A Complex Solution As Israel and Palestine struggle to compromise over the notion of a two-state solution, the possibility of a one-state solution could change long-standing opinions, and could impact the futures of both sides. The highly controversial two-state solution is possible because of Israel’s aversion to the one-state solution, the changing youth of Palestine, and the balance required to regain peace. While the two-state solution is dreaded by Israel’s government and people, becoming a binational state with Palestine is more concerning to Israelis. Having a two-state solution would mean a loss of land and control for Israel, but a one-state solution would require the Israeli government to grant citizenship and voting rights to Palestinians. If this option was implemented, “voting rights would give Palestinians access to the Israeli Knesset, where decisions regarding their lives are really made” (Rumley and Tibon 2015, 82). With differing cultural and religious views, combining Israelis and Palestinians into one state would change the amount of power each would have over their personal lives, as well as their politics. “The country would have to deal with approximately 4.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza asking not for land of their own but for a voice and a role inside Israel itself” (Rumley and Tibon 2015, 82). This concept of no longer being a Jewish state is so unappealing and unacceptable to the Israeli government, that if Palestinians
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has proven to be one of the most complex and “intractable” conflicts of modern history – or as some may even add – of all time. And after many decades of failed attempts at peacemaking in this region, there still seems to be no conceivable end to the conflict. During those same decades, most of the parties involved as well as the international community have embraced the idea of a two-state solution, but the question we pose today asks whether this solution is still a viable option considering the present context, and if not, is it finally time to consider a one-state solution? This essay will argue that although a two-state solution remains the more
This solution will eradicate mass murders and even out the distribution of land. Intifadas and suicide bombing have taken the lives of many innocent Israelis and Palestinians. In fact, “Since 1944, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have dispatched more than 80 suicide bombers. The terrorist have blown up buses in major Israeli cities, as well as shopping malls, cafes, and other civilian targets” (Doc. #5). Hamas had the same goal as the PLO; destroying Israel and creating a Palestinian state. It’s important to realize that Hamas and the PLO’s main motive was not to eliminate other civilians, but in order to gain their property back for their fellow Palestinians. Many of these suicide bombings could have been prevented if a two-state solution was established, which would have left both parties untroubled. Unfortunately, we have seen intifadas start to rise in Israel, which have caused more deaths in the country. In detail, more than 8,184 Palestinians were killed after the 2 intifadas, and more than 1,581 Israelis were killed after the uprisings (Doc. #7). Some might say that the Palestinians started the rebellion by these killings, and therefore the conflict istheir fault. But if the world and the Quartet (EU, U.S, U.N and Russia) decided on a multi-state resolution, they could have stopped the conflicts. More than 9,765 people died all because of the international community not providing help by splitting up
Any reference to conflict turns history into a reservoir of blame. In the presence of conflict, narratives differ and multiply to delegitimize the opponent and to justify one’s own action. Narratives shape social knowledge. The Israeli Palestinian conflict, both Jews and Muslims, view the importance of holding the territories through religious, ideological, and security lenses, based on belief that Palestine was given by divine providence and that the land belongs to either the Israelis or Palestinian’s ancestral home. Understanding these perspectives is required for understanding Palestinians’ and especially Israel’s strategy and role in entering the Oslo peace process. Despite
The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most long-term, pressing, and largely confounding social, political, and national quandaries of our age. Since we have been moving with surprising velocity into the vast horizons of globalization, the conflict has built up tremendous momentum and has called into question the adequacy of our current attempts at coming to a peaceful resolution that can simultaneously and successfully address both sides of the struggle. The purpose of this paper has been to understand the prospect of a two-state nation solution for Israel and Palestine. The discussion arises a retrospective view of the context behind the present analysis. We begin with a discourse that informs the reader of the historical narrative between the Jewish inhabitants of Israel and the Palestinians who also seek to live in the lands which comprise Israel. At the forefront of the discussion are some key issues such as trends in Israeli settlement expansion over time, the manner in which these settlements create political challenges towards the prospect of a two-state solution, and the fragmentation of power within Palestinian political parties which inhibit the opportunity for proper negotiations amongst the two parties. Finally, we delve into a discussion on nationalism, it’s importance in the discussion of a two-state solution, and the challenges posed when trying to formulate US Foreign Policy towards the matter.
In addition, I will examine the current state of political and human rights in Israeli occupied West Bank and analyze how they are approaching a level of apartheid. Finally, I will summarize the effects of these social tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the terms of how potential open conflict could reignite.
The big question we ask ourselves today is, will Israel and Palestine ever agree to stop fighting? The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been traced all the way back to 1948 through 2005 in The Israel Palestine Land Settlement Problem, written by Charles Rowley and Jennis Taylor. However, this conflict did not end in 2005. This article was written in 2006, so anything within the last 10 years is not included. The conflict between the two counties still continues to this day and still remains a major problem. Israelis and Arabs have been fighting over Gaza on and off for decades now. The three issues laid out in this article are the four major wars that took place, the refugee problem, and the conflict between religions. It concludes with the road map to peace. Throughout his whole book, The Israel-Palestine Conflict, Gelvin speaks of the same historical events that occurred between Israel and Palestine, while the article reveals there are still other conflicts, the land settlement problem has been the major conflict between Israel and Palestine since 1948.
