its 2023 but feels like 1933

Feels like 1973….but it’s 2023

Feeling impending doom, but trying to stay optimistic and hopeful that the mad state of the world won't crash down on our society. Laws keep the people from giving in to the evil part of their nature. In Jewish teaching we are half good and half bad, and must use the fear of God to control the impulses that cause the world to dive into chaos. 

On October 7th the worst massacre of Jews happened since the Holocaust. When I read, Night by Elie Wiesel, I learned how Jews in Europe had been gassed to death. I tried to imagine the inhumanity a person needed to be reduced to so that they could be exterminated like bugs. We had an exterminator hired  because my parents didn't want crickets or ants coming into our house. I felt sorry for the bugs and wouldn't  ever harm them myself.  I felt the pain of the lives lost like they were just vermin to my core. Even as a child I thought adults were naive to think that the level of evil that was needed to exterminate massive numbers of people was gone. There is no end to energy it must be changed to a new form.  

I know the solution to the conflict: offer Palestinians living in the disputed territories a "Puerto Rican" style citizenship use international funds to build villages like the ones destroyed on 10/7. Maybe Egypt will throw some land back in the Sinai so they don't have to deal with or govern them.

 The peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, known as the Camp David Accords, marked a historic diplomatic breakthrough int the turbulent Middle East. In 1978, under the mediation of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat reached an agreement that laid the foundation for peace between the two nations. A key component of the accord was Israel's commitment to return the Sinai Peninsula, which it had occupied since the Six-Day War in 1967. The Sinai's strategic importance for defense and its significant natural resources make this concession a noteworthy and challenging move for Israel. 

The agreement not only signed a shift towards peaceful coexistence but also included provisions for demilitarization, establishing a framework for diplomatic relations, and addressing the riots of Palestinians in the region. Although history has not offered a solution to the Palestinian's conflict with Israel, the peace between Israel and Egypt, although not ideal, has held. The peace treaty signed in 1979 led to the withdrawal of Israeli Defense forces from the Sinai Peninsula. This is still the landmark agreement setting a precedent for diplomatic solutions and addressing conflicts. 

However, there has not been a tenable solution to the Palestinian's claims and therefor their animosity towards Israel has only grown with the decades of armed struggle and the resulting predictable response by Israel.  Thus tarnishing Israel among world opinion while they just endeavor to protect their civilians; which is the primary concern of a government. 

The government has done such a good job of offering their citizens a happy life that according to the timesofisrael.com in January of 2023 Israel has soared to 4th place in a global list of happiest countries. Much has happened in Israel since then but most will say they love living in Israel and would defend it to the death. 150% of Israel's eligible reservists arrived for duty after 10/7 to serve and the country has joined together with many citizens not required to serve enlisting.

Palestinians who are in the disputed territories AKA from the "River to the Sea" should be offered a limited citizenship and immediately have their personal needs satisfied in a meaningful way. I call it the Puerto Rican solution. I didn't make this up, I heard a speaker advocating this idea and have found it made sense based solely on it being part of a historical peace treaty.

The peace treaty following the Spanish American War in 1898 resulted in the cession of Puerto Rico to the United States. The relationship  between Puerto Rico and the U.S. is defined by a territorial status, and as a consequence, Puerto Ricans were granted territorial citizenship by the Foraker Act of 1900. This provided them with a unique legal status distinct from mainland citizens, Puerto Rico remained an unincorporated territory rather than a fully incorporated part of the United States.

One significant difference between mainland citizenship and Puerto Rican citizenship lies in the voting rights for the President of the United States. While mainland citizens participate in presidential elections, Puerto Ricans residing on the island are unable to vote for the U.S. President in the general election. However, Puerto Ricans who move to the mainland can apply for full citizenship. 

Moreover, the ability to change the constitution varies between mainland citizens and Puerto Rican citizens. While mainland citizens can actively engage in the constitutional amendment process through their elected representatives, Puerto Ricans have a more limited role. Amendments to the Puerto Rican constitution are typically initiated by the local government and approved through a referendum on the island. This distinction in the constitutional process reflects the unique political and legal circumstance that stem from Puerto Rico's territorial status within the United States, but it also paves the way for Israel to solve the Palestinian's desire to have a "right of return'.