubris, ego and sheer stubborness.
Yes, I agree. I would only say that as awful as October 7th was, and it was deepIy awful, I would look at it not just as a stand alone terror action but as part of what many Palestinians consider "The Armed Struggle" which goes far back into time, including every loss, wound and slight they can imagine and there are a lot of them. What is really shocking to the Israelis is the scope and cruelty of it, something they have never experienced before. They had swallowed the illusion of their security that Netanyahu sold them. But terrible murder, mutilation and rape is tragically part of warfare, both in organized warfare and insurgencies. I think the Germans estimated something like 100,000 rapes by Soviet Troops during the occupation of Berlin at the end of the war. And the Wounded Knee Massacre is an example of the willful killing of women and children in the hundreds. This is not meant in any way to excuse what happened, but it didn't come out of a vacuum. But all your points are valid. Thanks.
The +160,000 non-Israelis who were (formerly) granted work visas to cross the border to work in Israel; with the same privileges & protections as Israeli workers, would disagree. Those jobs, the millions in combined pay, and the associated healthcare coverage is over; likely for a generation at least.
That, along with being treated for generations as worthless burdens *without basic human rights* in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and The Kingdom of Palestine(/Jordan). That makes Israel’s treatment appear as Good Samaritans by comparison.
Nothing is going to change, as long as the UN & UNWRA keeps its farcical policies to allow Hamas to set the school curriculums at the UN schools, while looking the other way as the local Drug Cartels administer the hospitals, and allow Arab nations to openly treat these people as sub-humans without the basic rights set out in the Treaties.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I am afraid the problem with the kind of thinking you are presenting here is that looks at the upside of the picture (minimum wage employment) without looking at the downside of Israel’s illegal occupation (complete absence of civil rights, frequent arrest and imprisonment, loss of property to illegal settlements, the humiliation of checkpoints, appropriation of natural resources like water, building restrictions, including the destruction of homes built outside of arbitrary “building codes” and the risk of death by gunshot wounds during frequent times of unrest and so on). The fact that the other Arab countries you mention might or might not be inhospitable to Palestinians is irrelevant to this discussion. As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility for the Palestinian population under its control. This is both a legal and moral responsibility.
I am afraid that the idea that Israel is some kind of Good Samaritan in its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories or Gaza would find some disagreement by the folks living under their tender mercies. Why not compare how immigrants are treated in Denmark, for instance or Sweden?
Regarding what is taught in Arab schools, the Israeli curriculum often contains all kinds of false history and fairly racist descriptions of Arab interactions (or at least it did during my time there).
But thanks for taking the time to write your note.
You cannot claim to be “the victims” while your government representatives intentionally & primarily target civilians. That’s the easiest and first distinction between Terrorists & Freedom Fighters. Freedom Fighters attack the institutions & agents of their enemy’s government; and civilian suffering is incidental / accidental.
Terrorists’ intentionally attack civilians, and the ensuing civilian suffering on both sides (like additional security measures) is the intended consequence.
You also seem to be missing the history before the Egypt-Israel peace deal, Israel-Jordan peace deal, *and Israel literally handing physical & religious sovereignty over Judaism’s most holy site* to Palestinian/Jordanian control; in exchange for brand new enshrined prayer rights for Jews & Christians in the holy land.
Every anti-Israeli today wants to focus solely on the post-Bush-Sr. era, with zero context for what civilian horrors lead to the security measures in place inside Israel.
Camp David was supposed to be the beginning of a new era, where both sides recognized land swaps were going to be necessary no matter what. Israel wasn’t going to also give up religious access rights to the Tombs of the Patriarchs, while the Christians have seemed perfectly fine being driven out of Bethlehem & their other ancient communities.
The only thing stopping a real peace plan is the PA & Hamas’ political stance of a Juden-Free Palestine, “from the river to the sea.” While also demanding Israel take in the millions of NON-REFUGEES Arab nations have been abusing for political gain for 3/4ths of a century; and refusing to recognize the millions of ancient Jewish communities illegally communally punished (by being made stateless) across the Middle East & Africa, post Arab Alliance war losses.
Israel is not occupying any of the Kingdom of Palestine’s sovereignty over 77% of the previously fully foreign occupied lands, nor the other lands 10% of the lands which have decided against independence since the early 1900s.
Their decision to go to war, and publicly declare an official policy of genocide against every Israeli(Jew/Christian/Coptic/etc…) who took up arms against the invading Arab armies in 1948. That was the first turning point in history, with Arafat’s 2nd Intifada instead of peace negotiations being the latest.
Every single terror attack intentionally targeting civilians has done nothing but empowered the “all or nothing” political players on both sides. Bibi would be irrelevant today if the negotiations continued in good faith. Because his political existence has always hinged on security measures to counter the terror attacks.
As a Native American, I have every right to wrest control of my peoples’ lands & resources by force; because of the Canadian & American Governments’ breaking of a multitude of peace treaties going back hundreds of years. Yet, that is not the path my people have chosen, even though we are still marked as different by both governments, and the Lakota/Sioux/Dakota who were driven from the US (“The Trail of Tears”) are still refused even the most basic of rights on the ancestral lands of their ancestors. YET, among all the humiliations, targeting by police, and even property stolen from Native Veterans WE HAVE NEVER CHOSEN TO TARGET WOMEN & CHILDREN! EVEN as America’s “Founding Fathers” called(and still call us sub-human) “Savages,” and were literally hunting Native women & children AND MAKING HUMAN BODY PART JEWELRY out of their noses and/or Ears. [Jefferson’s necklace was taken out of the public exhibition in 2016 at the Jeffersonian Institution.)
Peace will only be possible when the Arab Alliance Nations are willing to address their role in using civilian suffering for military gain, and properly give the displaced’s children & grandchildren living in their nation their legally required dual-nationality.
