The following was written by Scott Bates and was first published in The New London Day on December 25, 2005
Each day Middle East peace slips away is another day that Islamist extremists gain power in Palestine and supporters across the Muslim world. That's why there is an urgent need for a lasting peace in the Middle East, now more than ever. The generations-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is serving as a rallying cry for al-Qaeda and other extremists in their quest to radicalize Muslim populations, destroy Israel and expel all western influence from the islands of the South Pacific to the mountains of Morocco.
The key to building a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is to be found in the realm of guaranteeing security for the two peoples. If President George W. Bush wants to truly strike a devastating blow against al-Qaeda and Islamist extremists, his administration should focus on applying American power and influence to securing a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Such a commitment would help to isolate Islamist extremists from the 300 million people of the Arab world by removing the Palestinian conflict from the television screens of the region. American leadership in providing an international security guarantee would dramatically demonstrate to the Islamic world that the United States is deeply committed to improving life for all the people of the Middle East.
The prerequisite for peace is security. A lasting security regime needs to answer questions about the identity of Israel, the nature of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the border between them. These questions can be answered with American leadership and an international commitment.
Needed: Help from Arab States
First, a straight-up trade should be made between the two sides which would also involve the Arab states, which have been in a state of alternating hot and cold war against Israel for decades. Israel would need to recognize the existence and sovereignty of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza. Israel's Arab neighbors would need to publicly acknowledge the right of Israel to exist and live in peace.
Second, the new Palestinian state would need to foreswear the right to form armed forces or launch offensive war. The precedent for this can be found in Japan's "Peace Constitution" after World War II. The Palestinian State would have an internal police force to maintain order, but with weapons incapable of launching war.
Third, an international security force would be organized to patrol the border between Israel and Palestine, guarantee religious freedom and access for all to Jerusalem and strengthen the Palestinian Authority against internal Islamist threats. Such a force has precedent in both Bosnia and Kosovo, where in the 1990's, the United States led international efforts to end bloody ethnic conflict based on age-old ethnic hatreds. The international security forces deployed in Bosnia have kept the peace for 10 years, in Kosovo for the past six years, all at the cost of zero U.S. combat casualties.
An international security force for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would need to be robust and involve major international players to ensure they have a stake in a lasting peace. The force would also need to address the three ingredients to ensuring a lasting peace; border security, the open city status of Jerusalem and the ability of the Palestinian State to combat terrorism.
Border security could be provided by 20,000 heavily armed troops provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO troops under American command could patrol the Israeli-Palestinian border area and be present at border crossing checkpoints to halt potential suicide bombers and ensure the smooth flow of people and commerce between the two peoples. The troops of NATO are the most highly trained and effective combat forces in the world and, when coupled with high-tech border security technology, would be able to provide assurance to Israelis that all is being done to halt terrorists. The NATO force would also let Palestinians know that the days of Israeli military raids in the West Bank and Gaza are a thing of the past.
A lasting peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians will have to provide recognition of the idea that both states have Jerusalem as a capital and that both peoples have equal access to the religious sites of that most holy of cities. To ensure this open-city status for Jerusalem and the Holy Basin, the United Nations should deploy a security force of 20,000 lightly armed troops trained in riot control, counter-terrorism and the maintenance of public order. The U.N. forces would serve under Security Council command and be comprised of troops from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Russia.
A security force would strengthen the stability and moderate nature of a new Palestinian state. I envision a force of 20,000, culled largely from Arab League nations that have signed peace agreements with Israel. Involving the Arab League would make 22 Arab states responsible for maintaining peace and would legitimize peace with Israel in the eyes of the Muslim world.
Skeptics may say that there is too much history, too many unresolved issues, too much hatred for lasting peace to be achieved. It is true that there are extremists in Palestine who are still calling for the destruction of Israel. There are also some in Israel who would hide behind a concrete wall and expel as many Palestinians from as much disputed land as possible. There is also a vast middle ground occupied by people of good will from both sides who wish to live in peace and security Provide a security solution to the Israel-Palestinian dispute and peace is possible. American leadership can make this dream a reality.