Open letter to President Abbas

The Hague, 28 February 2015

Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President
State of Palestine
The Presidential Compound
Ramallah, Palestine

RE: LIVING APART TOGETHER

Dear Mr. President,

Right now it would be presumptuous to even suggest: “Help is on the way”. But I promise you, the people at www.buildingthebridge.eu (in the air since yesterday) are going out of their way to mobilize the leadership of the European Union together with the United States to, once and for all, help you effectuate a comprehensive sustainable peace settlement. My attached letter to President Barack H. Obama outlines our thoughts. We, the simple people on the streets of Europe, expect you and others in responsible positions to step up to the plate, to accomplish what matters most in your region.

This means, each time you and your counterparts in Israel decide to execute policy for or against the other, ask the question: ‘will this action bring about peace or not’. If not, consider revising the directive. Your action alleging Israeli war crimes in the International Criminal Court (ICC) is justified but provocative and might be viewed as counter productive. The World Court of Public Opinion has already convicted Israel. Why not consider going to the next level? Move the ICC to evoke an out of court settlement, stipulating Israel to work toward an AGREEMENT of Reconciliation and War Reparations, including damages and restitution. Prime Minister Netanyahu might prefer a Court order to restitute rather than spending the rest of his life in jail.

Europe can finance a loan to Israel to pay restitution because it will stimulate the European economy. Israel cannot get away with getting something (confiscated lands) for nothing. Plus, it will engulf the region with a sea of cash to help raise it from the ashes. Thereafter, Israelis and Palestinians could once again do business together. Europe will stipulate to purchasing goods and services only from Europe. This is how the Marshall Plan of the late 1940’s rescued both the United States and Europe from economic malaise. At the time, the United States didn’t have a dime to spare. The dollars infused into Europe were merely a computer entry that bolstered both continents. Even my shoes and toys were, in the 1950’s, imported from the United States.

Finally, invoke Europe to treat the State of Palestine as a de facto NATO member, similar to Israel. Israel is in fact a de facto NATO member. As soon as the State of Palestine is treated as an ex officio de facto NATO member, neither state may ever again attack the other.

Sincerely,

Abraham A. van Kempen