Either that, or UNWRA should recognize, and also fully care for, the same displaced peoples taken in by Canada/USA/EU/UK/etc… and who UNWRA treated differently by demanding full dual-citizenship. The same UN application of laws for the same people, just like the Rohingya receive.
Thanks for your lengthy and thoughtful response to my post.
With respect, I am afraid your comment “The only thing stopping a real peace plan is the PA & Hamas’ political stance of a Juden-Free Palestine, “from the river to the sea.”’ shows an entirely one-sided view of a subject of great historical and diplomatic complexity, particularly your Holocaust reference of “Juden-Free.
The conflict between Arabs and Jews in this region goes back to 19th century decision made by European Jews to establish a “Homeland” in a place which, at the time, had 92% of the population as Arabs. Violence began in the 1920’s. As we see, this violence continues to this day. Whether or not Palestinians should consider themselves victims or not has to do with how they have been treated, not how they have responded. Terrorism happens when a conflict is asymmetrical, when one combatant has more power than the other, as was the case when the Jews used terrorism against the British, including the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which killed 91 people, many of them civilians. This is the deadliest terror bombing in the history of the region.
It is a common position of supporters of Israel to blame all violence and the failure of the all the various peace process on the Palestinians, even though the most basic of logical analysis would find that unlikely. Entire books have been written about this and what they tend to show is that both sides were riven by conflicting politics and obstructive factions. But in the end, it was the Israeli’s who had the actual power, political and military power to change things and they did not. Both sides have the blood of the innocents on their hands.
I have spent time on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, which I believe is one of the poorest counties in America. Since I have also been in Gaza, I find it impossible not to see the commonality in both places, where poverty, poor housing and general human misery have been forced onto people whose only crime was getting in the way of a more powerful people’s dreams of expansion.
I agree that having the Palestinians distribute the aid would be a good idea. Just don’t think that having Israel select who does it, would help.
For one, they would be seen as collaborators and would most certainly be targeted. Also, I would assume it would take a very long time to verify such people. Given the urgency of the situation, wasting time on background checks would not help the people in need of the help they need.
I think initially it will need to be a foreign force that does the duties, while planning to eventually transition the work to a Palestinian group.
There has been an idea floated by some in Israel to base future (ie. when peace has broken out) administration on local clan structures within Gaza and the West Bank. It almost sounds possible but there is likely too much bad history involved for the idea to work -- certainly while IRGC is stirring the pot of its proxies.
It is very hard for the Israeli public to accept the Powell principle. I think that what you forget is that when the US was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, it was fighting thousands of miles away from home. Israel is fighting for its life against Iranian proxies on its doorstep and within. When you are fighting for your life against a ruthless and amoral enemy it is very hard to understand that we also have responsibility for those people. They want to kill us. Every last one of them. OK 99% of them. And they would happily do it with their bare hands. Yesterday morning before breakfast. And I don't believe that a job will make them think otherwise, because we tried that as well. And we have to feed them? Unfortunately it seems so. But it is very hard to swallow.
Even I thought that giving weapons to Gazans to work for Israel could work, the Israeli government would not survive the decision. We've tried that before. Albeit the conditions could be argued to be different, but Israeli public opinion would not buy that. The Palestinian Police were given weapons and were supposed to do our dirty work for us "without the Supreme Court and without BeTselem" to quote Rabin. Then came the Second Intifada and they turned those weapons on us. The only option I see for distribution of aid is for Israel to do ourselves via our military. I think that above the political cost in the present government of trying to do that, that we are frightened of suicide bombers who would no doubt start as soon as we allow civilians to get anywhere near our soldiers. Which is what they feared in the incident where 3 free hostages were killed by our forces, and last week's aid truck stampede/shooting incident.
I agree with most of what you say and am very anti Hamas but one statement you make, “and we have to feed them? It is very hard to swallow”. Needs context. You have 2 choices. Feed them or kill them. Their method of feeding themselves has been destroyed. Outside forces, Israel and Egypt, control that entrance of food. Without it, they starve and die. Right now, there is no other fact. Letting them starve is a choice and you can make it. The consequences on the world stage will continue either way. Good luck. I am an American I think Israel is doing what is right for Israel and they should. What I believe is that the US should not be there. We don’t help because we bring our own baggage.
There are definitely a lot of people in Israel who say that we should starve them out. Their logic runs in several ways: 1. The Hamas steals most of the aid anyway and distributes it to its fighters and cronies and the fighters are heavily embedded in the civilian population, so why should we feed their fighters? 2. If people are hungry they will turn on the Hamas and snitch on where the hostages are being held. And 3. Punishment, as Hamas is still immensely popular in opinion surveys, so they are all Hamas and they should all be punished.
In reality there is a lot of food entering Gaza but most of it is being seized by Hamas or stolen by civilians who ambush the trucks and steal the goods either for personal use or to sell on the black market. As a result the southern part of the Gaza Strip is in fact awash with basic foodstuffs if you can afford the black market prices, while the North is in deep shortage. And the Egyptian truck drivers don't want to be hijacked and beaten on the way, so many don't want to go there. Despite the dire warnings of imminent famine and disaster, you can be sure that if there were severely malnourished children there, gaunt with bloated bellies, then the Palestinians would be publicizing their pictures... but no pictures, just dire warnings, and a US president in an election year. If Biden really cared about starving civilians he would be setting up JLOTS in Sudan where 18 million people are suffering real starvation as a result of the war there.
I really feel for Israel’s here. Millions of people starve or are slaughtered in this world without anyone speaking up but this war is as much on social media as it is on the ground. Every death and complaint are magnified by post after post. An entire generation in America is being brainwashed that Israel is the bad guy and that America is complicit. Your country has to do what it needs to do to survive and damm the consequences. Egypt gets no criticism here yet they could push aid into Gaza or take refugees. The Arab countries are not saying anything. The only solution I see is to destroy Hamas or in a few years it will happen again. This is an unfair world and everyone has to deal with it.
