Quantum theory of peace
Op-ed: Peace process distracts us from real problems, with Israel's future at stake
The Quantum Theory in Physics, developed by Werner Karl Heisenberg, a German theoretical physicist and one of the leading scientists of the 20th century, is based on his "uncertainty principle" that described the interaction of atoms without a definite structure. Unlike the cause-and-effect of our everyday lives, subatomic particles behave irrationally. Middle East politics treads the worst of both.
A reformed Arab Palestinian state ("the two-state solution") has as much logic as throwing dice and betting that you'll win. Projections and methodologies based on hopes, illusions and potentials - without structure - are inherently unstable and unpredictable; sometimes, they are deadly.
The Oslo Accords and various "Road Maps," our political equivalent of Quantum Theory, ignore the violence and volatility of Arab and Palestinian societies, growing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and the inability of Arab Palestinian leaders to decide on what they want, when they want it, and how to get it. They bounce around, often colliding, and fail miserably. That's reality.
Instead of planning how to contain and eliminate Palestinian terrorism, Presidents Obama and Abbas propose the opposite: statehood, releasing terrorists from prison (which means more Jewish "sacrifices for peace"), providing terrorists with money and weapons, and, of course, destroying Jewish communities.
Quantum hoping - believing that concessions, however dangerous, will end Palestinian terrorism and incitement - defies reality. That belief might be justified if there was a probability of success. If the Israeli government were not playing with lives, it would be a silly joke. But such failures have disastrous results.
Consider this: Instead of building a multi-billion dollar barrier more or less along the 1949 armistice lines – which is meant as a new political border, a fraction of the funds could have been spent to improve road infrastructure in Israel that would save hundreds of lives each year; or, we could have built a barrier along Israel's Egyptian border to prevent smuggling, infiltration, and thousands of unwanted immigrants; or, Israel could develop vital natural resources – water, energy, etc., or improve our mass public transit system. Instead, we have an ugly wall intended to demarcate a future Palestinian state.
As the government and IDF now admit, nearly all terrorists and potential terrorists are caught at road blocks, checkpoints, and initiated preventative raids. Intelligence stops most terrorists, not walls and fences.
Education collapsing, poverty grows
Moreover, as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon showed, walls cannot stop rockets and missiles. The "separation barrier" has little or no security purpose; it was intended to mark what Israel would like to keep, and what it is willing to concede to a Palestinian state.
Billions of dollars were spent destroying Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria – and building fences and walls; the result was a deterioration of security and Hamastan. Israeli society paid the price.
The state's educational system is collapsing: more than half the students fail the matriculation exams; high schools are ravaged by drugs and violence. Budgets for teachers and schools are slashed, while Defense Ministry coffers are overflowing
According to government figures, half of Israeli children live below the poverty line; one-quarter of Israelis are in the same category. The solution: raise salaries for judges and politicians.
Millions of dunams in the Negev and Galilee have been usurped by Arabs and Bedouins – along with building vast illegal towns. Documented reports reveal that Bedouin (especially in the Negev) are widely involved in smuggling, extortion and theft. The police admit that they are helpless. Arabs have built hundreds of thousands of illegal buildings throughout Israel. Rather than deal with that problem, the government destroys Jewish homes.
Add the systematic corruption of Israel's political circus, its inadequate police and judicial system, and compliant media and we are a society at risk, not only from without, but from within.
While Israel's existence as a country and a society is at stake, media and politicians distract us from the real problems that threaten our existence. In a quantum theory of peace based on the "two-state" delusion, the odds of success are many millions-to-one. For gamblers, however, this makes the game interesting, until, of course, they lose. With Israel's survival at stake, who in their right mind would take that chance?
Quantum-thinkers-for-peace, listen-up; you have nothing to lose but your delusions.
The author is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
