Citing an important statement by a former Palestinian two-stater, Sufian Abu Zaida, that all he wants now is one state, Noam Sheizaf at Promised Land says that Israel has entered the period that Olmert predicted was upon us, in a word, apartheid, and Palestinians must struggle for civil rights within that one state. Some have called for such a declaration in order to force the Israelis to disgorge the West Bank, and thereby resurrect the 2SS. Sheizaf:
I believe that a clear Palestinian demand for civil rights within the state of Israel is the way out of the current political deadlock.
Instead of playing games around the settlements issue – it seems that Mrs. Clinton has just managed to kill the little hope there was for the renewal of meaningful negotiations – the Palestinians should simply focus on getting equal rights from the Israeli government. This is one fight Israel will have a really hard time winning – in Europe for sure, but even in the US. Are we going to explain that we need to keep the Arabs as second rate citizens so we can have a Jewish majority? How is that going to sound to the Jews who took part in the civil rights movement, or to a nation which just elected a black president?
Finally!
This is the way to go if the Palestinians want a 1 state or even a 2 state solution.
Palestinians by advocating for the ONE state solution bring some leverage to the negotiating table. They can tell the Israelis, “listen… if you aren’t going to be negotiate fairly over a two state solution, we are just gonna can the whole thing and start advocating for equal rights as Israeli citizens.”
There is no way Israel can ever win that battle. They will be forced to give the Palestinians their own state based on the 67 borders, or… they will be forced to carry out some sort of final solution on the Palestinian people =(
Either way… roll the dice I guess…
If it’s any consolation, an Israeli “final solution” could not be sustained long enough in this modern era to work. Imagine what it would have been like for Nazi Germany if Kristallnacht and Warsaw ended up on YouTube within hours of being waged?
I disagree that Israel will ever be forced to give the Palestinians equal rights as citizens.
I agree completely with potsherd. I’ve never understood why the One-State crowd gives Israel any credit that it would be in full control of a “Greater Israel” and would magically make life peaches and cream on a silver platter for Palestinians. Especially with guys like Lieberman who advocate for racist, anti-Arabist laws, and the contempt Israelis have had in oppressing Palestinians.
Isn’t this exactly what Zionism has aspired to from the outset? To completely annex the land of the Palestinians, and make life miserable for them until they are pushed into the arms of Jordan? What am I missing here?
Because the Palestinian struggle will be won here, in the U.S. We have the power to pressure Israel on their behalf, and protect them from the threat of any new mass ethnic cleansing.
A one-state, anti-apartheid struggle is so much more comprehensible to us than the two-state solution “Peace Process”, which obfuscates all reality, and befuddles all political observers who don’t really dig in and study the issue. If most Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are saying, “give us the right to vote”, that is 1000 times harder to spin than the current situation.
Americans understand on a basic level what happened in South Africa–that apartheid was wrong and ending it meant peace, democracy and freedom. Why not use such a well-established framework when it applies so well? The only major difference is not in Israeli practices, but in the prominence of a collaborationist Palestinian “leadership” (unelected) which continues to endorse the two-state process (for the narrow gain of elites), rather than embracing an anti-apartheid framework (which they could only gain from by being an actual political party, rather than the corrupt machine they have become).
Israel is scared to death of one-state proposals because they know how effective those will be if they catch on. The two-state “Peace Process” plays into their hands by allowing them to obscure the real power dynamics, creating the appearance of two equal parties or at least two states. It is a fake negotiation between master and subject, in which the master feigns good faith while surrendering no power, and continuing to act without restraint. Israel continues with it for the image, and the PA continues because it has an interest gaining greater control, even if it does not gain sovereignty and ends up exercising that control on Israel’s behalf. Meanwhile, ordinary Palestinians suffer from the selling-out of their cause.
I’m not blaming the Palestinian people in general for this situation. Fatah is propped up by Israel and the United States, as Hamas has also been historically, and it is because they are so profoundly powerless that Palestinians have to support such leadership that sells short their cause. But they will be better served by not selling their cause short.
And I agree with the point that, facing a demand from occupied Palestinians for the right to vote, Israel will finally have something to gain from withdrawing from the territories. A two-state solution (or a break from occupation) is more likely with a stronger one-state demand.
Excellent post, robin. I think a lot of Palestinians support two states out of a sense of pragmatism (or despair?), thinking that it’s the best they could possibly ever hope for. I’m pretty sure that a lot of Palestinians would support a global campaign for a single democratic state in all of Palestine (and have heard as much from Palestinians). Beyond the many other considerations, a viable solution would have to put an end to the separation of Palestinian families, and the separation of Palestinians from their towns and villages of origin. Only a single state could guarantee that.