Ryan, I think you are presenting a valid tactical solution though I agree with others that Gaza and Hamas are different than the Iraq situation.
Stepping up to the strategic level, what was/is the Gaza Strip? A "s***hole" that can't produce anywhere near enough for its own population. I don't see any way Gaza can be an independent entity; It will forever be attached to the teet of humanitarian aid. As soon as they get the aid, they bang out way too many kids because most aren't working, at least not as productively as the surrounding countries (not exactly a high bar). The explosion in population just continues to make the situation worse and that breeds groups like Hamas.
Life had been improving for the past ten years in Gaza; Israel was opening up to Gaza. Hamas broke it. The Gazans cheered in the streets as GoPro videos were published. So Gazans bought the world Hamas broke, not Israel. I find it hard to have sympathy for a people who continue to make their own situation worse, then cry to the world. Israel was dealt a shit hand in November and I understand why they went the route they did, right or wrong.
Sucks for Gazans but it isn't the world's problem (nor the USA) when their wealthy fellow Muslim neighbors won't lift a hand to improve Gaza's long-term health and prosperity; There are literally billions available from countries less than 500 miles from Gaza.
I think the Israeli answer to your proposal is, ""been there, done that." When they invaded Lebanon in the 80s, they armed the Lebanese, what the press called a "Christian militia." They really loved their guns, and were grateful to Israel. They did exactly what they were asked to do, and then some. The result was in the American press for weeks. It was called "the Sabra and Chatilla massacre."
People forget Shabra but I have a friend who was there with the UN. The thing we need to keep in mind is the mentality of the Arab and the Jew, both semitic people). They think differently to Anglo-europeans. They think differently to many Asians and Africans. They have their own values and limits and ideas of what is acceptable behaviour. We apply our thinking to a situation and then are surprised when the outcome is very different. I have body-guarded both rabbis and Imans nd they are alike in some ways and poles apart in others. My uncle who was in the British Palestine Police said the Arabs are all heart and no head and the Jews are all head and no heart and mostly I would have to agree. I also have a lot of interaction with the Arab population in Sydney and they are of two clear types; some of the dodgiest, lying scum ever made and some of the most noble, decent, wonderful people I have ever met. truly chalk and cheese with little inbetween.
This is different. There are no Christians (any more) in Gaza to give guns to against the Muslims. Hamas has already seen to that. The only dissidents are Fatah supporters and they will only too happily turn their guns on Israelis at the first chance. There are no innocent civilians here waiting to be given a job to buy their hearts and minds.
There are a few issues with this which I think need to be considered: Israel's military budget is only a small fraction - a mere 3% - of what the United States has available for defense spending. And this budget already represents 5% of the country's GDP which is already higher than the 3.7% of GDP the U.S. spends. So the money to build would directly impact Israeli citizens as it would need to be pulled from other areas (healthcare, education, infrastructure, etc.) and would need to be worth it. As far as optics are concerned, I don't think it would be. With the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War last year, the press has been scathing, and the actions you're discussing are touted as evidence of imperialism and American abuse of Iraqis (painted as the U.S. forcing Iraqis to act as traitors, turn on their neighbors, assist the "occupiers" in rebuilding what they destroyed for the fiscal benefit American contractors, etc.) So it's hard to imagine what traction Israel would have gotten from allocating scare resources to build anything. Instead, I imagine the international community would have used it as "evidence" that Israel was colonizing Gaza. Secondly, I think you would be hard-pressed to get the Israeli public on-board with the idea that "jobs stop bullets" when the Gazans who were employed by Israelis used that employment to feed intel to Hamas for the October 7 attack. All it would take is one or two Palestinians using Israeli-provided weapons and training to turn on Israeli soldiers, and it would be a political nightmare. And I have no idea how any vetting could guarantee that not happening.
Ultimately, the only way any of this would work is for the international community to step in. This continues to fascinate me in that the U.N. has made literally no effort, at any time, to send in a peacekeeping force. I'll file that under "We really care - just not that much."
Regarding your last point, on UN peacekeeping / peacemaking. As we know, there was a 'properly discussed and planned' UN-resolution to keep Hezbollah away from the Israeli border, as the Lebanese government unfortunately couldn't do so at the end of their civil-war in 2006. This is what Israeli politicians mentioned recently in saying that it was becoming up to Israel to enforce 1701 and move Hezbollah North of the Litani river. The history of UN-resolutions in general is pretty laughable, as the only countries who could concievably achieve anything economically or militarily are a tiny number and already engaged.
Israel did this in Lebanon, South Lebanese Army. A highly corrupt and extremely violent militia of the worst kind. I know, I served with the UN in Lebanon in the 90s. When Israel pulled out some of the SLA were allowed to come to Israel. Those who didn't make it were left behind and it didn't go well for them when Hezbollah came. The Palestinians know all this, and I doubt they will trust Israel to keep this militia safe after Israel eventually must leave. Hamas will skin them alive if they catch them. So in theory good idea, but in reality it won't work. The only option is for IDF to provide security. Israel seems to have no exit plan for this whole mess, so the JLOTS might be caught up in it, which could go very badly. Beirut 1982 comes to mind.
