There is no justification or rationale for the terrorism that the Islamist militant group Hamas has inflicted on Israelis, be they civilian or military, during this current escalation of the 70-year-old Israel-Palestine conflict. There is also no justification or rationale for never talking about or implementing the one solution that will bring a peaceful end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

If you accept the proposition that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, Hamas, Israelis, Palestinians, and the American government all suffer either political, military, or religious insanity when it comes to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hamas insanely continues to think that by committing terrorist acts of violence, depravity, and murder over and over again on innocent civilian Israeli men, women, and children, the world will change its mind and accept Hamas’s evil religious premise that the state of Israel does not have the right to exist, on land designated in 1947 by the world through United Nations (UN) Resolution 181.

Former Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid had the right idea when he addressed the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2022. © Mike Segar, Reuters

Israelis insanely continue to think that by occupying land designated for the creation of the state of Palestine, by the world in the same 1947 resolution that created the state of Israel, under undemocratic apartheid-like living conditions for the Palestinians living there, the world will change its mind and declare Israel is entitled to legitimately occupy the land because the God Jewish people worship promised them Palestine’s land. Palestinians insanely continue to allow violent militant thugs like Hamas to represent their protest voice, while not holding nonviolent but economically corrupt organizations like the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) accountable for not adequately representing their political voice, insanely believing this flawed combination will deliver the creation of a Palestinian state.

Both Democrat and Republican American governments insanely continue to make Israel’s occupation of land designated for the state of Palestine possible, by making Israel the most powerful military force in the Middle East and declaring that Israel “has the right to defend itself”, which is code for Israel can do whatever it pleases with the weapons America gives them, insanely believing that this will enable Israeli citizens to live in peace, while the Palestinians that reside next door on land Israel occupies, live among economic blight with no rights of either human, economic or political self-determination. Thanks to the American military technology and economic support given to the state of Israel the insanity of Hamas, Israelis, Palestinians, and the American government guarantees Israel’s survival, but in reality, it is Israel’s guaranteed survival with inconsistent peace, the consistent threat of violence, and no end in sight to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Unfortunately for Israel their current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s definition of the 2 state solution has caused new violence in an old war

It’s insane to think the Israel-Palestine conflict will ever end with peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, as long as the terrorist organization Hamas is part of the equation. Their very name “Hamas” is an Arabic acronym for “Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya,” which means The Islamic Resistance Movement. In the Hebrew language, Hamas means violence, in the Arabic language Hamas means zeal. In the Spanish language, Hamas is spelled differently “jamas” but pronounced the same way means never. In other words, Hamas stands for and means zeal for violent resistance, death, and destruction of the state of Israel, never peace with Israel. Israel should attempt to eliminate the Hamas organization but must take the safety and humanity of non-Hamas Palestinians into account during any elimination attempts in Gaza.

Among Israelis, non-Hamas Islamic Palestinians, Christian Palestinians, and the American government a peaceful coexistence end to the Israel-Palestine conflict is possible. Because they all share a vision impossible for Hamas to see, two nations, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. However the decade-plus leadership of Israel, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, makes Palestinians question Israel’s true commitment to a two-state peaceful coexistence. Just as Palestinians turning away from PLO leadership and turning towards Hamas leadership in Gaza, causes Israelis to question the Palestinian people’s true commitment to a two-state peaceful coexistence.

Both Israelis and Palestinians will offer self-serving justifications for doing the things they do that impede the realization of two-state peaceful coexistence. But at the end of the day both their actions are another form of doing the same thing while expecting different results, which is why it falls to America to step up, as a mediating third party, and provide a new solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict that is never talked about.

The solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict never discussed is for America to establish a similar type of demilitarized zone between Israel and the proposed Palestine state, like the one that currently exists between South Korea and North Korea.

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land between South Korea and North Korea but not occupied by either South Korea or North Korea, it serves as a neutral buffer zone where the two nations can meet when negotiations need to take place. The DMZ was established in 1953, with the consensus of South Korea, North Korea, China, America, and the United Nations (UN) in the Korean Armistice Agreement, as a cease-fire to the Korean War. It is manned by troops from many countries under the direction of the United Nations Security Council. America contributes approximately 28,000 troops, who are based in South Korea. Since no peace treaty has ever been signed technically a state of war still exists between South Korea and North Korea, but the DMZ has maintained the cease-fire for 73 years, allowing both South Korea and North Korea, to live in peace with each other even though a great amount of hate still exists between each other.

