After Gaza: Necessary Actions In The Immediate Aftermath

This is the transcript of my YouTube video "After Gaza: Necessary Actions In The Immediate Aftermath".

You may have noticed that in the first “After Gaza” video, I ignored discussing what I suggest should happen in the immediate aftermath of the genocide.  That was a deliberate act because I don’t feel it’s a Westerner’s right to dictate what should happen to Israel and Palestine but I do think that we need to think about what suggested steps need to happen without the clouding effect of the highly emotional state inherent in being perpetrator or victim of genocidal acts.

So, here are my initial thoughts on what needs to be done in the immediate aftermath of the genocide and they are in no particular order.

• All Hamas fighters suspected of being instrumental in the 7^th October attack and all Israelis who are suspected of having committed genocide, war crimes and crimes against Humanity should be arrested and put on trial at the International Criminal Court for their crimes.  Maximum possible sentences should be passed for those found guilty.
• Hostages and prisoners on both sides of the conflict should be released.
• Israel should be returned to the 1967 borders agreed to by the Palestinians with the following edition: a strip of land that connects the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and all land to the South of that strip.
• All illegal Israeli settlements emptied of Israeli settlers and the homes given to the displaced Palestinians.
• Reparations to be paid by Israel to Palestine minus reparations for the attack of 7^th October.  The amount of reparations to be paid by both sides to be determined by a commission of neutral States.
• Demilitarisation of Israel (including nuclear weapons) to be undertaken by a multinational force of neutral States.
• Israel must pay for the excess land they were gifted by Western States for the formation of Israel, given that the land was given without regard to the Palestinian claim to the land and disproportionately in relation to the number of Jewish settlers moving there compared with the indigenous Palestinian population.  The States involved with the gifting of the Palestinian land for the creation of State of Israel must also pay a proportion of the cost of the excess land.
• Israel and its allies must pay for and help rebuild the Gaza Strip and the land that is returned to the Palestinians.
• A multi-Middle Eastern State armed force to secure the new borders of Palestine and neutral States will provide an armed force to protect the new borders of Israel.
• Those individuals convicted of war crimes, crimes against Humanity or genocide to be stripped of their ability to travel outside the borders of their respective country.
• Israelis will be given the option of staying within the new borders of Israel or emigrate unless they have been convicted of genocide, war crimes or crimes against Humanity.
• Individuals and companies in foreign States that are suspected of complicity in Israel’s genocide to be arrested and held accountable for their complicity.
• The State of Palestine to be recognised by the international community under the new borders.  Israel will only be recognised as a State under its new borders.
• Arms sales to Israel to be stopped immediately.
• Reduced level of diplomacy between Israel and other States to reflect its pariah status for a number of years to be determined by a committee of neutral States.

I know that these measures seem disproportionately aimed at Israel but there have to be severe consequences to committing genocide so that every State on Earth understands that “never again” means exactly that.  Hamas should be held accountable for their war crimes too but the response by Israel to the Hamas attack on 7^th October was disproportionate.  The measures I have suggested are, however, proportionate to the severity of the crimes committed by IDF.

Israelis who were against the genocide will not suffer any punishment except perhaps having to move from where they live if it comes within the new borders of Palestine and they should receive reparations from the State of Israel to compensate them or, they may be able to stay within the borders of Palestine if they can come to some peaceful agreement with the Palestinians.  However, there should be an organisation formed of members from neutral States to keep the peace in any areas where Israelis who elect to stay with the new borders of Palestine live to ensure there is no conflict.