Temp docks I’ll support for humanitarian purposes. Permanent docks NFW! Hamas has provided ample proof of theft of aid and redirect for military conversions. Hamas is not interested in peace, current conditions Hamas lets Gaza non-combatants die, sick, children, elderly, wounded.
building doesnt work a lot of the time also tho cuz they dont want us there. in afghanistan the taliban just waited us out the 20 years and theyre in charge now. sometimes the best thing u can do is just to leave.
israels in a tougher spot tho cuz theres no way to "leave" palestine. and the palestinians sure as hell dont want them there either
Where are the other Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia, Quatar, Kuwait, The Emirates, Türkiye on the Gaza situation ? If the US is the only country that has JLOTS, Have the USA give enough JLOTS to a wealthy "Arab/Islamic Coalition" together with some training and together this coalition could use the JLOTS to provide the humanitarian aid to Gaza. Have Iran provide foodstuffs, or shame them into it at the UN. Islam teaches that we are all "umma wahida" and having wealthy Islamic countries provide aid, arrange distribution and force protection would be proof of their صدق العمل their sadaq aleamal (sincerity of action).
I was thinking of who could be a safe-pair-of-hands for an interim authority in Gaza and came up with very little. Possibly an African country, one without an Islamic insurgency, such as Botswana (which is pretty well regarded as a successful, honest state) could be encouraged to lead. But realistically no country wants to touch the poisoned chalice which is Gaza, radicalised as it has been by nearly a couple of decades of propaganda (eg. note that Egypt is keeping well clear, although Gaza was part of Egypt post-WW2). It is even unlikely that West Bank politicians (basically Fatah, who lost the Gazaan election to Hamas, nearly twenty years ago) would try peacekeeping, as that would just reinforce the Gazaan view of them as almost-but-not-quite collaborators -- and would reduce the lifespan of any Fatah members involved. Having a nice pretty UN-resolution to guide participants is laughable, given the awesome job the UN has done over implementing Res.1701 (which will now lead directly to thousands more casualties in Lebanon). It may well be that the least-bad option, and likely the only achievable one, is to mow the grass, and to keep on doing so until IRGC are removed from the game.
about arming palestinians to protect and deliver - this is already in motion (even if slow and 2 months late)
israeli intelligence knowns exactly who are the anti-hamas khamulas are but the decision to start working with them has taken a backsit (a common feature of this out shortsighted coalition)
about israel not thinking about the build phase - its a common issue with 2 local hostile groups, the build phase is considered "their problem and they can starve as for all i care", this is something external coalitions tend to think about.
the kerem shalom crossing is underutilized STILL, even though it can deliver more aid - there is no infrastructure to distribute it
the biggest issue with arming palestinians is ... trust issues. if you tell the average israeli about this, he will tell you - "why would i want to go oslo again if it gave me the second intifadah? i'd rather they eat sand"
How about Israeli Arabs. They speak the language and their families will not will be subject to reprisals. That was a really stupid thing to say. Of course their families will be subject to reprisals. Forget it. This is a dilemma. There are no good solutions to dilemmas.
The Sons of Gaza idea makes sense. The British did it in Malaya during the Emergency. The Communist guerillas were mostly Chinese so they relocated the Chinese (and Malays and Tamils) to 'New Villages' where all food going in and out was controlled. They formed local defence units made up of the villagers and then they gave them independence. Basically they took away all the reasons for supporting the insurgents; they were protected from insurgent atrocities, had food while denying the enemy food, the independence the insurgents claimed they were fighting for was granted anyway and... they had a job. Worked there. Could it work in Gaza? A lot more likely than sitting juicy targets within home made rocket range off the coast.
Fascinating video, Rayan, thanks so much. I am afraid your “Sons of Palestine” plan runs into the very different history that Iraq and Gaza have. I interviewed a terrorist in Gaza when I was working as a journalist there (he was not Hamas, he was with another faction) who had been released from Israeli prison in a prisoner swap. His name in Arabic was “the Beast” because his duty when in the Israeli prison was to strangle to death anybody thought to be an Israeli collaborator with a wet towel. He had a nice wife who served us melons and a couple of nice kids. He was not nice.
My point is that collaboration is frowned upon by these guys. And the long history of this conflicts makes for long and bitter memories and whatever possible sympathy some Gaza’s might have for Israel (and there is not a lot of sympathy) was probably obliterated by the bombing and the 30,000 killed so far, all of whom had relatives and friends, and the massive destruction of the place.
Keep in mind that there are many families on the West Bank who keep has a holy relic the key to the house in Israel their grandfather left in the 1948 Nakhba, which was something like 76 years or so ago. So the chance of getting enthusiastic young men to help the Israeli’s (or Americans) out, who are not concerned about whatever contemporary version of the Beast is hanging around is pretty small, I think. The locals have had plenty of chances to tell the Israeli’s where the tunnels are and they have still have not found the hostages. I think it is hard to overstate the level of hatred most Gazan’s feel towards Israel and of course fear of Hamas. And it is unimaginable to me that the Israel’s would give any Gazans anything more lethal than a toothpick.
I also think you misread the chances of Hezbollah shooting missiles at ships, because Iran has actually kept them on a comparatively short leash. It is a mistake to think the Iranians are crazy or irrational. They know we have those air craft carriers off shore and they know the Israeli’s have the capacity to do to Lebanon what they did to Gaza.
But it is still a very complicated situation and you have done an excellent job in showing why it is. The Israeli’s have shown themselves to be of not much help at all in making the humanitarian situation better, or making Biden’s political situation better and for whatever reason the Biden administration has shown no stomach for putting the hammer down on Israel. Seems like the better thing to do would be to open up the crossings, and expedite shipping of food into Gaza, but the Israeli’s do not want to do that, whether for tactical reasons or just cruelty and anger. And this is even thought their actions have cost them terribly in world opinion.
Also, with respect, making fun of political activists is not helpful. Some of these folks are deeply wrong headed, but they are also demonstrating against genuine atrocities, something they are not only entitled to do, but they should do if their moral center demands it of them (ask Gandhi or Martin Luther King).
Thanks again for this great piece and keep up the good work.
That kind of deeply rooted hatred, where they prefer being abused by HAMAS to maybe not so badly treated by Israel is hard to change. Maybe if the death rate reaches a tipping point and basically the gene pool osmehow starts all over again... It really is a tragic sewer of a situation.
