Egypt should now be responsible for Gaza
It is the Egyptians who now should have the responsibility for assuring that supplies can reach the population in Gaza; this is only as it should be, poetic justice.
By Moshe ArensIt may well turn out that one of the positive outcomes of the mass disturbances against the Mubarak government in Tahrir Square will be the change in the policy of the new government in Cairo toward the Gaza Strip.
Permitting free passage of Gazans into Egypt and the entry of goods from Egypt into Gaza has brought the Gaza Strip closer to Egypt and has freed Israel from some of the responsibility it had retained for the Palestinian population of Gaza even after the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces more than five years ago. Some of that responsibility is now shifting to Egypt, and there would seem to be no need for repetitions of the Mavi Marmara episode of a few months ago. It is the Egyptians who now should have the responsibility for assuring that supplies can reach the population in Gaza.
This is only as it should be. It is poetic justice. The Gaza Strip and the unfortunate fate of the one and half million Palestinians squeezed into that tiny sliver of coastal land is an Egyptian creation, the direct result of the attempt by Egyptian troops to wipe out the newborn State of Israel in May 1948. The Egyptian army was on its way to Tel Aviv but was beaten back by the tiny Israeli army. By the end of 1948 the Egyptians found themselves in dire straits - one brigade encircled in the Faluja pocket, and the rest of the Egyptian army, in what is now the Gaza Strip, cut off from their home bases by Israeli troops commanded by Yigal Allon that had entered Sinai.
In the armistice negotiations, brokered by Ralph Bunche of the United Nations, the Egyptian representatives rejected Israel's demand that their army return to Egypt, insisting that they remain in the Gaza Strip. According to the agreement signed in Rhodes, in February 1949, the Egyptians were to retain control of the Strip, and they did so until June 1967, with the exception of the duration of the Sinai Campaign of 1956 and a few months after.
Why should control of the Gaza Strip not now be returned to Egypt? It is a responsibility they should rightly shoulder. Whether that arrangement will be permanent will be for them to decide. Ever since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Israel has been justifiably concerned about the armory of rockets and other weapons the Hamas terrorists have been amassing, weapons that are intended to target Israeli civilians. That has been the justification for the Israeli blockade of the Gaza coast.
Can this mission be entrusted to the Egyptians? It is more than likely that the Egyptians as well would not like to see the importation of weapons to Hamas in Gaza, whether overland, by tunnel or by sea.
Whether their control of this arms smuggling would be effective is not clear at this time. For Israel, however, it is a risk worth taking, so as to free ourselves from the burden of continuing this "occupation." Should it turn out that Egypt does not succeed in preventing the import of weapons to Hamas in Gaza, Israeli control efforts can be restored. In view of the proximity of the Gaza Strip and its small size, effective action to destroy the Hamas stockpile of weapons will always remain a possibility.
In any case it should be made clear that from now on Egypt is responsible for preventing the smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip, and will be held accountable for terror attacks originating in Gaza with smuggled weapons.
Egyptian control over the Gaza Strip could have some significant ancillary benefits. With Gaza under Egyptian control, the generally accepted paradigm of the "solution" to the Palestinian problem being the "two-state" solution may in time be seen in a different light. The problems of the Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria and of those living in the Gaza Strip, separated by an expanse of territory under Israeli sovereignty, is likely in time to be viewed differently by the world in general, by the Arab world in particular, by Israel and by the Palestinian populations themselves. It could bring about a paradigm shift that would benefit us all.
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This can only happen when the illegal occupation is lifted, Gaza ia not lawless, the democratically elected governent should govern the Gaza Strip..
This is a good proposal. Such a move would have several benefits. First, Israel would get rid of the accusation of blockading Gaza and oppressing its citizens. Second, it would no longer be an obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state on at least part of Palestinian territory. Israel would get a clean slate in Gaza. The Gazans would do all their dealings with Egypt, a fellow Arab state. Together they could agree on a political modus operandi, full independence for Gaza; autonomy until something happens in the West Bank; direct Egyptian rule if Hamas continues to be obnoxious. Security would also be enhanced since the Egyptians can stop missiles from flying from Gaza. The one problem with the suggestion is that Egypt is unlikely to acquiescence.
