Condoleezza Rice: send Palestinian refugees to South America

[shaayecanaan]

"The United States proposed giving Palestinian refugees land in South America as a radical solution to a problem that has haunted Middle East peace talks for decades.

Condoleezza Rice, the Bush administration's secretary of state, wanted to settle displaced Palestinians in Argentina and Chile as an alternative to letting them return to former homes in Israel and the occupied territories. Rice made the proposal in a June 2008 meeting with US, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Berlin, according to minutes of the encounter seen by the Guardian.

During a discussion about international funding to compensate refugees – an estimated 5 million Palestinians are scattered around the Middle East – the US diplomat made a startling suggestion.

"Maybe we will be able to find countries that can contribute in kind. Chile, Argentina, etc (ie, give land)."'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/condoleezza-rice-palestinian-refugees-south-america

[Hardrada]

1. Didn't Hitler want to send the European Jews to some place in Africa

also? I don't see much difference here and she must still be in somebody's payroll.

[shaayecanaan]

6. The Madagascar Plan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Plan

"The Madagascar Plan was a suggested policy of the Nazi government of Germany to relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar."

There is also a resemblance to the American plan to send former slaves to Liberia.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

10. BINGO!

[oberliner]

14. Actually Herzl himself proposed Argentina and Uganda

There were a variety of locations discussed in the early days of the Zionist movement.

[bemildred]

15. Wasn't Kenya in the mix there somewhere too? nt

[shaayecanaan]

22. I think that's what you'd call a non-sequitur (nt)

[Ken Burch]

27. No...Herzl proposed those as alternatives to establishing Israel where is WAS eventually established

Herzl wasn't talking about where to send the Arabs(though he likely wouldn't have minded sending them there.)

[Cleita]

2. And whose arms would they twist to acquire that

land, which probably belongs to someone already there? Will they throw more tribes onto reservations to give land to new immigrants?

[shaayecanaan]

5. They will probably set up a new state for the displaced South Americans in Africa (nt)

[Ken Burch]

18. It would require the U.S. to go back to staging military coups in South America

then, when the juntas took power, they'd execute the remaining indigenous people and send the Palestinians to live in the Andes, where, to the relief of imperialists everywhere, they would all die of altitude sickness.

Because it's not as if Palestinians have any right to live, of course...

:sarcasm: :puke:

[corpseratemedia]

3. Aren't Palestinians Palestinians?

I'm confuuuuuuused.

[madrchsod]

7. yup..they have been that way for thousands of years

[ProgressiveMuslim]

11. Or we can ship the Brooklyn settlers there. nt

[liberal N proud]

4. Twisted

[LeftishBrit]

8. So when did these countries agree to give up land to the Palestinians?

I must have missed that!

This is as ridiculous as some similar suggestions I've seen about the Israelis.

[hayu_lol]

9. Don't think the 'Pals' would be a good fit...

in Argentina.

How does one go about moving up to 5 million people?

South America would be a bad idea.

How about moving them to western Utah?

[shaayecanaan]

12. The "Pals" that are there now could pay out your mortgage from the ashtrays of their cars...

The largest Palestinian diasporas outside of the middle East are in South America. They have steadily accumulated wealth and influence to the extent that several countries (such as Belize and el Salvador) have had Palestinian presidents.

One reflection of that influence is the recent wave of South American states that have agreed to recognise the state of Palestine.

[oberliner]

13. Neither Belize nor El Salvador is in South America

They are both in North America.

[hayu_lol]

19. Brooklyn Settlers? You mean the...

Dutch?

There goes the neighborhood.

[shaayecanaan]

21. Well, I think Central America would be more accurate...

but thanks nonetheless for that rather pointless aside.

[oberliner]

23. North America is accurate

Central America would also be accurate (although not "more accurate").

South America, however, is not accurate.

[shaayecanaan]

25. Whatever, well done

a bowl of the finest warm milk awaits you.

[Ken Burch]

17. "how about moving them to western Utah?"?

Did you READ what you just posted?

[LeftishBrit]

20. How about moving them to western Utah?

Very similar suggestions have been made about Israelis from time to time.

Either way:

(a) It's ethnic cleansing; should we really support that?

(b) In what earthly way are Palestinians or Israelis particularly suited to life in Utah?

(c) Is conservative Utah going to rush to accept 'a lot of new non-Christian immigrants who talk Foreign' as they may well put it?

(d-z) Every other reason why it's not a good idea!

(Or were you being sarcastic?).

[Ken Burch]

16. Thanks, Condi. That's a BIG help.

:sarcasm:

[hayu_lol]

24. As to Utah...I was tripping the light fantastic...

however, the climate is similar to what they are accustomed to...there are vast areas of unsettled land(with large underground water resources available, and such a move has been suggested before vis-a-vis Israel being moved to Oklahoma(similar conditions)by Bartcop.

Moving 5 million people across the Atlantic would be an almost impossible job.

Much better to find a way to form the two separate side by side nations where they are now.

[Ken Burch]

26. And that's only going to happen if the settlements and the IDF

Are removed from the Palestinian nation, and NEVER go back.

(Note-I'm talking about the settlers, not about anyone else. There should be negotiations to allow descendants of indigenous West Bank Jewish people to return, on the understanding that they would live there as Palestinian citizens).

There also needs to be Palestinian control of the Palestinian water supply(any decent human being would agree with that).

And an agreement that Israel would NEVER try to economically strangle an independent Palestinian state.

None of this is too much to ask.