I am not so sure "maybe not so badly treated by Israel" would be seen as preferable by Gazans who have suffered their tender mercies all their lives. This conflict has been going on now for three generations without much of a sign of letup.
Yes, they seem to have a cut off their nose to spite their face mentality when it comes to Israel. I can see both sides but nothing excuses 7/10/23, or their prefernce for HAMAS despite obviously being abused by their 'elected' leaders.
Thanks for your note.
It is a common misconception that Palestinian terrorism, including their terror bombings of busses and restaurants during the second Intifada and the terrible October 7th terror attack, are somehow beyond the pale, beyond civilized behavior and understanding. But the Palestinian resistance or “armed struggle” (as they like to call it) is the result of asymmetric warfare, where one side has a powerful military and the other side does not.
When the Jews of Pre-Israeli Palestine found themselves in conflict with the much more powerful British over restricted immigration and land purchases, they indulged in terrorism against them, the King David Hotel bombing, which killed 91 people, is the best known example of that and it remains the most deadly terror bombing in Israel’s history. They also practiced kidnapping and random murder and the killing of captives. As I think I posted earlier, Palestinian Arabs have been fighting the European Jews who were moving to and buying land in Palestine since the 1920’s. There is nothing new in this fight. As the more powerful of the two antagonists, it is Israel who must take the initiative to find a political solution to this long and difficult conflict, something they have never had the political will to do.
As to their preference for Hamas, Hamas was supported and encouraged by the Israeli’s in order to maintain a weakening imbalance against the Palestinian authority, another brilliant tactic of Netanyahu, like counting on the “impenetrable” barrier surround Gaza to keep terrorists away from Jewish civilians living close to Gaza.
Two wrongs never make a right. You are spot on that this is asymmetric warfare. I once wrote a paper on this regarding the 2006 Summer War with Hezbollah. The same for the atrocities committed by the Stern Gang and other terrorist groups that operated prior to 1948, not to mention the events of that year itself. Neither side has clean hands. The difference here (7/10/23) is the extent of the atrocities and the intent to perform such, fully expecting the level of retaliation. Netanyahu and the machinations of Israeli politics is a full bottle of something discussion in itself. The resolution of this as amicably as possible, perhaps having to accept a less than ideal solution by both sides is the only way it will improve but I seriously doubt either side, at the level of having any authority to decide, will swallow the bitter pill. Too much hubris, ego and sheer stubborness.
Yes, I agree. I would only say that as awful as October 7th was, and it was deepIy awful, I would look at it not just as a stand alone terror action but as part of what many Palestinians consider "The Armed Struggle" which goes far back into time, including every loss, wound and slight they can imagine and there are a lot of them. What is really shocking to the Israelis is the scope and cruelty of it, something they have never experienced before. They had swallowed the illusion of their security that Netanyahu sold them. But terrible murder, mutilation and rape is tragically part of warfare, both in organized warfare and insurgencies. I think the Germans estimated something like 100,000 rapes by Soviet Troops during the occupation of Berlin at the end of the war. And the Wounded Knee Massacre is an example of the willful killing of women and children in the hundreds. This is not meant in any way to excuse what happened, but it didn't come out of a vacuum. But all your points are valid. Thanks.
The +160,000 non-Israelis who were (formerly) granted work visas to cross the border to work in Israel; with the same privileges & protections as Israeli workers, would disagree. Those jobs, the millions in combined pay, and the associated healthcare coverage is over; likely for a generation at least.
That, along with being treated for generations as worthless burdens *without basic human rights* in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and The Kingdom of Palestine(/Jordan). That makes Israel’s treatment appear as Good Samaritans by comparison.
Nothing is going to change, as long as the UN & UNWRA keeps its farcical policies to allow Hamas to set the school curriculums at the UN schools, while looking the other way as the local Drug Cartels administer the hospitals, and allow Arab nations to openly treat these people as sub-humans without the basic rights set out in the Treaties.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I am afraid the problem with the kind of thinking you are presenting here is that looks at the upside of the picture (minimum wage employment) without looking at the downside of Israel’s illegal occupation (complete absence of civil rights, frequent arrest and imprisonment, loss of property to illegal settlements, the humiliation of checkpoints, appropriation of natural resources like water, building restrictions, including the destruction of homes built outside of arbitrary “building codes” and the risk of death by gunshot wounds during frequent times of unrest and so on). The fact that the other Arab countries you mention might or might not be inhospitable to Palestinians is irrelevant to this discussion. As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility for the Palestinian population under its control. This is both a legal and moral responsibility.
I am afraid that the idea that Israel is some kind of Good Samaritan in its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories or Gaza would find some disagreement by the folks living under their tender mercies. Why not compare how immigrants are treated in Denmark, for instance or Sweden?
Regarding what is taught in Arab schools, the Israeli curriculum often contains all kinds of false history and fairly racist descriptions of Arab interactions (or at least it did during my time there).
But thanks for taking the time to write your note.
You cannot claim to be “the victims” while your government representatives intentionally & primarily target civilians. That’s the easiest and first distinction between Terrorists & Freedom Fighters. Freedom Fighters attack the institutions & agents of their enemy’s government; and civilian suffering is incidental / accidental.
Terrorists’ intentionally attack civilians, and the ensuing civilian suffering on both sides (like additional security measures) is the intended consequence.
You also seem to be missing the history before the Egypt-Israel peace deal, Israel-Jordan peace deal, *and Israel literally handing physical & religious sovereignty over Judaism’s most holy site* to Palestinian/Jordanian control; in exchange for brand new enshrined prayer rights for Jews & Christians in the holy land.
Every anti-Israeli today wants to focus solely on the post-Bush-Sr. era, with zero context for what civilian horrors lead to the security measures in place inside Israel.
