The 1967 plan is workable
There isn’t any surprise in how Israel has reacted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shocked and dull face said it all, as he sat beside US President Barack Obama at the Oval Office in White House.
Washington’s shift in focus on the Middle East, by clearly stipulating a plan of action, which said that the Jewish state has no recourse but to return to the boundaries of 1967 to acquire legitimacy and peace is, indeed, startling and reflected leadership. Now Netanyahu’s submission that the old borders did not take into account the demographic
changes of the last 44 years is irrational. Tel Aviv’s encroachment of Arab and Palestinian territories is illegal under the canons of international law and Israel will find itself once again on the wrong side of the divide if it let go this proposition of settling for permanent tranquility with its neighbours by trading land for peace.
Obama’s courage to stand up while redrawing the map of one of the most volatile regions of the world is appreciated. It has in no time been bucked up with support from the European Union, and is bound to solicit recognition from other major powers of the world, as well. The Arab and the Muslim world, of course, are on the same wavelength as the proposal has been a key demand of the Palestinians in negotiations all these years. Confidently enough, Washington has taken a stance that is almost similar to what the Arab League had formulated way back and reverberates the Arab Peace Plan forwarded by Saudi King Fahd in 2002. All that is required on the part of the Obama administration is to stick to the blueprint of the plan, and make Israel fall in line. Netanyahu’s stunt that he could not go back to the 1967 borders because these lines are indefensible is devoid of logic. This smells a rat. Bibi’s doctrine is reflective of Adolf Hitler’s Lebensraum policy, wherein the Nazi leader had laid his claim to as much land as possible directly proportional to its population. If the German leader can be contested for his strategy and flawed vision, how come Israel and its leaders are an exception?
The nous is now on President Obama to maintain the heat, in order to ensure that the Palestinian-Israeli imbroglio is addressed in all sincerity. The extended peace talks and shuttle diplomacy, intended to dig out a solution, has simply proved the fact that there isn’t any unanimity or consensus over a deal on territories. This is why the firm line of 1967 can make the difference. It’s time for Obama to put his foot down.
Pools of grief
This is the swimming season and whether it is the sea or a pool in club or at home, the need to exercise vigilance where the safety of children is concerned is imperative.
The death of a small boy in Sharjah over the weekend underscores the small time window that exists between being safe and being endangered. Parents often just allow their attention to be diverted for sixty seconds and that is enough to set off a series of cataclysmic that end in tragedy. The recriminations afterwards are of no help and there has to be a realisation that where children come into the equation then the attention has to be total and undivided. Again, mere parental supervision is not enough. A child must not be allowed to enter the water unless there is an adult who can swim and be present on the scene. There is no point being there looking after the child if you cannot swim.
There are two aspects that are often ignored or underplayed. One, is that a group of children is often more dangerous than one imagines. Dares, playing the fool or getting up to aggressive behaviour in water are to be strongly discouraged. Far too often young people challenge the elements by going too far out to sea just to show off to their friends or move to the deep end and that is when their troubles start.It is time all schools started a summer programme on swimming and safety and sent out letters to parents warning them of the hazards of unsupervised swimming.
These exercises would also help the authorities who have to go through the heartbreaking task of attempting rescues that are frequently too late. It is baffling that even after so many such accidents parents still do not take the necessary cautions and leave little children unguarded. What starts off as a holiday can turn into a nightmare. Ironically, adults can also show a collapse in common sense and take unnecessary risks. It is a sobering thought that water, like fire and the might of the mountains, will always win and we must never take them on.
Research also show that community pools are fraught with another risk which is that it is difficult to spot a child in trouble in a crowd with all that splashing of water. If you do allow your children to go to such pools make sure that they are identifiable by a cap or some distinct headgear and you can keep a tab on them.
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