Firtz Edlinger interviews Jeffrey Sachs on the horrific crimes against the Palestinians. Sachs explains his peace plan, the root cause of the conflict and the responsibility of the United States in enabling the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza strip.
All necessary measures have been on the table for a long time. There is no need for a new international process but for concrete implementation under international leadership. The two conflicting parties are unable to find a solution on their own. The leadership should unquestionably rest in the hands of the United Nations, which should decide, as a first concrete step, to admit the state of Palestine as a full member. Following that, the war in and around Gaza should be ended as quickly as possible, with international peacekeeping forces monitoring and ensuring it.
A crucial component of the Sachs Plan involves establishing a "UN Reconstruction and Sustainable Development Funds" with a proposed budget of at least 160 billion USD. It is intended to be primarily financed by a significant reduction in international military expenditures.
Jeffrey Sachs recognizes the need for a radical shift in U.S. Israeli and Middle East policy. He sees potential for this change, as the U.S. population increasingly disagrees with their government's aggressive foreign policy, supported by numerous opinion polls. He hopes that this pressure, combined with actions from the international community (given that a large majority of UN member states support the immediate admission of Palestine to the United Nations), will compel the U.S. administration to break free from the influence of powerful lobbies in Washington. From Europe, he hopes for a distancing from the growing dependence on the U.S.
In conclusion, it is a logical and well-thought-out plan, lacking only one thing: the necessary courage from the international community to finally address a concrete solution to the longest-standing unresolved international problem. The overwhelming majority of the international community is, however, ready for such a solution.
