{"id":3335,"date":"2025-09-10T11:23:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/?p=3335"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:42:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:42:01","slug":"rescuing-a-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/?p=3335","title":{"rendered":"RESCUING A PEOPLE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201eMore often than not, ambitious plans to secure stability, promote democracy and thwart terrorism, resulted instead in strengthening autocracy, aggravating economic misery and inciting violence.\u201c <\/em>Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs (May-June 1923, p. 166)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest tragedy of our time is, that the victims of a systematic extermination in the past \u2013 the Holocaust \u2013 have become the perpetrators of a systematic extermination of defenseless people in the present.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed – that is the greatest tragedy of our time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why has the Middle East been the scene of perennial wars for longer than I can remember? Why has it now culminated in a systematic massacre of defenseless people begging for food?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is: It is the heritage of western colonialism.<\/strong> Arbritrary borders of non-existent nations, decreed by colonial masters \u2013 the French and the British \u2013 is one example. The failed states of Lebanon and Syria, are an example. Repeated aggression against Iraq and Iran with disastrous consequences are one reminder. The outlawing of the Kurds \u2013 a people numbering ca 40 millions \u2013 is yet another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u201ethe British mandate\u201c \u2013 which endured 30 years \u2013 over the land of Palestine has had dire consequences.  The \u201eBalfour declaration\u201c, which initiated the founding of the state of Israel at the United Nations in 1948, without having secured the consent of the inhabitants \u2013 has brought us to where we are today:  On the verge of genocide.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the Arabs living there \u2013 the Nakba<\/strong> \u2013 the disaster \u2013 is still remembered as the expulsion of 750 thousand people from their homes and subsequently the massmurder of hundreds of thousands of people.  Those atrocities started a series of wars – with no end in sight<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are reaping as we have sown.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are just a few examples. The Iranians have not forgotten how the Americans and the British joined forces to overthrow a democratic regime in Teheran in 1953. Instead they hoisted on the ancient throne of the Shah of Persia, one of the most brutal autocratic regimes in modern times. Why? To gain control of the rich oil-resources of Iran. The Iranians suffer now under a theocratic dictatorship \u2013 and we suffer the consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state of Israel is in fact a client state of the United States of America. The by now extremist, theocratic regime in Israel, has easy access to America\u2018s high-tech arsenal, which gives it absolute military superiority in the region as shown regularily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2018t forget<\/strong>: Israel is a nuclear power.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the UN Security Council condemns Israel as the occupying power  for their illegal settlements, the USA gives them unfailing protection under their VETO power. This long lasting occupation is now culminating in systematic massacres of people begging for food, fleeing death by starvation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The land of Palestine has in fact been turned into the biggest open-air-prison on Earth. The occupying power is in total control. They can turn off the electricity at whim. They can withhold payments of tariffs and taxes, making the P.A. \u2013 their impotent administrative subcontractor \u2013 begging for money. Or they can simply deprive their prisoners of food and medicine, condemning them to a slow and torturous death<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the \u201estatus-quo\u201c \u2013 or the \u201eone-state-solution\u201c. And what is awaiting us, according to the Israeli PM, is the ultimate \u201eethnic cleansing\u201c of Gaza<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is that what we want?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only alternative is the \u201etwo-states-solution\u201c, as envisaged in the Oslo Accords. It remains the only solution based on mutual recognition<\/em> between Israel and the Palestinians. But it is only a practical solution in the long-term, if<\/em> the contingent conditions are faithfully fulfilled<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the international community must play a crucial role for the \u201etwo-states-solution\u201c to succeed. Right from the beginning both states must be fully sovereign \u2013 recognised by the international community \u2013 enjoying their security guarantee, and fully in charge of their own affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions for a peaceful solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. The General Assembly of the UN must confirm the founding of the state of Palestine, with borders to be negotiated.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The occupation must be formally ended and the military of both sides withdrawn (IDF and Hamas).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. All those responsible for war crimes must be brought to justice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Due to their failure in the past to bring about a peaceful solution to this long drawn-out conflict, the USA should withdraw from its moderating role, to be succeeded by the European Union. Europe should accept responsibility for her own past.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The EU should also undertake to provide a peace-keeping force<\/strong>, to maintain law and order in relations between the states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. A \u201eMarshall-plan<\/strong>\u201c for the reconstruction of Palestine shall be agreed upon, rebuilding the infrastructure of the state and a functioning economy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Israel should consent to pay compensation<\/strong> for the destruction they have wrought in Gaza.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. The super-rich Arab oil-states should volunteer to finance the reconstruction plan, in the name of Arab solidarity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of ancient myths and biblical fables, we need a rational settlement of disputes and firm action to secure long-term peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The time for talking is over<\/em>. The time for positive action is now<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (The author, J\u00f3n Baldvin Hannibalsson, was Foreign minister of Iceland 1988-1995)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201eMore often than not, ambitious plans to secure stability, promote democracy and thwart terrorism, resulted instead in strengthening autocracy, aggravating economic misery and inciting violence.\u201c Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs (May-June 1923, p. 166) The greatest tragedy of our time is, that the victims of a systematic extermination in the past \u2013 the Holocaust \u2013 have … Continue reading “RESCUING A PEOPLE”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allar_greinar","category-articles-in-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3335"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3367,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335\/revisions\/3367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jbh.is\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}