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The Talking Hydra... and Cutting Through The Mess

© lawhawk

The hydra is a mythological beast with multiple heads. The US foreign policy in the Middle East is taking on so many different viewpoints that you can't even begin to believe that there is a coherent policy running through. You have members of Congress, including Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, speaking before the Israeli Knesset saying that Jerusalem will forever remain the undivided capital of Israel and that the US shouldn't pressure the Israelis into giving back land.

Meanwhile, you have President Clinton trying to broker a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians that requires Israel to give 13 percent of the land controlled by Israel to the Palestinian Authority. This leaves Secretary of State Albright and US Envoy Dennis Ross trying to pull something together in the form of a coherent policy. Of course, this leaves out the views of First Lady Hillary Clinton who said that a Palestinian state is inevitable.

So, that still leaves a muddled mess in the Middle East and no sign of intelligent life in the negotiation stances of the parties. It also means that it's time for some new ideas.

• Any land that is not currently in Palestinian control and was captured as a result of the Six Day War in 1967 will be transferred to UN control six months prior to the implementation date of the Oslo Accords.
• Jerusalem will remain an undivided city with tripartite control - Israeli, UN and Palestinian officials in leadership roles. Civilian control of the city will have security divided between a combined UN, Israeli and Palestinian force.
• Security for the West Bank will be divided between the UN and Palestinian Authority for the six-month period - failures to crack down on terrorist cells will result in a penalty of 1 month extension on turning over the UN control to the Palestinian Authority.
• If the Palestinian Authority meets all the requirements set forth in the Oslo Accords and has put forth a good faith effort in drastically reducing terrorist threats, the PA will be able assume control over 50 percent of remaining land. UN will remain responsible for the other 50 percent.
• The fifty percent previously mentioned would include land that the Israelis believe are crucial to their security needs. This land would continue to run with UN control for a period of 2 years as the effectiveness of PA efforts is evaluated by UN officials. After this time, if the UN determines that the agreements are being enforced, a referendum will be conducted which will determine the final status.

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