The Two-State Solution is dead. It’s time for One Democratic State.
by Kathryn Shihadah, reposted from If Americans Knew
For over 70 years, the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, originally known as Palestine, has been a place of strife between two people groups: the indigenous and the colonizer. The issue is thorny, as neither party intends to give in.
Over time, the proposal known as the Two-State Solution (TSS) gained popularity, and was assumed to be the only reasonable solution. Today, many human rights organizations (both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel) and nearly every American politician (both progressive and conservative) holds out TSS as the answer.
When politicians – regardless of party – use the phrase, it serves to reassure everyone in the room that Palestinian rights are being balanced equally with those of Israelis. Whatever jeopardizes a future two-state solution is “bad,” whatever preserves the two-state option must be “good.”
President Joe Biden has indicated his intention to “support a mutually agreed, two-state solution, in which Israel lives in peace and security, alongside a viable Palestinian state,” and sees TSS as “the only path forward.”
For some in places of power, endorsement of TSS is a fig leaf – a pretext of egalitarianism that hides support for Israeli oppression. Many of Israel’s most fervent partisans are strong backers of TSS. For example, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who calls himself a “guardian of Israel” endorses TSS.
But a number of analysts have long insisted that TSS is really no solution at all, at least for Palestinians. A new movement is now in the works that has the potential to bring, if not true justice, at least something closer than what TSS offers. In addition, many people feel it has the best potential for bringing longterm peace.
Since the United States is deeply involved in the Israel-Palestine issue – giving Israel over $10 million a day in military aid – Americans ought to be informed about TSS and the other option on the table.
To begin with, many Americans lack a basic understanding of the geography and history of the region.
Quick history lesson
The region known after WWI as Mandatory Palestine (under British administration) reached from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In the late 1800s, a faction of Jews in Europe began a movement to create a Jewish state somewhere in the world (it is noteworthy that most Jews around the world were opposed to this movement). After considering a number of locations, the group decided on Palestine, the traditional site of a short-lived, ancient Israelite state.
Small numbers of Jews emigrated to Palestine, where they found a highly-developed population about 80% Muslim, 15% Christian, and 5% indigenous Jews – most of the Jews then in Palestine were not in favor of statehood. [read full article here]