STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU IV

THE FINAL SOLUTION

There is something universal about the struggle in the Middle East, something that reflects the fundamental human struggle and makes it desperately important to find an appropriate solution. The immediate struggle is over "holy" sites, to which both Muslims and Jews feel they have an historical claim and a religious right. Christians, to their credit, are not trying to reclaim Jerusalem for Jesus – at least not at the moment.

We could try to discern whose claim is the more legitimate, but that would almost certainly lead to disagreement, anger, and disappointed, and would surely take us down a path to unending war. The solution, it seems to me, lies in the simplest rule for children on the playground: The swing is there for everyone to use – if you can’t share, you don’t get to play. Having said that, it behooves both Israel and the international community to do whatever is necessary to make any solution more palatable to Arab nations. Here's my solution:

- Create a Palestinian nation, borders to be decided by the international community (as in the British Mandate).
- Universal access to holy sites in Jerusalem.
- Zero tolerance for terrorism. A stronger U.N. must enforce security. Relations between Israel and the Arab nations cannot improve until Israel is relieved of the role of neighborhood tough guy.
- Isolate cheaters. Discourage countries from tolerating terrorism by completely cutting them off economically from the rest of the world.

I think that should do it. I’m not saying it would be easy, but it is most certainly necessary. We fail in the Middle East at our own peril.

One foot on either side.

1 XCZR