Camp David was supposed to be the beginning of a new era, where both sides recognized land swaps were going to be necessary no matter what. Israel wasn’t going to also give up religious access rights to the Tombs of the Patriarchs, while the Christians have seemed perfectly fine being driven out of Bethlehem & their other ancient communities.
The only thing stopping a real peace plan is the PA & Hamas’ political stance of a Juden-Free Palestine, “from the river to the sea.” While also demanding Israel take in the millions of NON-REFUGEES Arab nations have been abusing for political gain for 3/4ths of a century; and refusing to recognize the millions of ancient Jewish communities illegally communally punished (by being made stateless) across the Middle East & Africa, post Arab Alliance war losses.
Israel is not occupying any of the Kingdom of Palestine’s sovereignty over 77% of the previously fully foreign occupied lands, nor the other lands 10% of the lands which have decided against independence since the early 1900s.
Their decision to go to war, and publicly declare an official policy of genocide against every Israeli(Jew/Christian/Coptic/etc…) who took up arms against the invading Arab armies in 1948. That was the first turning point in history, with Arafat’s 2nd Intifada instead of peace negotiations being the latest.
Every single terror attack intentionally targeting civilians has done nothing but empowered the “all or nothing” political players on both sides. Bibi would be irrelevant today if the negotiations continued in good faith. Because his political existence has always hinged on security measures to counter the terror attacks.
As a Native American, I have every right to wrest control of my peoples’ lands & resources by force; because of the Canadian & American Governments’ breaking of a multitude of peace treaties going back hundreds of years. Yet, that is not the path my people have chosen, even though we are still marked as different by both governments, and the Lakota/Sioux/Dakota who were driven from the US (“The Trail of Tears”) are still refused even the most basic of rights on the ancestral lands of their ancestors. YET, among all the humiliations, targeting by police, and even property stolen from Native Veterans WE HAVE NEVER CHOSEN TO TARGET WOMEN & CHILDREN! EVEN as America’s “Founding Fathers” called(and still call us sub-human) “Savages,” and were literally hunting Native women & children AND MAKING HUMAN BODY PART JEWELRY out of their noses and/or Ears. [Jefferson’s necklace was taken out of the public exhibition in 2016 at the Jeffersonian Institution.)
Peace will only be possible when the Arab Alliance Nations are willing to address their role in using civilian suffering for military gain, and properly give the displaced’s children & grandchildren living in their nation their legally required dual-nationality.
Either that, or UNWRA should recognize, and also fully care for, the same displaced peoples taken in by Canada/USA/EU/UK/etc… and who UNWRA treated differently by demanding full dual-citizenship. The same UN application of laws for the same people, just like the Rohingya receive.
Thanks for your lengthy and thoughtful response to my post.
With respect, I am afraid your comment “The only thing stopping a real peace plan is the PA & Hamas’ political stance of a Juden-Free Palestine, “from the river to the sea.”’ shows an entirely one-sided view of a subject of great historical and diplomatic complexity, particularly your Holocaust reference of “Juden-Free.
The conflict between Arabs and Jews in this region goes back to 19th century decision made by European Jews to establish a “Homeland” in a place which, at the time, had 92% of the population as Arabs. Violence began in the 1920’s. As we see, this violence continues to this day. Whether or not Palestinians should consider themselves victims or not has to do with how they have been treated, not how they have responded. Terrorism happens when a conflict is asymmetrical, when one combatant has more power than the other, as was the case when the Jews used terrorism against the British, including the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which killed 91 people, many of them civilians. This is the deadliest terror bombing in the history of the region.
It is a common position of supporters of Israel to blame all violence and the failure of the all the various peace process on the Palestinians, even though the most basic of logical analysis would find that unlikely. Entire books have been written about this and what they tend to show is that both sides were riven by conflicting politics and obstructive factions. But in the end, it was the Israeli’s who had the actual power, political and military power to change things and they did not. Both sides have the blood of the innocents on their hands.
I have spent time on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, which I believe is one of the poorest counties in America. Since I have also been in Gaza, I find it impossible not to see the commonality in both places, where poverty, poor housing and general human misery have been forced onto people whose only crime was getting in the way of a more powerful people’s dreams of expansion.
That the
I agree that having the Palestinians distribute the aid would be a good idea. Just don’t think that having Israel select who does it, would help.
For one, they would be seen as collaborators and would most certainly be targeted. Also, I would assume it would take a very long time to verify such people. Given the urgency of the situation, wasting time on background checks would not help the people in need of the help they need.
I think initially it will need to be a foreign force that does the duties, while planning to eventually transition the work to a Palestinian group.
There has been an idea floated by some in Israel to base future (ie. when peace has broken out) administration on local clan structures within Gaza and the West Bank. It almost sounds possible but there is likely too much bad history involved for the idea to work -- certainly while IRGC is stirring the pot of its proxies.
It is very hard for the Israeli public to accept the Powell principle. I think that what you forget is that when the US was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, it was fighting thousands of miles away from home. Israel is fighting for its life against Iranian proxies on its doorstep and within. When you are fighting for your life against a ruthless and amoral enemy it is very hard to understand that we also have responsibility for those people. They want to kill us. Every last one of them. OK 99% of them. And they would happily do it with their bare hands. Yesterday morning before breakfast. And I don't believe that a job will make them think otherwise, because we tried that as well. And we have to feed them? Unfortunately it seems so. But it is very hard to swallow.
