Peace train

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Via Design Observer, the solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict will come by train. And not just any train, but "a transportation and infrastructure backbone that accommodates substantial population growth in Palestine, by linking current urban centers to new neighborhoods via new linear transportation arteries that support both commercial and residential development."

The project for a high-speed train connecting the West Bank and the Gaza strip is the brainchild of architect Doug Suisman, and the result of a comission by the RAND Corporation's Palestine Project. RAND brands it as a project for "what would happen if such a state is created—recommending actions that Palestinians, Israelis and the international community can take to increase chances a new state would be successful." Nonetheless, it sounds like a splendidly bad idea to me: a miles-long multi-million dollar Hamas target, or a source of endless friction whenever Israel decides to close it down for security reasons. And the idea of a discontinous state, no matter how quickly the trains run, seems like a non-starter (Pakistan anyone?).

¶ Which brings me to an important, if tangential point: you should really be reading Design Observer. It's bitchin'! And charcoal and orange are the colors of the season.