Israel allowed her enemies the time to arm to the teeth, resulting in many more Israeli deaths when the inevitable war came. Equivocation on the the part of the Israeli leadership during the period will be their determination.
It is clear that Israelis live with massive levels of propaganda and denial but the level of delusion is truly worrying.
Nice try Arens but you need as well to give back all west bank including east jerusalem to Jordan too.
did not exist before Israël created it, then it is Israël's problem to solve it and not as uusual expect others do it. For as long as it is denied it will create dissenting organisations which will fight for a decent way of life. There is an indirect but very strong link with Gaza, settling and what happens in Denmark.
"The problems of the Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria and of those living in the Gaza Strip, separated by an expanse of territory under Israeli sovereignty, is likely in time to be viewed differently by the world in general, by the Arab world in particular, by Israel and by the Palestinian populations themselves. It could bring about a paradigm shift that would benefit us all. " This is from la la land.
If Aren's position is to be take at face value then Gaza would become an Egyptian responsibility in which Israel retains the right to attack that territory militarily if the Egyptians are unable to restrain Hamas. Now this is patently nonsensical and reflects Aren's deep cognitive dissonance; if Egypt retains control of Gaza Israel loses all rights or claims to do anything to it. Unless Aren's is proposing that Israel start a war with Egypt (fully armed with American goodies) over a missile stockpile in a Gaza under its authority? I doubt that is Aren's proposal because the man might suffer from dissonant thinking he is not stupid. What is more intriguing in this sophomoric analysis is what Aren's intends to do with the West Bank that could be radical it will bring about a "paradigm shift"?
Sadat wanted it, but Begin said "no." How much are you or is the Israeli government now willing to offer to Egypt and the Palestinians to roll back the clock? The Israeli occupations created the national identity of the occupations as much as King George created the American independent identity. Newt Gingrich might oppose the Obama anti-colonial ideology. But it is too late to revert the US to a series of colonies. Now it is too late to change history for Gaza, too. About 40 years or so too late.
...is to shift the OBLIGATIONS of an occupied territory onto Egypt, but to retain the AUTHORITY of an occupying power in Israel's hands. Does Arens suggest that Egypt have control of Gaza's airspace? No. The sea lanes? No. The population registry? No. The electromagnetic spectrum? No. All he wants is for Egypt to be responsible for feeding the animals in the zoo, but he wants Israel to keep a firm grip on the keys to the cage.
.. quite an evil guy
The air and sea blockade of Gaza - where Palestinians have for the first time in their history a common border with a fellow Arab country with their side fully controlled by them - has nothing to do with "occupation". You will be able to read this in the UN report due within 2 weeks which will reaffirm the legality of that blockade. Using the phrase "occupation of Gaza" when the only Israeli soldier who is actually in Gaza was kidnapped by Hamas is is worth of Orwell and Huxley
"Why should control of the Gaza Strip not now be returned to Egypt?" And it has a simple answer: Because Israel is the occupying power. It has obligations that go with that authority, and what Israel wants to do is to hand over those obligations to Egypt, while retaining that authority in its Hot Little Hands.
Why keep repeating fallacies? The Arab States attacked Jewish forces already OUTSIDE of Israel even as it was being declared May 15th 1948.Under the UN Charter Chapt XI, Israel is responsible for Gaza and the West Bank and the territories captured by Israel by 1949. These territories have never been legally annexed to Israel and it is inadmissible to acquire territory by war. This gem "It is more than likely that the Egyptians as well would not like to see the importation of weapons to Hamas in Gaza" Er Egypt has not dispossessed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Egypt has not illegally acquired, illegally annexed or illegally settled any Palestinian territory.... More lunacy "The problems of the Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria and of those living in the Gaza Strip, separated by an expanse of territory under Israeli sovereignty," How would this territory be under Israeli sovereignty? Israel has yet to legally annex any territory taken from the Palestinians. It would require a referendum of the Palestinian citizens to legally annex Palestinian territory to Israel.
