Wednesday, June 10, 2009
So says Arutz7. Sounds good to me: Mitchell Offers Swap of Israeli and Arab Population Centers
U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell sounded out the Palestinian Authority on a land swap that would allow Israel to retain large population centers in Judea and Samaria in return for the PA's receiving land that includes Arab cities.
He broached the idea in his meeting Wednesday morning with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, according to the BBC. The PA has not confirmed or denied the report...
...The land swap idea originally was proposed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party. Maaleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, Beitar Illit, Ariel and possible the Karnei-Ginot Shomron communities would be under Israeli sovereignty if the proposal were to be accepted.
In return, Israel would surrender to the proposed PA state areas with a concentration of Arabs, most probably the Triangle area between Netanya and Kfar Saba, which is part of the Galilee.
Surveys have shown that Arabs living in eastern Jerusalem, which the PA wants as its capital, are opposed to losing their Israeli citizenship, which provides them with financial benefits and services that the PA so far does not provide.
Arabs with Israeli citizenship in other areas enjoy Knesset representation, and it is also not certain that they will be anxious to become citizens of an unknown PA state instead.
DEBKA confirms the report. Take that as you will.
Just do it. SWOOSH.
The problem with the whole land swap proposal is that it conveys the message that Israel believes Judea and Samaria to be rightfully Palestinian property, which must be purchased by giving up land which is clearly Israeli property. It may be that this will be ultimately the answer - but it is WAY too soon to propose it, when the PA insists that the disputed territory has been stolen from it and is rightfully Arab land. You don't start a negotiation by agreeing to the other side's assumptions.
Let's see, Israel:
Obey the Almighty Living God whose land it is, whose property you are, & who raises up and brings low rulers & nations as He wishes
- vs -
Obey Obama, a mere man who hangs out with criminals, and who, btw, hates you!
What's the matter with you people!? wake up!
It would be a very good solution but it won't happen. Ehud Barak once suggested it to Arafat who said: we want land only, not people.
Many if not all or most, Arabs who reside in those areas will move into other Israel parts before the transfer occurs. It's a sure bet.
The whole notion goes against the core belief of the Palestinian polity; they won't agree to any measure which will help consolidate its Jewish identity.
BTW, "the Triangle area between Netanya and Kfar Saba, which is part of the Galilee" does not make sense. The Galilee is in the north.
"The Triangle (Hebrew: המשולש, HaMeshulash; Arabic: المـُثـَلـَّث, al-Muthalath), formerly referred to as the Little triangle, is a concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages adjacent to the Green Line, located in the eastern Sharon plain among the Samarian foothills. The name derives from the "triangle" of settlements visible from an aerial view.
Prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and Israel's establishment and sovereignty over that area, it was referred to as the "Little Triangle" to differentiate it from the larger "Triangle" region between Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus, so-called due to the extensive anti-Jewish attacks there during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt." (Wiki)
Correction: which will help consolidate Israel's Jewish identity.