Peace and prosperity in Palestine

Israel, in collaboration with the Arab states, can then set about creating peace and prosperity for the Palestinians and a secure environment for themselves.

So how might they go about this?

Palestinians are very young; the median age is 19.4 years. (Compare Israel: 29.1 years). Young Palestinians need to aspire to more in life than to become martyrs by killing Jews. They need a purpose and a future and opportunities to experience life and to grow in wisdom and wealth.

A prosperous and peaceful Palestine is good for Palestinians. It is also good for their neighbours and for the rest of the Middle East, especially Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Perhaps they could make Gaza a special economic zone, a low tax haven to support rapid growth.

Currently the GDP per capita for Palestinians - $5,643 - compares to $42,061 for the Israelis, $12,977 for the Lebanese, $11,566 for the Egyptians and $9,223 for the Jordanians.

GDP per capita comparisons

For comparison, Australia's GDP per capita is $49,774. Societies, like ours, which have embraced liberal democratic principles – individual rights, private property, the rule of law, and representative government – have thrived, creating free and affluent nations where people can live productive lives in peace and harmony.

The liberal ideology that is the basis for such societies first flourished in the Anglosphere over 200 years ago. Its concepts are now commonplace throughout Europe and in parts of Asia, including Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. It is possible to achieve wonderful results regardless of culture, race or religion, and as the experience over the past twenty-five years in Czechia, Lithuania, Poland, Panama, Chile, and Vietnam has shown, quite quickly.

GDP per capita fast growing countries