Obama Phone Trail Highlights New Mideast Road Map

The two-nation notion -- Israel and a Palestinian state -- is simply unworkable. Gaza and the West Bank are not contiguous land masses and have never had responsible, credible or successful leadership.

Here is the obvious strategy that is being whispered about and probably has the best chance of succeeding and stopping the craziness and bloodshed.

1. Gaza should be annexed by Egypt. It is a boot camp run by terrorists and annexation will unseat its ruinous regime, give Gazans access to markets, jobs, passports and dignity. Egypt should be paid handsomely by the Americans and Europeans to take over Gaza and assimilate its people.

2. Likewise, the West Bank, run by incompetent but mostly non-violent Palestinians, should be annexed by Jordan. This will provide the same benefits for its residents as an Egyptian-Gazan annexation will bring to those residents. Jordan is already mostly populated by Palestinians who have prospered as a result of that relatively enlightened monarchy. Jordan should also be paid handsomely to undertake this acquisition.

It's interesting to note the strategy is likely being tested by President Obama this week. He phoned the heads of Middle East states in the following order: His first call to a foreign leader as President was made to West Bank "President" Abbas, according to the Times of London.

2. Next was Egypt's President Mubarak.

3. Third was Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister of Israel.

4. Fourth was King Abdullah of Jordan.

Diane blogs at Financial Post

Comments

[SiberianRat]

Wow, I'm thoroughly appalled by this piece. The content and tone are sophomoric and not worthy of publishing in a journalistic forum.

[spaceknife]

Same old bull from another apologist of israel's war crimes.
It's all palestinians fault as usual.
Madam, you just convince those who already think like you and refuse to consider palestinians as human beings.

[Diane Francis - Huffpost Blogger]

the Palestinians will not have a say in this annexation policy and will go for it on a practical basis. the terrorists won't.

[littlelordfauntleroy]

you mean the freedom fighters ? Mandela of South Africa was once a terrorist in the eyes of Apartheid South africa and the rest of the world too who refused to acknowledge the injustice.
i like that your post is related to finding solutions, but what about the refugees, just become Egyptians and jordanians and relinquish rights to their ancestral homes?
until the israeli's acknowledge their trangressions i.e the taking of palestinians lands then a solution is not going to be achieved.
the palestinians did not have a say when israel was created by the UN, read US and European powers so any solution that does not take into account their input will be baseless.
yes Israel is deeply entrenched as a sovereign Nation and asking for it to disappear looks daunting, but on the other hand asking a people to give up their heritage should be just as well.

[spaceknife]

With all due respect Madam,
I'd rether take that from a palestinian, not from you.
You are a champion at stirring the poop as you did very well in Canada Vs Quebec francophones

[BillMelater]

I think that Palestinian assimilation into the surrounding countries has been sternly rejected by the Palestinians already. I think this plan, while offering social benefits to Palestinians, will only be continually dragging Egypt and Jordan into conflict with Israel. And it may force Egypt and Jordan into rather suppressive acts against the Palestinians which I think nobody wants. It really depends on how the Palestinians feel about this. If they don't accept it, then it is just window dressing with the possbility of making things alot worse.

[struwwwel]

Interesting. Never considered such a plan.

Could it work? No self-determination for the Palestinians though.

What about Jerusalem? Jordan already has its own capital city of Amman. Would Palestinians be willing to give up the capital city status of Jerusalem?

Would West Bank Palestinians be willing to live under a monarch? I have serious doubts.

Egypt annexing the Gaza Strip seems to be a workable, plausable solution. Gazans would do much better tha on their own. Egypt certainly would demand control over the Gazan coastline.

But the West Bank would probably do better as a sovereign Palestine state, with strong economic connections to Jordan.

[almazza98]

There might be a division between Hamas and Fatah, but the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank are not divided and they will not want to be divided. You have to remember, the people in Gaza are refugees from Historic Palestine and there are some refugees in the West Bank as well. They are the same people and they are not going to be divided.