Israel
Palestine budgetary incentives to peace
Carrots
give vision to peace more than do guns..
In 2008 our
and the world's economies fell off the cliff. Due in large part to our overreliance on the
expansive use of military forces, the world now stares at a depression. With 21st century weapons of mass
destruction abounding, we must move us away from the bloody, costly use of
military forces and switch to seeding carrots to better see the road to peace
and productivity.
The setting:
According to the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE),
from 1949-2001 the U.S. has
given Israel
a total of $94,966,300,000. The direct
and indirect aid from recent years puts the total U.S.
aid to Israel
since 1949 at over one hundred billion dollars.
As part of
an initiative by former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, the civilian aid has been steadily decreased
over the course of the past 10 years, going from USD 1.2 million to being
completely cancelled in 2007. At the
same time, military aid to Israel
has increased from USD 1.8 billion to USD 2.4 billion. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3362402,00.html
In Palestine, there is 1 university, in Israel 8. In 2001 about 50,000 Palestinian students
could not get to school, at least 3 schools were occupied by Israeli soldiers
and turned into military camps; over 2,000 students were injured and 137 killed
on their way to or from school; many schools had no or few textbooks. Middle East sources say not one library
functions in Palestine. In 2007, some would say the situation
improved marginally. In 2008 more walls,
checkpoints, and the Gaza
attacks have probably destroyed the debatable marginal improvements.
In
comparison to Israel, America gives very little in foreign aid to Palestine, and refuses to
give to a terrorist-tagged Hamas controlled government.
With war is
raging from Gaza through Afghanistan and Pakistan, our financial aid and
military involvement only moves us more rapidly toward broke. Nonetheless, the Bush administration recently
pledged $85 million to help rebuild Gaza
from the destruction that some of our military aid created.
In the 21st
century, it is saner and cheaper to try carrots rather than jet sticks.
Carrots for Israel and Palestine
The world
knows America
is almost broke. And much of the world
knows that wasteful warfare is skidding more and more of the world toward Slum
Row. Please try this carrot based
budgeting program for Israel
and Palestine to build peace in the Middle East:
- Bring Israel, Palestine, regionally involved states,
and the Arab Emirates, to an Israeli Palestinian Peace Conference.
- Explain to them how we will be
gradually shifting our aid from military support to projects that build
understanding and peaceful productivity.
- Outline how that for each six
months of continuous peace between Israel
and Palestine, America
will transfer $25 million (or a bigger number) from its military aid to Israel into peaceful, productive projects
that benefit both Israel
and Palestine. Most of these projects would require integration
between Israeli and Palestinians, such as developing: libraries for peace,
elementary schools, high schools, universities, camps, community service
projects, business joint ventures, news stations, service under the
international program of the American World Service Corps (AWSC)
Congressional Proposals. http://www.worldservicecorps.us/world%20service%20key%20proposal%202yr%20volunteer.htm
- Request that the Arab Emirates
and regional players commit to this process and to at
least tripling the United
States’ financial commitment with their
investment.
- Include all of those who
contribute financially, as well as the United Nations and some
well-regarded humanitarian agencies (Doctors without Borders, Mercy Corps,
Oxfam, Habitat, Peace Corps, etc.) in an oversight board that insures that
the money is used in a nonpartisan and fair
manner.
We have a
President of color today because we had Brown versus Board of Education
yesterday. Our history proves that a
nation that schools together and works together avoids killing each other.
By
gradually shifting our military aid to Israel
into peaceful, productive aid that benefits the daily lives of both Israelis
and Palestinians, the Obama-Biden administration can douse the spark that blows
up buildings and lives beyond just the Middle East.
By gradually
shifting our military aid, we do not weaken Israel,
and the healthy carrots this process provides moves Israel
and Palestine to
a healthier peace than the foolhardy peace imposed by walls and arms.
This
carrot-based aid shift will dramatically reduce the recruitment of radicals and
benefit our diplomatic efforts.
.
People’s
Lobby’s Educational Research link
http://www.worldservicecorps.us/Israel%20Palestine%20integrateschools.htm
KMTV’s VanDusen
Presents the American World Service Corps Congressional Proposals 12-08,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5412649329836782026
Comcast Cable Local Edition's Jerry Hanson interviews Dwayne
Hunn on substance of American World Service Corps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFMVeRVTvm4
Dwayne Hunn 415-383-7880
www.WorldServiceCorps.us
www.PeoplesLobby.us
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Notes
cut
What is not widely discussed, however, is that most of this aid
may violate American laws. (The Arms
Export Control Act stipulates that US-supplied weapons be
used only for "legitimate self-defense.")
Around
Christmas in 2008, Israel
launched overwhelming attacks into Gaza
to eliminate the terrorist-tagged Hamas, who had been winning support among
Palestinians by providing social services.
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