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Wolf-R. Ruppert
wrr@PfP-now.org
Peace for Palestine - now Frieden für Palästina - jetzt Open Peace Project TransPalestinaExpress
(direct to the new grass-roots initiative >>)
Former letter to the Chancellor from 17.9.2001: Without wishing to underestimate the efforts of your Foreign Minister and of your office, I have long believed that a policy fixated on borders, sovereign rights, religious sites and the abdication of territory in Palestine repeatedly ends in a deadlock because this do not provide an answer to the question of
how in the medium and long term jobs can be created for the Palestinian in their own industrial, trade and service companies so that they can largely - and not least, with dignity - be separate from Israel.
This is impossible without a functioning transport infrastructure.
What I envisage there at the moment is the construction of a trans-Palestinian railway from Gaza via Jerusalem to Nablus, which one day might possibly be continued on to Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.
Why a railway? Because I believe that Israel would feel much less threatened by a railway line, with its few stations and junctions, than by a fast highway with its many possible entrances and exits.
This would mean that, vice versa, Israel would have to precisely justify to the global public any possible intervention into this autonomous Palestinian railway system – and reckon with sanctions if the justification is insufficient – and could then not interrupt transport between the Palestinian territories as arbitrarily as it has done to date.
Something that is not to be underestimated: Modern trains – perhaps even ICE3 Neitech diesel trains and Cargo Sprinters – have a much stronger identification value than endless lines of trucks on a highway.
What is against this? Possibly the topography, the mountainous terrain. For this reason, I first wanted to broach this topic carefully. That is to say, to use the Internet to request maps with contour lines and support from experienced colleagues in the field of railway line routing. Furthermore, I only wanted to go public with the idea when the theoretical feasibility had been more or less firmly established.
Then I wanted to use the Internet to encourage the formation of working groups on individual sections, whereby the main addressees would be civil engineers and geographers, plus computer scientists, because of visualising the stages.
By analogy with the development of the Linux Open Source operating system, I had a vision of a quasi Open Rail, or Open Peace concept, in keeping with the motto: If the politicians cannot do it, then let us create our peace (like our operating system) ourselves.
In view of current developments, I consider this cautious, grass-roots-democracy approach outmoded, unfortunately.
Given the anticipated and possibly short-term military responses to the acts of terrorism, any non-military contributions towards solving the problem must be highly publicised and also accelerated.
I would therefore ask you, if at all possible, to adopt this project, which is outlined under the working title TransPalestinaExpress, and commission either an appropriately qualified university institute or to the Deutsche Eisenbahn Consult with a feasibility study for the routing.
Of course I would be delighted if you wished to avail yourself of my experience, gained through numerous studies for the federal transport and other ministries, and my problem-solving working method – a mixture of knowledge, creativity, stubbornness and team spirit.
Action should be taken quickly, despite the possible danger that the routing attempt fails and possible hopes raised are initially disappointed. Even in that case, it will still be clear that politicians have understood the signs of the times and aim to do something really trail-breaking, and that this can only consist of a dramatic improvement in the infrastructure and freedom of movement inside Palestine.
Otherwise our all freedom of movement worldwide is in danger, too.
If needs be, the project could be integrated into a larger neutral infrastructure study, so that from the start it is obvious that even if the railway link is not possible, progress can only be achieved by way of an improvement to the infrastructure.
Please allow me one more remark: Neither the Channel Tunnel nor the Öresund bridge are economically successful projects as yet. Both were carried out by overcoming the greatest of technical problems, and one day with exhibit a positive cost-benefit ratio.
In my view this also applies to the TransPalestinaExpress, in the ambit of which lies the possible prospect of peace for the whole region.
Former letter to the Prince El Walid Ibn Talal from 14.1.2002: Before becoming active in software development, I realized and lead many big studies for the federal Ministry of Transport and other ministries from 1975 to 1985. Areas of my actvity were transportation, accessibility and land use modelling. This interest persists, even during my years as president and CEO of the software house Concept asa. For example we have recently completed the development of the ACCEDO program, wich calculates and visualizes road network accessibility in the federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz. Today I am a member of the working groups optimization and anti-noise-pact of the regional dialogue forum that scrutinizes the expansion of the airport of Frankfurt. Each occasion has been an opportunity to sharpen my senses for infrastructural issues.
But let me get to the point. I am convinced that - as important as it is - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be solved by the retreat of tanks and ceasing of violence alone. I believe that the solution lies in a radical improvement of living conditions in the Gaza Strip and the Westbank. This means above all to create new job opportunities and working conditions, that are independent of Israel. For that to happen, accessibility and freedom of movement are an absolute precondition. This requires a significant improvement of the transportation infrastructure. In my opinion the construction of a railway from the Gaza Strip over Jerusalem up to Nablus is an appropriate first step.
