Biography

The first step on the path to a meaningful accommodation between the two sides must be a simultaneous positive, highly visible, concrete and meaningful gesture by both parties towards each other. The confidence-building gesture should consist of a mutual declaration of cessation of hostilities, which includes a freeze on confiscating more Palestinian lands and home demolitions, as well as stopping all attacks by individual Palestinians against Israel and by armed Israeli settlers against the unarmed Palestinian population.

STEP TWO: BORDER SECURITY

Step two will be accompanied by the stationing of a sizeable, adequately well-armed bilateral military force, and not a UN peacekeeping contingent along the current separation lines. These troops from third parties acceptable to both the Israelis and the Palestinians will be equipped with heavy armament and their operational mission will be to seal the borders between Israel, the Palestinian territories and the neighbouring Arab countries, i.e. enforce a total separation between these three entities.

It is proposed that both Moroccan and German forces be called upon to take on that role. The Moroccans will monitor the borders between the Palestinian territories and the neighbouring Arab countries (i.e. Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt), and will also ensure that no infiltration or launching of rockets across the borders from the Palestinian or Arab territories against Israel takes place.

Why Moroccans? While being a well-disciplined military force, the Moroccans have gained a protracted experience in preventing border infiltrations during their long war with the Polisario. The Moroccans are technically from outside the region, while still being Arabic speakers, hence relatively close to the Palestinians. They would be more acceptable to the Palestinians and less objectionable to Israel, in view of the fact that Morocco has a Jewish community of its own, and Israel counts a sizeable Jewish community of Moroccan origin. This is in addition to the fact that the two countries have managed to maintain a reasonable relationship despite the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The task of the German forces will be to protect the Israeli-Palestinian borders from attacks by either side, including by or against the armed extremist Jewish settlers. The Germans are relatively new in this role and have never led or participated in any military operation against the Palestinians. On the other hand, the German government maintains a privileged relationship with Israel, especially from a military point of view. This is in addition to the fact that Israel has an important community of Jews of German origin, and Germany counts an expanding and influential Jewish community.

STEP THREE: LEADERSHIP CHANGE

The Palestinians must be brought to change their leadership in both the West Bank and Gaza in order to consolidate the management of the two territories. They must also invite experienced technocrats from among the Palestinians living overseas to join the administration as advisors for a number of years. Their task will be to harmonize governance between the two territories and set up the essential modern infrastructure needed to establish a viable economy, and to ensure a rather normal daily life for the population, in step with other advanced countries.