A Better Idea

by | March 30, 2020

Some 51 years ago, I sat on a mountain top overlooking the demilitarized zone in Vietnam talking with legendary Israeli General, Moshe Dayan.  He had spent a week with my rifle company and was departing at first light the following day.  In our conversation about the war, he said that “you cannot defeat an idea with bullets, only with a better idea.” That simple statement undergirded much of my military career, to include my tenure as Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Today, as a Board Member of the US-Israel Education Association (USIEA), a small recon-size non-profit, I find myself thinking about Dayan’s admonition and its applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that serves as a cancer to the entire region. Simply put, USIEA recognizes that a new approach needs to be taken regarding a conflict that is based upon violence, antagonism and political stalemates.  This is because the ideas that animate the two sides…a Palestinian yearning for independence and statehood and the Israeli desire for peace, recognition, and security…cannot and will not be extinguished by bullets and rockets. 

It is for this reason that USIEA has highlighted a breakthrough initiative that is achieving startling success.  Through the “Integrated Business Initiative,” 600 Israeli and Palestinian business leaders in the disputed West Bank (known biblically as Judea and Samaria) are coming together in unprecedented ways to form economic partnerships to benefit both sides.

The convener is the new Judea-Samaria Chamber of Commerce, co-led by Palestinian Sheikh Ashraf Jabari of Hebron and Israeli business leader Avi Zimmerman of Ariel.  Sheikh Jabari and hundreds of Palestinian business leaders are debunking the Palestinian Authority’s anti-normalization policy towards Israel which impacts all business between Palestinians and Israelis. Sheikh Jabari and his fellow Palestinian business leaders recognize that this policy is restricting them economically and mortgaging the future of their families.    

Last November, USIEA sponsored meetings on Capitol Hill where Sheikh Jabari and another Palestinian businessman, along with Zimmerman, presented this remarkable “grass roots” story to numerous Democratic and Republican attendees.

These meetings were preceded by a Congressional Trip sponsored by USIEA that took Members to the City of Ariel to see several integrated businesses and meet Israeli and Palestinian employees working side by side in friendship.  This trip also included a meeting that took place in the home of Sheikh Jabari in the City of Hebron where Members had an opportunity to talk directly to both Palestinian and Israeli business leaders and hear, first hand, their desire to push integrated business forward and thus achieve peace and stability.

In analyzing the Trump Administration’s peace plan, a very thorough, well thought-out, and broad economic blueprint, it is important to recognize that the future success of this Plan never hinged on whether the Palestinian Authority came to the negotiating table. Sadly, we saw the PA reject the plan before it was even released.  Considering this dynamic, introducing a new and innovative path forward, supported at the grass roots level by both Palestinian and Israeli businesses and by the US and Israeli Administrations, is a positive step to take.  The Integrated Business Initiative fits perfectly within the framework of the peace plan.

Though he died nearly 30 years ago, I find myself thinking about General Dayan.  His insights regarding US challenges in Vietnam were on target.  His understanding of human nature was superb.  Most importantly, he taught me the limits of war.  What I am seeing today through USIEA’s Integrated Business Initiative, as validated by my own fact-finding trips into the West Bank and visits to Capitol Hill, is that when you can offer a people hope and access to a better life for themselves and their families…fundamental aspirations that all humans share…the possibilities are endless.

Thus the “better idea.”General Charles C. Krulak, US Marine Corps (Ret.); 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps

Filed Under: Politics

About the Author

General Charles C. Krulak served 35 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.  His last position was as Commandant of the Marine Corps and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He commanded a platoon and two rifle companies during two tours of duty in Vietnam and then held a variety of command and staff positions.  These included Deputy Director of the White House Military Office, Commanding General, 6th Marine Expeditionary Brigade during Desert Storm, Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and Commanding General, Marine Forces Pacific. During his military service, General Krulak was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star Medal, three Bronze Star Medals with Combat “V”, two Purple Heart medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the French Legion d’Honneur Commandeur rank, and many other decorations and medals. Upon his retirement from the Marine Corps, General Krulak joined MBNA America Bank as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MBNA Europe Bank, Ltd.  After four years in this position, he returned to the United States and served as Vice Chairman, MBNA America Bank as Head of Corporate Development, Mergers and Acquisitions.  General Krulak retired from MBNA in June, 2005. General Krulak was introduced as the 13th President of Birmingham-Southern College on March 21, 2011, and retired as of June 30, 2015. In addition, General Krulak currently sits on the Board of Directors of Union Pacific Railroad Corporation. He is an advisor to the Center for Naval Analysis, Human Rights First and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and The Altamont School, also in Birmingham. General Krulak is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has a Master’s Degree in labor relations from George Washington University.  He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Military Science, from Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences; and Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from both Pace University and Birmingham-Southern College. General Krulak is an active speaker at various national and local events and has published numerous articles related to Education and Human Trafficking. General Krulak and his wife of 52 years, Zandi, have two sons and five grandchildren.

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