Gaza Mess Solved By Green Eagle

Yes, Green Eagle, as much of an authority on the Mideast as he is on everything else (except, of course, complaining, on which he truly is an authority) has what seems to him to be the only viable step forward in the Gaza mess.

Here is something that I bet very few people know:  Before the 1967 war, Gaza was not part of Israel; it was part of Egypt.  In 1967, when Israel seized the Sinai peninsula, Gaza was part of the package.  Here is a map showing the territories which Israel ended up with:

Sorry about the colors there.  As you can see, Gaza is shown as an occupied territory, not as a part of pre-1967 Israel.  Now, when Israel agreed to give the Sinai- an area larger than the whole state of Israel- back to Egypt in return for a peace deal, the Egyptian government  knew perfectly well what kind of mess Gaza was, and so they refused to take Gaza back, leaving Israel holding the bag.

Funny, isn't it, that when Arab countries demand the return of all land that Israel ended up with as a result of the 1967 war, Gaza is never part of the package.

Well, here is my answer to the Gaza problem:  Egypt must agree to reintegrate Gaza into its territory and take responsibility for the acts of its people, who are in reality Egyptian citizens; and in return, Israel will allow Palestinians to establish a government in East Jerusalem.  This should be a part of any peace proposal.  It will solve two problems at the same time, giving each side a real victory without significant damage to the other side, and provide Palestinians and Israelis alike a clear sign that there are those on both sides who will take the actions necessary to make the peace process a true possibility.  Return Gaza to Egypt- a real way forward.

Update:  At my wife's suggestion, I have added some labels to the map, to make it clearer what is what.