Israel still occupies Gaza. Don't kid yourself otherwise
Israel still occupies Gaza. Don't kid yourself otherwise
Arens is distording the truth, Gaza are occupied terrtories and must be part of a contiguous palestinian state to be recognized.
Egypt should lift its end of the Gaza blockade, should have done so since decades and offered to save and absorb the Gaza Muslims into their big nation, just as tiny Israel saved and absorbed the 850,000 Jews who were expelled from Arab nations with no compensation - the refugees everyone else prefers to ignore.
Under the UN Charter Chapt XI, Israel is responsible for Gaza and the West Bank and the territories captured by Israel by 1949.
Israel wants to give Gaza to its former Arab ally in the inhumane and unprecedented seige of the largest refugies camp in the history of the ME. What Israel is interested in is not the well being of those Palestininas in the strip but its own security and unhinderance to its global scheme. In the end Israel wants a pure Jewish state in all Palestin minus Gaza. As far as the WB, it will select the best part and leave Palestinians plus whatever it could kick out from Jerusalem and other parts where Arab live. All the peoples it does not want would be assembled in a mini state (dicontinued Cantons) called the GREAT PALESTINE EMPIRE with Abbas or Erikat or may be Dhlan as the Empror. Israel is after an expansionistic scheme that would put all Arabs under its rule indirectly first and directly later. Jordan is the next target. Even Egypt would be stripped from part of the Sinai. In brief, Israel expansion and domination are without limit. It is hoped that one day, sooner than all would expect, those Arab regimes reminiscent of 1917 are swept away and freedom and justice take root in the region. The ideal solution is for all peoples of the regions regardless of their faith, race or history would live equal and peaceful.
Otherwise the enemy will always destroy what they would build
Access between Gaza and the West Bank isvital. Gaza is not part of Egypt, it is part of Palestine and Israel cannot get arouind that. It is responsible for beseiging the people of Gaza It might claim a right to close the border with Israel but it has no right to control the air and sea in Gazan territory.
save gaza.. let palestinians live
We must disconnect completely from this cesspool.
yes Egypt should take responsiblity for Gaza , and be held accountible
Its nice of you and your colonialist mentality to think that they are objects to be given away. They arent your personal cabana boys sir as much as you and others like you have been taught to believe them to be. You have nerve! They dont need the Jews running their lives, taking their property nor do they need the Egyptians. They have a perfectly usable port , and an airport that needs repair.
You know...the part regarding the Palestinians that Israel has NEVER honored...
I will mention 2 fundamental problems Arens has, and you can then draw your own conclusions: 1. Arens is an engineer. Unlike Physicists who work to understand the basics, an engineer takes the physicists' understanding as 'given' and uses it to construct useful things. In other words, Arens does not get to the bottom of problems he encounters but relies on "axioms" produced by others (such as Jabotinsky)./ 2. Arens does not give away any conquered territory, regardless of how wise the move might be. Examples: Arens voted AGAINST peace with Egypt (1979); against withdrawal from Lebanon under Peres (1985) even when all the goals of the Lebanon War were achieved years before; and Arens was against the final withdrawal by Barak (2000). His third "no" he still repeats because it is not yet considered a no-brainer by all Israelis.// The conclusion from point #2 is that Arens has an "anal peronality". His political positions are taken by his "gut", not his head, and represent no more wisdom than that of a child on his potty chair. Arens' intellect is used to JUSTIFY his "gut" positions. He can justify wrong ideas, but not before an inquiring audience. In this article we find a couple of nonsensical babyish thought: 1. Egypt should take responsibility for gaza. Thanks, Mr. Arens, but they are not interested. This is why they opened the Rafah crossing to people, not to GOODS. And can Egypt be held responsible for Gaza smuggling of weapons? Why not start a new war and take back the Sinai? The US should also blame Colombia for growing poppy and take it over..