Due to the 80% of citizens reporting a Jewish faith, it is clear to say that Judaism has had a large role in handling conflicts. In the Torah, it is repeatedly shown through figures like Moses, that the most effective means of conflict resolution is through peace and mutual gain(Sacks). However, Israel shouldn’t back down on its morals. The steadfast attitude shown in both Israel and Palestine has clearly made mutualism harder to achieve, delaying the problem(Countries and Their Cultures). Finally, I was curious to know “ How have Israelis viewed the seemingly eternal conflict?”. Though most people have conflicting views on the complex issue, the general agreement between both Palestinians and Israelis is that the conflict is degrative towards both parties. Itamar Rabinovich - president of the Israeli Institute, former Ambassador to the United States, and former chief negotiator. - was quoted by the New York Times saying “Both Israelis and Palestinians pay dearly for the impasse. Keeping the settlement project in the West Bank saps Israel’s resources, compromises its international legitimacy and injects negative norms into Israel proper”. This is clear to many people, with the most pragmatic solution proposed being a two-state system. This would entail Jerusalem serving as a dual capital and Paste revoicing much of the west back as
Of course it is known that it is in the best interest of both people to find a solution. Many on both sides want a two state solution, but each side has yet to come up with a plan that is workable. Economically, it would be in the best interest of the Palestinians to have peace with Israel. Israel is one of the most advanced nations in the world when it comes to medicine, pharmacology, and technology" ("Stick a label on it; Israel and Palestine."). "They have their own weapons industry, are able to grow crops in the desert, have advanced universities and technical schools. If Palestinian children could share in this they would be able to overcome their stunted past. Socially, both groups share so many of the same features. Their dietary laws are similar, language is similar, even holidays hold similarities. But, they do not seem to be able to get over the fact that so much has transpired that split them apart" ("Primer on Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli
Every failed attempt to help the Israelis and Palestinians come to a resolution only further developed the fear and hatred between them. The first proposal for a Two State solution was in 1937; the proposal was accepted by the Jews but denied by the Muslims. One of their largest arguments is over the city of Jerusalem. In 1947 a three way split was suggested, with Palestine and Israel having separate states and Jerusalem under international control. This was immediately opposed by the Muslims but accepted by the Jews. This led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which was resolved in the 1949 Armistice Agreements that stated an end to the fighting and created borders for Palestinian people and Israeli people. Still, it resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Soon after the short war, the UN 242 resolution was passed, which stated that the Israelis withdraw from the areas they occupied during the war, but Palestinian still felt this did not help them in anyway as it reduced their people’s problems to a refugee problem. In 1988 Palestine declared independence, which was interpreted by other countries as an acceptance of the two state solution. Which in the end, we see it only furthered ill feelings and hostile acts from Israel and Palestine. When the 2000 Camp David Summit proposals failed, Bill Clinton proposed the following: A state for Palestine that included up to at least
In a bi-national state, Jews and Palestinians would exist together as independent groups in a government course of action. Every individual would run its particular undertakings self-governing and be ensured the lawful right to utilize its dialect, religion, and customs. Both would partake in government in a solitary parliament, which would be worried about matters of supra-common significance, protection, assets, the economy et cetera. Such a state could be demonstrated on the cantonal structure of Switzerland or the bi-national course of action of Belgium. In the Palestine/Israel case, the cantonal structure would be founded on the present demographic example of the nation where thickly Arab-populated ranges like the Galilee would get to
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is just one of the many facets that have shaped modern day politics in the Middle East. It is a conflict rooted in generations of violence, discrimination and prejudice that is complicated by a history older than any of the modern day superpowers. Ever since the creation of the state of Israel by the 1947 UN partition of Palestine
After listening to the Israel-Palestine panel, it became clear to me that a two-state solution is the only viable option. The panelists from Friends of Israel, J Street U, and Jewish voices for peace all clearly stated their support for and belief in the two-state solution. From discussion during the panel, I gathered that a two-state solution would include Israel as a Jewish, democratic state that will coexist peacefully alongside and independent Palestinian state. Borders in this solution would be based on pre-1967 lines with agreed land-swaps to allow each state to incorporate large population centers on the other side, and of course, there would be compromises over Jerusalem, as well as mutual access to all holy sites.
Throughout the period of World War II, many Jewish people had fled to Israel seeking a place for sanctuary due to Hitler’s reign of terror, but who knew that one of the most largest movements in the history of Europe would cause one of the biggest renowned issues that still remains today. We can easily conclude that both Palestinian and Israeli people both believe that Israel is a land of sacred, where both religions had made history in this land. Although one of the biggest issues that still remains today is who really deserves the land the most. The Palestinian people currently live in the land of Israel before the Jews had made their movement, but after letting in countless Jewish refugees into their land, the Jewish people had realized
After more than 50 years of war, terrorism, peace negotiation and human suffering, Israel and Palestine remain as far from a peaceful settlement as ever. The entire Middle Eastern region remains a cauldron waiting to reach the boiling point, a potent mixture of religious extremism, (Jewish, Christian and Islamic), mixed with oil and munitions.
Since the early 20th Century, Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting over the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. With the assumption that Palestine is a state to facilitate discussion, this report sketches out the most significant elements of the conflict on the three levels defined by Kenneth Waltz, and applies the Realist theory of international relations (IR) to the “Two-State” solution.