LOOK CLOSELY, THIS IS NOT SINGAPORE

Bret Stephens proposal to? create?an Arab mandate in which the (very) long-term ambition would be to turn Gaza into a "Mediterranean version of Dubai '', offering a proof of concept that, in 10 or 15 years, would allow a Palestinian state to emerge on the model of the United Arab Emirates — future-oriented, federated, allergic to extremism, open to the world and committed to lasting peace" is interesting at best, but missing a required?element. In an odd twist Newsweek Magazine in its 9 October 2023 issue published?an article by Bassem, Eid, ''Gaza Could Have Been Singapore, Hamas Turned It into ISIS".

Mr. Eid likens the similarities between Singapore and the Gaza Strip. "Both are self-governing city-states located at key crossroads of world trade on the opposite ends of the Continent of Asia. Both combine density of population with a significant urban buildup and dramatic natural advantages, including a high-quality harbor".??

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? ? ? I have lived in Asia, and I have relatives who spent years living in Singapore, who were not all that excited when the international bank the husband worked for decided his services were needed at the bank's corporate headquarters in New York.? Gaza is unlikely to become Dubai for too many reasons to cite here. Some radicals in the Muslim world truly believe in the complete and total destruction of Israel. No one in Dubai actually says that, and no one in Singapore ever pretends that it is anything other than a multiethnic, multi-cultural?enclave, which thrives on trade and finance and where everybody on the surface at least, is happy and doing fine, but?where the government has laws that some westerners?find draconian. I feel very safe when I am in Singapore, or in Dubai. I cannot say that about Gaza.??

? ? ? There are a number of elements in the Arab world, who in a sense tolerate Hamas out of fear that it may cause them problems at home. I was not surprised by the events of October 6. Mass rape and torture, and killing of non-combatants are haram, or forbidden in the Holy Koran. The violence that Hamas committed was very much in keeping with the founding charter of Hamas, which states, "Hamas strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine....Israel will exist?and? ?continue to exist?until Islam will obliterate it".?

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? ? ? My brother-in-law, the banker in Singapore, feels that Lee Kuan Yew, who served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990 was the reason that Singapore?became Singapore. Lee, a lawyer and graduate of the London School of Economics was a conservative leader who led Singaporeans down a very straight and narrow path. LGBT folks are only slightly better off in Singapore?than they are in Gaza, but Singapore?has become a bit more liberal in some respects. Dubai is an altogether?different scenario but as constituent monarchy of the United Arab Emirates, order, like in Singapore is foremost.? Friends of mine in Dubai have told me that they appreciate the order, and that it brings peace and prosperity. I find the streets of Dubai to be litter free. The same thing is true of Singapore. People are often quite tolerant of strict government if it brings peace and order. I have had friends in Dubai and in Singapore tell me the Black Lives Matter demonstrations and the January?6 Capitol?riot could never happen in those countries.

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? ? ? When I see pictures of the destruction in Gaza, I see the faces of 12- & 13-year-old boys who will be the very warriors that Hamas will call on in 10 years.? Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian?authority, is the leader of nothing. Gaza was already the most densely populated place on earth and suffering a great deal before the Israeli IDF laid waste to much of it. Abbas is about?the same age as Joe Biden and Donald Trump, but his age is not the reason that he is ineffective. There is discord within the Arab world. It was always there, even under the Ottoman Turks and the post?WWI years of European domination. There are wide disparities of wealth and differences among Sunni and Shia Muslims about Islam itself.?

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? ? ?When I look at the faces of young men in Gaza, I do not see a possible Lee Kwan Yew. I see fire and anger. I do not see the faces of young men who respect the power of Mahmoud Abbas. I see despair and hopelessness. Even as we move through Ramadan and towards Passover. I hope the moderate Arab states sign onto this idea. If not, my grandchildren will be discussing this long after Mr. Abba has returned to Allah.

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