The Two-State Solution

[SS-18 ICBM]

1) Popular support of Hamas must be removed from the Palestinian people. Hamas gains its strength from The People; in them, it "swims as though a fish in water," as Mao Zedong so aptly put it. If the average Palestinian can be convinced that he has more to gain from supporting something else than supporting Hamas, then their power will slowly be eroded. The question is, then, with what methods can the average Palestinian be taken away from Hamas, what offers, what opportunities, what solutions can we offer or can be offered that will both be to Joe Palestinian's advantage to support, and be apparent enough for him to easily see? This is one question we must answer.

Support for Hamas will evaporate once the economic situation of the Palestinians improves. I would propose slowly easing restrictions on traveling and at checkpoints, allowing the Palestinians to get legitimate employment and goods and services they require. I think that Palestinians would also be less supportive of Hamas if Israel's attacks against Gaza stop, seeing as collateral damage from these attacks only serve to strengthen Hamas' position. Ideally, a mutual ceasfire can be achieved.

2) Israel must give up some of its land gained in the Six-Day War. You simply cannot house, much less support, 1.5 million people in as small an area as the Gaza Strip. Israel must surrender some of its land to a future Palestinian state.

3) A compromise must be reached concerning the sovereignty of the city of Jerusalem. Perhaps it can be administered as a constitutionally neutral city-state, with free passage for all who wish to visit the Holy City. It should be a demilitarized zone, with an aura of peace comparable to its spiritual value. Given the "progressive attitude" of Islam, this may be difficult to engineer, but perhaps made somewhat easier by the fact that Israel controls the city.

It all depends on the willingness of both sides to make concessions. These proposals seem sensible though.

4) Syria must recognize Israeli sovereignty. Of Israel's former adversaries, it is the only nation that has yet to do so.

I think if Israel made some concessions (such as giving up the Golan Heights, already in your previous recommendation), Syria would be willing to recognize the state of Israel.

 

[ori]

it is only a logical alternative if you disregard the facts on the ground though

frankly the question is: do you regard this conflict as a threat to international peace and security (as the UN security council clearly does) or not. If not and its just a regional thing: let them come to a resolution in their own time - it will take a while but at some point both sides will be sick of fighting and the populations will force some sort of peace or long term truce.
If yes and you want your government to get involved then any solution needs to be implementable. Unless someone wants to destroy the Israeli state militarily and thus accomplish what Arab nations were unable to do in the past 60 years the one state solution is not going to happen. And the conflict is not mainly about the holy sites - though that is a convenient front. Fact is that in Jerusalem the different religious groups already control their respective religious sites - the status quo does not threaten religious sovereignty over the holy sites. If it was just about the holy sites this conflict would be done with - fact is that the political entities need to reconcile somehow and the only way that has a chance of being implemented is disengagement aka the two state solution (or if Gaza and West Bank cannot be governed by one government a three state solution).

 

[Shylock]

I don't think even the best laid and executed two-state solution will work. They will fight over every grain of sand till the end of time unless one side exterminates the other or one side just gives up living there and leaves (which means eternal fighting or extermination since they never going to give it up).

 

[Jan H]

I proposed a unified bilingual nation.

Take it from someone who lives in a country that tried that: it doesn't work...

 

[warpus]

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't

 

[Nylan]

The biggest issue is, of course, bigotry. Cheezy, how do you think such a major hurdle could be resolved after so much hatred? Having a solution that would satisfy most rational people doesn't seem good enough. Either side might throw away a good deal out of hate.

Until this question can be answered, I have no idea how this two-state solution could be established, as ideal as it may be.

 

[Kerozine]

Take it from someone who lives in a country that tried that: it doesn't work...

How did it not work in Belgium?

 

[sysyphus]

Have any of you read Jimmy Carter's book from a few years ago, Peace Not Apartheid? A great read, his plan for peace is very well thought out and I think most reasonable people would find it fair.

Of course, at its route is the two state solution.

 

[potatokiosk]

Since Syria seems so concerned for the Palestinians, why not deport the Palestinians to Syria?

 

[emzie]

Since Syria seems so concerned for the Palestinians, why not deport the Palestinians to Syria?

Since America seems so concerned for Israel, why not deport Israelis to the USA?

 

[potatokiosk]

Since America seems so concerned for Israel, why not deport Israelis to the USA?

Sure, why not?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Since Syria seems so concerned for the Palestinians, why not deport the Palestinians to Syria?

1) Syria doesn't give a damn about the Palestinians. The Palis are just tools used by the Arab powers to further their political goals concerning Israel.

2) Both Jordan and Lebanon kicked the Palis out of their countries because they were both a logistical and political problem. Egypt refused to take the city of Gaza for a reason: they don't want them either. Tunisia saw fit to give them the boot, too, albeit in nicer terms. No one WANTS the Palestinians in their country.

 

[emzie]

2) Both Jordan and Lebanon kicked the Palis out of their countries because they were both a logistical and political problem. Egypt refused to take the city of Gaza for a reason: they don't want them either. Tunisia saw fit to give them the boot, too, albeit in nicer terms. No one WANTS the Palestinians in their country.

Indeed. My (Lebanese) in-laws loathe Palestinians. As much as any Israeli, I'd wager.

 

[Jan H]

How did it not work in Belgium?

Well, we're not a unified bilingual country any more, but a federal country with a very large autonomy for the regional governments. Only the capital Brussels is still bilingual, the other regions (or rather "communities") are monolingual.
And even this isn't working, as is proven by the political crisis that has been going on for 18 months now (see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=303070 )

 

[hossam]

The biggest issue is, of course, bigotry. Cheezy, how do you think such a major hurdle could be resolved after so much hatred? Having a solution that would satisfy most rational people doesn't seem good enough. Either side might throw away a good deal out of hate.

Until this question can be answered, I have no idea how this two-state solution could be established, as ideal as it may be.

my solution: have all the arab( not all of them , just the ones neighboring israel) states declare war on israel and let them duke it out till there is only one side left. remember people there can be only one.

thats why my solution is the best.

 

[silver 2039]

I don't believe the two state solution is viable without an economic agreement, which allows the Palestinians to freely travel into Israel, and hold jobs there. The Palestinian economy is not self-sufficient, it is not capable of employing the Palestinian people. For there to be a second state there would need to be free flow of people, goods, and services between Israel and Palestine, otherwise Palestine would collapse economically.

 

[Perfection]

My solution:

Spoiler :

 

[Huayna Capac357]

I think Israel should go back to its 1947 boundaries (as per UN solution) and the land set out for Palestine should be made Palestine. This includes Tel Aviv-Yafo as capital of Israel, removal of all settlements, etc.

And we should take away Israel's nukes (and India and Pakistan while we're at it)

 

[emzie]

thats why my solution is the best.

Your solution is the destruction of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, Iran and finally, Israel.

 

[hossam]

Your solution is the destruction of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, Iran and finally, Israel.

no, there will be 1 side left( thats the whole point of my solution), and iran is not arab.