Why a railway and not a highway?
Because on one hand in my opinion only a railway can be built further through israelic territory up to Beirut and Damascus. Whereby a road connection, from which one can drive off in every place most probably would not be accepted by the Israelis because of matters of security.
And on the other hand in my opinion a TransPalestinaExpress can much easier become a symbol of the will to an independent development for the Palestinian territories than a simple road connection could ever be.
To achieve this goal I propose to advertise an international railroute planning competition, in very much the same way as architecture competitions are advertised. Exposure and goodwill are the main reasons for making this an international competition. We want young people all over the world to bow over the map of Palestine and learn to understand the difficult situation of the Palestinian nation. We want them to concentrate all their efforts on helping to solve a problem, which ultimately concerns everybody - not just the arab world.
A problem which has tied up diplomatic and financial resources for years, that we should rather invest together in the Palestinian youth.
A competion is also preferable, because the terrain and overall regional and town planning situation is rather difficult. Besides we should not be dependent on a single engineering agency.
I would appreciate your help in this projects very much.
>>The new grass-roots initiative: Unfortunately I have not yet received a reaction to these two proposals, also not from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Alexandria, to which I sent one of the five copies of the letter to Prince El Walid Ibn Talal.
Perhaps my letters have been delayed in the secretariats undergoing prior examination, or the considerable topographical difficulties presented by the mountainous terrain were off-putting.
Be that as it may, in view of the completely hopeless situation in the Near East I believe that every possible idea or initiative that might bring us closer to peace must be sounded out, even if it only has a slight chance of being implemented.
I would therefore like to return to my original (grass-roots) Open Rail, or Open Peace approach. I ask you to place material at my disposal, mainly maps with contour lines (1:25,000 or better) or else aerial photographs, which I can pass on to railway system university institutes or other experts who may be willing to cooperate. I also request that such faculties contact me under the email address wrr@PfP-now.org.
Parallel to these activities I intend to approach friends and public personalities with the aim of founding a non-profit organisation "Peace for Palestine – Now" or "TransPalestineExpress", the objective of which would be to examine, or let examine, the feasibility of such a railway link, and promote its implementation if this evaluation comes to a positive result.
The aim behind founding such a non-profit organisation is to be able to collect donations with which to finance working materials, working hours, a website etc; once that organisation is recognised as non-profit such donations are tax-deductible.
Should anyone wish to make a donation towards starting up this project without necessarily being able to set it off in tax, he or she can simply transfer a sum to the following account:
Please also include a clear keyword or your name, email address or telephone number on the transfer slip so that, if you wish, you can be contacted or sent a letter, mailed or called on the phone.
To return to the project: I am of course aware that initially the TransPalestinaExpress will only be a regional fast-train link between Gaza and Jerusalem/Ramallah, but one which, as I see it, will be used to an unusual degree for transporting goods. In this I anticipate scope in the long term for innovative approaches to city logistics which could one day be exported by Palestinian engineers to other regions in the world.
Nevertheless, sight should not be lost of the greater aim of a TransPalestinaExpress.
My dream is that Syria gives up half of the Golan Heights and in return Israel makes the areas for the railway line from Nablus to the Syrian border available, and that, analogously, for the prospect of a route from Nablus to the Lebanese border, Lebanon grant the Palestinian refugees living there Lebanese citizenship, whereby it should be generous enough to permit dual Lebanese/Palestinian citizenship, if the people desire it.
Egypt could possibly join this initiative and lease land of about the size of half the Golan Heights to the Palestinians for perhaps 99 years, to expand the Gaza Strip. This would probably make it much easier for Syria – which constantly has the return of the whole of the Sinai to Egypt in mind – to accept the partial return of the Golan Heights.
It is evident that I believe that a Palestinian/Israeli peace can basically only emerge from out of the region itself, and not be proposed by Washington or Europe.
Jordan too should be included in the regional peace efforts. In my view this country has always been concerned about a just balance and could have the important task of possibly assuming sovereignty and police control, for a period of ten to twenty years, over the holy places on the Temple of the Mount and in the Arab old city of Jerusalem, until such a time as Israel and the new Palestinian state are living without tensions together.
Please do not consider me to be mad.
Help me at least to examine the feasibility of the technical aspects of these dreams.
For the mad people are those who kill one another's children instead of building a future for them in peace and mutual respect.
Sincerely
Transportation Researcher and
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