“I think we have to get real here: the status quo cycle of provocation and retribution is predicated on some idea that one of these groups is going to go away — and they are not. So Israel, the United States, the United Nations, the Arab nations — no one seems to be incentivized to stop the suffering of the innocent people in this region.”
Jon Stewart came up with two comedic solutions before giving a serious one.
“Starting now, no preconditions, no earned trust, no partners for peace: Israel stops bombing, Hamas releases the hostages. The Arab countries who claim Palestine as their top priority come in and form a demilitarized zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state. The Saudis Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Jordan — they all form like a NATO arrangement guaranteeing security for both sides. Obviously, they won’t call it NATO. It’s the Middle East Treaty Organization — METO.”
