From: Osher Doctorow [log in to unmask], Sunday Dec. 9, 2001 6:07AM
I specialize in the probability-statistics and mathematical logical study of
rare events. (See http://www.logic.univie.ac.at, Institute for Logic of the
University of Vienna - after accessing the site, select ABSTRACT SERVER,
then BY AUTHOR, then my name in that exact order.)
In statistical language, I see the critical question of Israel vs Palestine
as the question of which is more statistically interesting: a single point
in time or all of time (either on a finite or an infinite interval for the
latter case). In rough translation into ordinary English (an approximate
translation from quantitative to verbal language being extremely useful for
the translator and the reader in my opinion even if some items need to be
deferred until later), the question is this:
QUESTION. Are issues of land conflict to be decided by *holiness*, by
precedence, or by demography?
What makes Israel and Palestine *holy* in the views of both Jews and
Moslems, not to mention Christians, is a one time event, the claimed
granting by God and the Messenger of God (if any) of these regions to a
special people. We might ask whether God, in infinite wisdom, would make
grants based upon one point in time to be interpreted differently by three
different religions.
What is statistically likely (and probabilistically) is that more than one
point in time is important, and in fact that infinitely many times -
especially the infinity of times on an entire interval of time - are most
important. There we enter the realm of demography, unless we are content to
allow history to rule with its different versions and massive uncertainties
based upon old documents which may well have omitted more than they included
to say the least.
There is and has been over the centuries sufficient land in the Near/Middle
East to grant a large amount of land to each and every Israeli and
Palestinian, as I pointed out previously in reference to such almost
uninhabited regions as most of Saudi Arabia and North Africa and so on.
There would still be more than enough land left over for every present day
resident of those regions, assuming that the proven ability of Jews and
Moslems to make the desert bloom continues and that individuals are not
stuck or glued to their past locations.
If the U.N.O. or U.N. would take possession of the *Holy Cities* of Mecca,
Jerusalem, and so on, the remaining land will settle the issue with
sufficient efforts.
Osher Doctorow
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