Even I thought that giving weapons to Gazans to work for Israel could work, the Israeli government would not survive the decision. We've tried that before. Albeit the conditions could be argued to be different, but Israeli public opinion would not buy that. The Palestinian Police were given weapons and were supposed to do our dirty work for us "without the Supreme Court and without BeTselem" to quote Rabin. Then came the Second Intifada and they turned those weapons on us. The only option I see for distribution of aid is for Israel to do ourselves via our military. I think that above the political cost in the present government of trying to do that, that we are frightened of suicide bombers who would no doubt start as soon as we allow civilians to get anywhere near our soldiers. Which is what they feared in the incident where 3 free hostages were killed by our forces, and last week's aid truck stampede/shooting incident.
I agree with most of what you say and am very anti Hamas but one statement you make, “and we have to feed them? It is very hard to swallow”. Needs context. You have 2 choices. Feed them or kill them. Their method of feeding themselves has been destroyed. Outside forces, Israel and Egypt, control that entrance of food. Without it, they starve and die. Right now, there is no other fact. Letting them starve is a choice and you can make it. The consequences on the world stage will continue either way. Good luck. I am an American I think Israel is doing what is right for Israel and they should. What I believe is that the US should not be there. We don’t help because we bring our own baggage.
There are definitely a lot of people in Israel who say that we should starve them out. Their logic runs in several ways: 1. The Hamas steals most of the aid anyway and distributes it to its fighters and cronies and the fighters are heavily embedded in the civilian population, so why should we feed their fighters? 2. If people are hungry they will turn on the Hamas and snitch on where the hostages are being held. And 3. Punishment, as Hamas is still immensely popular in opinion surveys, so they are all Hamas and they should all be punished.
In reality there is a lot of food entering Gaza but most of it is being seized by Hamas or stolen by civilians who ambush the trucks and steal the goods either for personal use or to sell on the black market. As a result the southern part of the Gaza Strip is in fact awash with basic foodstuffs if you can afford the black market prices, while the North is in deep shortage. And the Egyptian truck drivers don't want to be hijacked and beaten on the way, so many don't want to go there. Despite the dire warnings of imminent famine and disaster, you can be sure that if there were severely malnourished children there, gaunt with bloated bellies, then the Palestinians would be publicizing their pictures... but no pictures, just dire warnings, and a US president in an election year. If Biden really cared about starving civilians he would be setting up JLOTS in Sudan where 18 million people are suffering real starvation as a result of the war there.
I really feel for Israel’s here. Millions of people starve or are slaughtered in this world without anyone speaking up but this war is as much on social media as it is on the ground. Every death and complaint are magnified by post after post. An entire generation in America is being brainwashed that Israel is the bad guy and that America is complicit. Your country has to do what it needs to do to survive and damm the consequences. Egypt gets no criticism here yet they could push aid into Gaza or take refugees. The Arab countries are not saying anything. The only solution I see is to destroy Hamas or in a few years it will happen again. This is an unfair world and everyone has to deal with it.
Ryan, I think you are presenting a valid tactical solution though I agree with others that Gaza and Hamas are different than the Iraq situation.
Stepping up to the strategic level, what was/is the Gaza Strip? A "s***hole" that can't produce anywhere near enough for its own population. I don't see any way Gaza can be an independent entity; It will forever be attached to the teet of humanitarian aid. As soon as they get the aid, they bang out way too many kids because most aren't working, at least not as productively as the surrounding countries (not exactly a high bar). The explosion in population just continues to make the situation worse and that breeds groups like Hamas.
Life had been improving for the past ten years in Gaza; Israel was opening up to Gaza. Hamas broke it. The Gazans cheered in the streets as GoPro videos were published. So Gazans bought the world Hamas broke, not Israel. I find it hard to have sympathy for a people who continue to make their own situation worse, then cry to the world. Israel was dealt a shit hand in November and I understand why they went the route they did, right or wrong.
Sucks for Gazans but it isn't the world's problem (nor the USA) when their wealthy fellow Muslim neighbors won't lift a hand to improve Gaza's long-term health and prosperity; There are literally billions available from countries less than 500 miles from Gaza.
(edited to fix spelling mistakes)
I think the Israeli answer to your proposal is, ""been there, done that." When they invaded Lebanon in the 80s, they armed the Lebanese, what the press called a "Christian militia." They really loved their guns, and were grateful to Israel. They did exactly what they were asked to do, and then some. The result was in the American press for weeks. It was called "the Sabra and Chatilla massacre."
People forget Shabra but I have a friend who was there with the UN. The thing we need to keep in mind is the mentality of the Arab and the Jew, both semitic people). They think differently to Anglo-europeans. They think differently to many Asians and Africans. They have their own values and limits and ideas of what is acceptable behaviour. We apply our thinking to a situation and then are surprised when the outcome is very different. I have body-guarded both rabbis and Imans nd they are alike in some ways and poles apart in others. My uncle who was in the British Palestine Police said the Arabs are all heart and no head and the Jews are all head and no heart and mostly I would have to agree. I also have a lot of interaction with the Arab population in Sydney and they are of two clear types; some of the dodgiest, lying scum ever made and some of the most noble, decent, wonderful people I have ever met. truly chalk and cheese with little inbetween.
This is different. There are no Christians (any more) in Gaza to give guns to against the Muslims. Hamas has already seen to that. The only dissidents are Fatah supporters and they will only too happily turn their guns on Israelis at the first chance. There are no innocent civilians here waiting to be given a job to buy their hearts and minds.
There are a few issues with this which I think need to be considered: Israel's military budget is only a small fraction - a mere 3% - of what the United States has available for defense spending. And this budget already represents 5% of the country's GDP which is already higher than the 3.7% of GDP the U.S. spends. So the money to build would directly impact Israeli citizens as it would need to be pulled from other areas (healthcare, education, infrastructure, etc.) and would need to be worth it. As far as optics are concerned, I don't think it would be. With the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War last year, the press has been scathing, and the actions you're discussing are touted as evidence of imperialism and American abuse of Iraqis (painted as the U.S. forcing Iraqis to act as traitors, turn on their neighbors, assist the "occupiers" in rebuilding what they destroyed for the fiscal benefit American contractors, etc.) So it's hard to imagine what traction Israel would have gotten from allocating scare resources to build anything. Instead, I imagine the international community would have used it as "evidence" that Israel was colonizing Gaza. Secondly, I think you would be hard-pressed to get the Israeli public on-board with the idea that "jobs stop bullets" when the Gazans who were employed by Israelis used that employment to feed intel to Hamas for the October 7 attack. All it would take is one or two Palestinians using Israeli-provided weapons and training to turn on Israeli soldiers, and it would be a political nightmare. And I have no idea how any vetting could guarantee that not happening.
