Although I thought the original NEW IBERIA ACCORDS would soon be adopted in early January 2024, I was apparently wrong since, once again, the continuing warring parties have, shall I say, ‘flat-out’ rejected that simple road to a peaceful, permanent intelligent solution. Alas, that’s the way the old ball bounces sometimes.

Henceforth, a new approach is now offered for their serious consideration in order to find a way to establish, ONCE AND FOR ALL, a resolution to the situation on the ground for both the State of Israel and the whatever (?) land of Gaza.

These actions must be enforced for the plan to work. No part of the total gameplan should be rejected, but instead they should be embraced with genuine enthusiasm!

Here is the plan folks…run with it:

1. ALL parties, yes, ALL parties are to lay down their arms and simply stop killing each other Exactly, just how hard would that be to do? Specifically, all parties includes the formal armies, navies, air forces, marines and coast guards (if any) of Israel, Gaza, the whole Middle East and the informal splinter groups…HELLS-BLAH-LA, etc., and even the likes of Momitcha Millah and those who follow the little bouncing ball.

2. ALL parties re-deploy their wartime apparatus from wartime uses to peacetime uses. For example, load up a tank with hostages, POWs, migrants, tourists and ordinary civilians who require free transportation to their destination of choice. Absolutely no consideration of race, creed, skin color, religious affiliation, hair shade or body odor shall be applied for the disqualification or exclusion of anyone. This non-discriminatory requirement MUST be followed to the letter of the law.

3. Although the enactment of no.s 1 and 2 above would seem to settle the matter, there is still much to be done. A permanent, longish lasting peace must address these issues:

a. The formal, informal and everything in-between RECOGNITION of ALL parties right to exist. Not merely exist, but to exist in the manner that mankind SHOULD exist…a ‘four freedoms’ kind of existence; Freedom of Speech, of Worship, of Want and of Fear.

Oddly, the date they were first articulated by FDR was on JANUARY 6, some 83 years ago…ironic, huh?

b. Given the guarantee of those freedoms for all parties involved after the dis-armament and people redistribution phases, the only remaining issues are simply the logistics of rebuilding what has been physically and mentally lost. This will include many reburials of people in graves more dignified than their present ones. Let us also bury the bullets, the bombs, the rockets, the drones and missiles that are still in stockpiles. Perhaps we can bury the hatred too?

Let us keep in mind that a journey starts with the first step…let that step be THE NEW NEW IBERIA ACCORDS.

Richard Phillips

New Iberia