Scholar David Gerald Fincham says historical Palestine is too small to be divided. It must be one sovereign state, but it must include two nations, with an open border. The model is Scotland and England, which became Britain in the 1700s. But this time, plant a million olive trees.
The new book State of Terror, by Thomas Suárez, documents the willingness of Zionists to use violence to establish a Jewish state, and proves beyond doubt that Israel is not the perpetual victim of Arab violence that it claims to be, but has been the aggressor throughout the history of the conflict.
The Green Line established in 1949 in Israel and Palestine and affirmed in UN Resolution 242 in 1967 was never intended as a permanent border, writes scholar Gerald David Fincham. And it should not be, because a 78% to 22% division of territory between Jews and Arabs is unfair.
Mandate Palestine aimed to allow Jews and Arabs to live alongside one another. Its failure led to the idea of Partition. Now Partition has also failed. Scholar David Gerald Fincham considers the impractical nature of creating two sovereign states in the territory and the need for a federal solution combining certain national functions.
Palestine was too small to become the Jewish national home without harming the rights of non-Jews. The British and early Zionists understood this, and spoke of Palestine as a single state with perfect equality between Jew and Arab, the common home for two peoples. Is there hope for harmony and mutual respect even today?
Israel gained recognition in 1948 by accepting the UN Partition borders of 1947, but has negated those borders since. But any partition of the land must reflect that division, explains scholar David Gerald Fincham. This post has been updated with an explanation from Prof. Francis A. Boyle clarifying the advice he offered Palestinian leadership on borders.