U.S. President Joe Biden is about to embark on what could be the most important trip of his presidency thus far.
He’ll visit the oil-rich Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, to convey to the kingdom a message that it still remains a powerful ally to the U.S. and that the entire Middle East is still vital to America's strategic interests.
But this visit presents an even greater opportunity the president must consider, one that can resolve one of the longest historical conflicts, which prevents tighter cooperation and long-lasting peace in the region: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A growing number of Arab leaders say in private that they would like very much to take the same steps toward peace with Israel we’ve seen with the Abraham Accords in 2020, but they can’t do that until a solution is found for the Palestinians.
One official I met said went as far as saying that he would be happy if the "Israeli side showed more effort.”
A secret military summit held recently in Egypt between the U.S. Africa Command and Arab and Israeli military officials is another indication of the shift in attitude due to the coalescing Iranian threat.
It may seem counterintuitive, considering decades of failed peace efforts, but now is exactly the time to make the Palestinians a new offer, one they cannot refuse — a “Marshall Plan” that will guarantee the next Palestinian generation a future of prosperity, success and a prospect for financial independence.
The original Marshall Plan, named after former United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall, served as the basis for the reconstruction of a decimated post-World War II Europe and has been used as the blueprint for healing other conflicts since.
It rebuilt the European industry that was destroyed in the war and restored faith to an entire dispirited continent.
But above all, it helped unwind a Europe that suffered two world wars, that killed over 100 million people in the span of fewer than 40 years.
If peace between Israelis and Palestinians seems unattainable, we must remember that the strong and stable Europe we’ve known over the last seven decades wasn’t an obvious fact after the Second World War. Just as the Marshall Plan lifted Europe back up with a healthy financial base, the Palestinian plan must focus on creating small businesses and building homes, hotels, restaurants and creating workplaces.
A fixed sum of money can be doled out to young entrepreneurs under close inspection so they can build new businesses. If the business turns out profitable but still requires financial push after a year, it can get another injection of funds.
In other words, provide the Palestinians with everything that made Israel and other countries financially independent, which will help create a new and prosperous Palestine.
I believe that in three to five years, the GPD per capita would double every year. The richer the future Palestinian state will be, the greater the chance of it becoming financially independent, and the entire region would benefit from it.
The U.S., Europe, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries can split the bill, including Israel, who, alongside the Palestinians, would be the program's foremost beneficiary.
Israel is one of the biggest high-tech hubs in the world. The Palestinian youth knows this and very much wants to be a part of this sector. Palestinian parents will have to decide if their hatred of Israel is so strong that they’d rather their children grow up in poverty and dies as martyrs, or share a better financial future with their Jewish neighbors.
The Marshall Plan focused on building bridges. I know there are capable individuals in the Middle East. I’ve met them. I know they want to move forward.
In the end, the Marshall Plan didn’t only help Europe, but the entire world. In the same sense, a new future for Israelis and Palestinians will hold benefits extending much farther than the near region. Biden’s visit is therefore a moment that can change the world for the better.
Ronald S. Lauder is the President of the World Jewish Congress.