I would have to agree. There is no two-state solution with Israel, not any more. The Obama administration has pretty much torpedoed it themselves by tacitly endorsing Israel’s “settlement” ethnic cleansing policies with our tax dollars and military hardware. Even during the year of the Gaza pullout, the Israeli government shuttled a net positive of settlers into the West Bank. There has never been a time in Israel’s sixty year history when they haven’t proved to be a colonialist power that expands itself by military force and black ops.
Like I keep saying. Give everyone an equal vote. In the face of actual equality between races, and a large section of the population — a majority, perhaps, even — of Israelis are going to make a bee-line for New York, New Jersey and Florida faster than you can say “white flight.”
Chaos, my friend — it didn’t work in South Africa, why would it work in Greater Israel?
SA hasn’t been a picnic, but I’d hardly say that democracy hasn’t worked there. Any better suggestions for an I/P endgame?
Shmuel, to clarify, I meant that external forces had to agitate change in South Africa. It doesn’t come naturally, and it won’t to a greater Israel.
Thanks for the clarification UO. I agree. Without external pressure and eventual assistance, it will never happen. In case anyone’s forgotten: BDS BDS BDS!
There is no one-state solution either.
The only path is two-state, with reform efforts for equal rights in both.
Robin is right that persuasion in the US is key. He/she is wrong in thinking of it as a mass political movement. I was taken by his/her comment that Americans naturally will push for a single-state one-person/one-vote approach. I agree to that in my homeland. I don’t see it happening in the region. The only places that it is likely to happen are Israel and Palestine (if Hamas agrees to conform fully to Palestinian constitution).
The persuasion has to motivated by compassion, and include accurate presentation of Palestinians’ experience, without excessive anger as trapping. Any presentation that appears to be propaganda, will be rejected.
There is no possibility of a mass youth movement around this issue, as in Vietnam (Vietnam had multiple movements simultaneiously, the counter-culture and revolutionary (me and Phil – did Phil?) and the liberal (my aunt and Phil’s mother)).
Bullshit. There’s no reason besides Israel’s apartheid militarized society that is preventing the millions of Palestinian refugees from coming home. The world tried to play ball with Israel; the response was an escalation of the ethnic cleansing and colonization of the West Bank, punctuated now and then by bombing campaigns of the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, etc.
Either Israel is a democratic state, or it is a Jewish state. If it is the former, than all of Israel’s rightful residents — ALL of them — get a vote on the future. Not just the wealthy Jewish elite.
Also? Still exploiting the “friends and family” talking point, I see.
There is no possibility of a mass youth movement around this issue
And how would you know, being a 60-something-year-old ostritch with your head in the Zionist sand?
As just one example, during the Gaza massacres there was a viral campaign on Facebook to boycott American multi-nationals that do business with the Israeli government or give preferential treatment to their Israeli subsidiaries–which goes way beyond the current BDS movement.
Like Peter Tosh said, “You can’t fool the youths.”
What do you mean if Hamas agrees to conform to the Palestinian constitution? They are the democratically elected government of the Palestinians. Deal with it.
They also accepted the 2 state solution based on the 67 borders. Israel has not
They renounced suicide bombings, Israel continues to drop 2 ton bombs on civilians.
They even changed their charter, removing all anti-semetic references, and removing the call for the destruction of Israel. Meanwhile the Israeli Likud charter says a Palestinian state will NEVER be established west of the Jordan river.
So in reality where does that leave us? We have the most extreme group amongst the Palestinians saying they are willing to accept a solution in which they would receive less than 20% of their historic homeland. How much better can it get for Israel? Seriously? How much better can it get for Israel?
Yet Israel says no. no, no, no, and NO. Israel has a chance to initiate the 2 state solution but it seems like they don’t care. It also seems like you don’t care either.
When the Palestinians begin demanding equal rights in the state of Israel, don’t tell us we didn’t warn you.
If you even give a shit about having a Jewish State then you better start criticizing Israel’s policies right now.
The aparthied will murder as usual and rid the world of the truths as usual, look at the bible and all religous things to do with god (the lie) and what the dumbing down has accomplished. One state or two ..it is a joke, the aparthied will be the undoing of the world if the Palestinians get justice. The end of the world could be upon us…just look around at how many cults zionists both christain and jewish not to mention the brainless that do not think for themselves. when the usa and aparthied open the mouths lies and deception come out. Too much media is controlled by the wicked evil that calls themselves good or any partner of peace. never again huh