A Plan for Gaza: Demilitarization and Internationalization

By Walid Phares

As the UN Security Council was voting for Resolution 1860 calling for a cease fire in Gaza, for the stopping of the flow of weapons to Hamas and for the withdrawal of Israeli forces, I had sent a memo to the members of the Council advising for a more comprehensive plan based on Chapter 7. In 2004, I wrote an identical memo also remitted to the UN Security Council calling for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The memo was part of an NGO process leading eventually to the issuing of UNSCR 1559 in September of that year. The memo sent this week is not part of a formal NGO process but is signed by the secretariat of a newly formed Trans Atlantic Legislative Group (US and European legislators) and published in several outlets. It was remitted to several missions including the US, France, UK, Russia, the European Union, the Arab League, the Palestinian and Israeli delegations.

The central idea is to have the UN seizing the actual control of the Gaza strip but only under Chapter 7, that is with the massive deployment of a multinational force, the disarming of Hamas and other militias, and the rehabilitation of a reformed Palestinian Authority. Evidently my memo-article received different types of reactions. The Hamas and "Iranian axis" players definitively rejects the idea of any UN sponsored security measures in Gaza. They feel this will take away the only card they have: military pressure on Israel. But many on the other side are skeptical about any UN role. However diplomats are now discussing what seems to be some forms of international role and PA presence. The Cairo discussions are going in that direction. I am projecting that unless a wider conflict smashes all initiatives, the diplomatic resolution cannot evolve outside an international security system in Gaza.

I made several of these remarks on BBC TV and Radio, al Hurra TV, France 24, and I summarized the Ten Points Plan in a You Tube Posting. (Link at the end of the article).

The Ten Points Plan

It may be too early to discuss both a comprehensive solution for the future of a Palestinian state and to anticipate an end to the global War on Terror at the same time but here goes. In any discussion of peace in the Middle East it’s important to remember the intentions of the Iranian and Syrian regimes and their proxy, Hezbollah when we think about saving the civilian population of Gaza from war, shielding the Israeli populations from rockets and avoiding an escalation of violence that could engulf the entire region. The Iranian and Syrian regimes and their ally Hezbollah will always oppose the peace process and try to sink it.

So is there a plan to bring peace to the southern shores of the Levant? In an interview with Al Jazeera, Israeli President Shimon Peres said his country will stop military operations when the strikes by Hamas and its allies will come to an end. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his Palestinian Authority (PA) is ready to assume responsibility for the sake of his people. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah said their governments are ready to solve the crisis in Gaza if the PA is part of it. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations all affirmed that everything has to be done to end the war in Gaza. Excellent.

If all the players listed above are ready to stop the violence, end the war and save Palestinian and Israeli civilians from bloodshed, then the plan seems to be clear: demilitarization and internationalization of Gaza.

Establishing a fully-fledged U.N. sponsored and managed security system in the enclave has precedents across the planet: Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, and to some extent in Lebanon and possibly in the near future, Darfur.

When an area slips under the control of a militia which is not bound by a peace treaty, or operating under international law, and when a population comes under fire from any party because of the military actions of such a militia, and until a recognizable and recognized sovereign state becomes responsible for such an enclave, the U.N. Security Council must step in and apply Chapter 7 of the charter, that is to bring peace to civilian populations.

In this case, the United Nations has a duty to seize Gaza and manage its peace until an internationally recognized and responsible Palestinian state rises again in that province. How will this be accomplished?

1. The Security Council meets and declares Gaza as an area under U.N. emergency management and vote, under Chapter 7, for a strong multinational force (MNF) to enter the enclave in coordination with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

2. The MNF should not include forces whose governments are in a state of war with Israel or with the Palestinian Authority and must have diplomatic relations with both, for the purpose of peace building.

3. The MNF proceeds with the disarming of Hamas and all other militias first. Gaza should be demilitarized fully. Israeli forces would withdraw to the lines of demarcation fully.

4. The MNF would reestablish police centers and remit them to a reformed and transparent PA.

5. The MNF would protect the civilian population, in coordination with the PA units.

6. The Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference would provide all needed expenses for the MNF and the PA security forces. A consortium of oil producing governments from the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) would grant Gaza’s U.N. sponsored local administration $10 billion or so to end the economic crisis, fund new schools, hospitals and basic infrastructure.

7. The Arab League would commit to grant Gaza residents visas to visit all Arab countries and work permits if they wish so.

8. Israel commits to allow Gaza workers to travel to the West Bank and vice versa.

9. The final security and economic arrangements would be integrated in the final status negotiations between the PA and Israel.

10. The PA and Israel would resume their direct negotiations for a peace settlement.

This 10-point plan can, first and foremost, bring peace and security to the Palestinian population in Gaza, the Israeli civilians in the surrounding areas, and also engage the responsibility of the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League and the OIC in peace making.

Evidently, such a plan will never see the light of day as long as any party to the conflict thinks they can only count on a military solution — and particularly as long as Hamas is instructed by Tehran and Damascus to sink the peace process. Sadly as long as democracy is not on the rise in Iran and Syria we cannot predict the end of the War on Terror.

*****

Dr. Walid Phares is the coordinator of the Trans-Atlantic Legislative Group on Counter-Terrorism based in Washington D.C. and Brussels and the director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies as well as a visiting scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy.

Link

The You Tube Summary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnsU-4RKUEE