The Israeli-Palestinian Demilitarized Zone (IPDMZ) that America would establish between Israel and the proposed Palestinian state, would replace any walls currently erected by Israel. It would be a neutral land zone occupied and staffed, 24/7, with 5,000 American troops. Instead of just giving Israel money and weapons to defend itself, part of the money we give can be used to fund American troop presence in the IPDMZ, adding the third element of fighting troops to the money and weapons support currently guaranteeing Israel’s peace and security. After the IPDMZ is established Israel would withdraw all Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops from all land designated for the state of Palestine.  Israel’s last negotiating partner for peace and the recognized legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, the PLO, would be empowered with American and international technical help to establish the new state of Palestine on the previously occupied land.

The PLO would be free to establish a democratic state with all the same rights and privileges as any other free democratic society. This would include a democratic Palestine Constitution, mandatory consistent one-person-one-vote-counted elections for Palestinian citizens, Palestinian control of airports for planes and Palestinian control of ports of entry for shipping, a Palestinian justice system to administer the rule of Palestinian constitutional law, Palestinian police forces for domestic security and Palestinian armed forces for self-defense. The number 1 rule would be don’t F with Israel!!! American troop presence in IPDMZ would guarantee no one would, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran.

Former Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (left), Former President Bill Clinton (center), and Former PLO Leader Yasser Arafat (right) at the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13 1993. This was the last time any progress was made on making the two state solution a reality

Israel raises a valid fact when it points out that between 1947 and 1967 no one from the Palestinian, Arabic, or Islamic world lifted a finger to establish a state of Palestine, on the UN-designated land by the same UN resolution that designated land for the state of Israel. Unfortunately for Palestinians, instead of their supporters from the Arabic or Islamic community being focused on helping Palestinians establish a new country, some used Palestinian’s no established country status as political attack talking points, while others used the land designated for a Palestinian state to commit acts of destruction against the state of Israel.

With a demilitarized zone between Israel and Palestine manned by American troops, Israeli fear of Hamas rocket fire, or of being in close proximity to people hostile to their existence can end immediately. Israel would be able to return to its prosperous growth trajectory in peace and security, while America with the help of the international community can do in Palestine what it did in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sponsor the creation of a new Palestinian democratic society where citizens are free to experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

An independent self-determining democratic state of Palestine with an economy that provides jobs for its citizens, and has its own intelligence and police capabilities to identify, pursue, and subdue terrorist elements like Hamas is the best and most reliable way to secure long-term peace and security for the state of Israel. If Palestinians can live the same life of self-determination and freedom as Israelis are living, it is no longer in their best interest to be at war with their next-door neighbor, or to allow a terrorist element to exist in their midst that would launch missiles against its innocent next-door neighbors.

Now is the time for America to make real its long-stated policy of two INDEPENDENT states living together side by side in peace!!! America must establish an Israel-Palestine demilitarized neutral zone staffed with 5,000 on-the-ground American troops, and demand that both sides move IMMEDIATELY to create the new state of Palestine. The current Korean demilitarized zone has maintained a cease-fire status for 73 years between two countries, North and South Korea, which officially still have a state of war declared against each other.

An Israel-Palestine demilitarized neutral zone staffed with 5,000 American troops, would end the insanity of Israel conducting apartheid-like occupation on land designated for a Palestinian state because they justifiably fear the people that live next door, and would end Israel taking steps to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state out of fear the new country would attack it. Because any threat to the peace and security of Israel is eliminated as soon as American troops land on the Israeli border. If America can commit 28,000 troops to South Korea’s peace and security, surely America can commit 5,000 troops to the peace and security of Israel and Palestine. Now is the time and opportunity for America to finally end the Israel-Palestine conflict, by creating the Israeli-Palestinian Demilitarized Zone manned by 5,000 American troops, finally bringing true long-lasting peace to the Middle East.