My Middle East Peace Plan

Here is the map of Israel and the Palestinian territories.

There are two different people living on the same piece of land - with two different languages and two different religions. They both have significant religious interest in this piece of land. No side wants to give in.

Additionally, there are millions of people who were expelled from the land, and live in the surrounding countries. And those countries are not granting them citizenship - so they are in some limbo, waiting to come back.

This is why there has been a deadlock on the middle east conflict for so long.

And I have taken it upon my humble self, as an uninvolved African, to suggest a viable peace plan.

The West Bank is primary to Israel’s ambition. Israel will never give up this land. Prime ministers who said it should be given up has been assassinated. There are radical settlers moving every day to live in the West Bank - and they are protected by the military.

Israel would have annexed it a long time ago - but it does not want the Palestinian population living there to become part of the country. This is because Israel wants to maintain a Jewish identity - which is fine, as there is no other Jewish country in the world. But it keeps the Palestinians stuck in self-governing enclaves, while de-facto control of the West Bank is by Israel.

My solution to the entire problem: Israel should merge with the West Bank fully (not as a conqueror, but as a partner). The combined country can still be called Israel, but the Arab and Islamic inhabitants should have full, democratic rights.

A new Palestinian state should be created to the south of Israel. This Palestinian state has to be viable and has to be able to create wealth. To achieve this, Israel will have to compromise.

Israel should give up Eilat to the Palestinians. Jordan gives up Aqaba, Saudi gives up Haql all the way to Alwasel. Egypt gives up the northern part of the Sinai all the way to Bardawil Lake. With this, the new Palestinian state has two water sources, has control over the north of the Gulf of Aqaba, and is no longer embedded into Israel. It has multiple locations where viable cities and settlements can form. It has off-shore gas. It has a northern water border and a southern water border.

The population of the West Bank would be given choices:

• Stay in Israel and give full allegiance to the country
• Move to the new Palestinian country
• Move to the EU or the US, and give up thoughts of living in the homeland. The USA would offer 2 million permanent residency cards for Palestinians, EU would offer 1 million, African countries would offer 100,000, and various Asian countries would offer 1 million. That means that West Bank Palestinians would have free, global resettlement for some years.
• Every Palestinian family who leaves would be offered $50,000, sponsored by the USA and Israel. If 1 million take this offer up, that’s just $50 billion. This is tiny for the USA budget

Additionally, there would be $200bn in aid given to the new Palestine to build itself up. With the new gas reserves found, the potential for tourism, and the end of middle-east conflict, this can quickly become a new Dubai.

The Palestinians in Jordan, Syria and other countries have two choices - move to the new Palestine or get citizenship of their current country and forever give up Palestine. Those who choose to resettle will be assisted financially to make the move.

To solve the northern issue, Israel will give up the Shebba Farms to Lebanon fully. The Golan heights would be fully annexed to Israel, but for that, Israel would have to give right of return to 250,000 thousand Palestinian Christians living in Jordan & Lebanon. These people would be allowed to settle in Golan Heights, and become Israeli citizens. They would also be given special permits to live in Bethlehem and other areas important to Christians.

Egypt would be giving up the most land to solve this problem. To compensate them, the New Palestine, Egypt and Israel would agree to a free trade zone, where Egyptian products can be sold in Israel without tariffs or levies for a period of 20 years.

At the end of this process, all the countries involved would agree to a full recognition of Israel in the new borders. All muslim countries will make full peace with Israel, and all refugees would finally get a home to call their own.