Ultimately, the only way any of this would work is for the international community to step in. This continues to fascinate me in that the U.N. has made literally no effort, at any time, to send in a peacekeeping force. I'll file that under "We really care - just not that much."
Regarding your last point, on UN peacekeeping / peacemaking. As we know, there was a 'properly discussed and planned' UN-resolution to keep Hezbollah away from the Israeli border, as the Lebanese government unfortunately couldn't do so at the end of their civil-war in 2006. This is what Israeli politicians mentioned recently in saying that it was becoming up to Israel to enforce 1701 and move Hezbollah North of the Litani river. The history of UN-resolutions in general is pretty laughable, as the only countries who could concievably achieve anything economically or militarily are a tiny number and already engaged.
Israel did this in Lebanon, South Lebanese Army. A highly corrupt and extremely violent militia of the worst kind. I know, I served with the UN in Lebanon in the 90s. When Israel pulled out some of the SLA were allowed to come to Israel. Those who didn't make it were left behind and it didn't go well for them when Hezbollah came. The Palestinians know all this, and I doubt they will trust Israel to keep this militia safe after Israel eventually must leave. Hamas will skin them alive if they catch them. So in theory good idea, but in reality it won't work. The only option is for IDF to provide security. Israel seems to have no exit plan for this whole mess, so the JLOTS might be caught up in it, which could go very badly. Beirut 1982 comes to mind.
Temp docks I’ll support for humanitarian purposes. Permanent docks NFW! Hamas has provided ample proof of theft of aid and redirect for military conversions. Hamas is not interested in peace, current conditions Hamas lets Gaza non-combatants die, sick, children, elderly, wounded.
building doesnt work a lot of the time also tho cuz they dont want us there. in afghanistan the taliban just waited us out the 20 years and theyre in charge now. sometimes the best thing u can do is just to leave.
israels in a tougher spot tho cuz theres no way to "leave" palestine. and the palestinians sure as hell dont want them there either
Where are the other Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia, Quatar, Kuwait, The Emirates, Türkiye on the Gaza situation ? If the US is the only country that has JLOTS, Have the USA give enough JLOTS to a wealthy "Arab/Islamic Coalition" together with some training and together this coalition could use the JLOTS to provide the humanitarian aid to Gaza. Have Iran provide foodstuffs, or shame them into it at the UN. Islam teaches that we are all "umma wahida" and having wealthy Islamic countries provide aid, arrange distribution and force protection would be proof of their صدق العمل their sadaq aleamal (sincerity of action).
I was thinking of who could be a safe-pair-of-hands for an interim authority in Gaza and came up with very little. Possibly an African country, one without an Islamic insurgency, such as Botswana (which is pretty well regarded as a successful, honest state) could be encouraged to lead. But realistically no country wants to touch the poisoned chalice which is Gaza, radicalised as it has been by nearly a couple of decades of propaganda (eg. note that Egypt is keeping well clear, although Gaza was part of Egypt post-WW2). It is even unlikely that West Bank politicians (basically Fatah, who lost the Gazaan election to Hamas, nearly twenty years ago) would try peacekeeping, as that would just reinforce the Gazaan view of them as almost-but-not-quite collaborators -- and would reduce the lifespan of any Fatah members involved. Having a nice pretty UN-resolution to guide participants is laughable, given the awesome job the UN has done over implementing Res.1701 (which will now lead directly to thousands more casualties in Lebanon). It may well be that the least-bad option, and likely the only achievable one, is to mow the grass, and to keep on doing so until IRGC are removed from the game.
Ryan, hi. Thank you. This content is critical. I am sorry YouTube demonetized this content.
I am sure Hamas appreciates the food they can hold hostage and bribe the people for information. Charles
about arming palestinians to protect and deliver - this is already in motion (even if slow and 2 months late)
israeli intelligence knowns exactly who are the anti-hamas khamulas are but the decision to start working with them has taken a backsit (a common feature of this out shortsighted coalition)
about israel not thinking about the build phase - its a common issue with 2 local hostile groups, the build phase is considered "their problem and they can starve as for all i care", this is something external coalitions tend to think about.
the kerem shalom crossing is underutilized STILL, even though it can deliver more aid - there is no infrastructure to distribute it
the biggest issue with arming palestinians is ... trust issues. if you tell the average israeli about this, he will tell you - "why would i want to go oslo again if it gave me the second intifadah? i'd rather they eat sand"
How about Israeli Arabs. They speak the language and their families will not will be subject to reprisals. That was a really stupid thing to say. Of course their families will be subject to reprisals. Forget it. This is a dilemma. There are no good solutions to dilemmas.
The Sons of Gaza idea makes sense. The British did it in Malaya during the Emergency. The Communist guerillas were mostly Chinese so they relocated the Chinese (and Malays and Tamils) to 'New Villages' where all food going in and out was controlled. They formed local defence units made up of the villagers and then they gave them independence. Basically they took away all the reasons for supporting the insurgents; they were protected from insurgent atrocities, had food while denying the enemy food, the independence the insurgents claimed they were fighting for was granted anyway and... they had a job. Worked there. Could it work in Gaza? A lot more likely than sitting juicy targets within home made rocket range off the coast.