The One State Solution
It is clear that the status quo of hoping for a one state solution is no longer tenable. The conflict in Gaza that began with the horrific October 7th attacks, but really is a continuation of decades of 20 years of turmoil since Hamas gained control of the Gaza Strip, shows that the situation has devolved to the point that two separate states, one that is Israel and one for the Palestinians is not possible.I believe that it is important to recognize this as the reality, and to then focus on the question of how will the one state that survives look? Will it be a state of only Israel, only Palestine, or will there be some peace reached that allows both peoples to live peacefully as one nation?
Marc Ellis is correct in pointing out that “two-state solution has always been more complicated than the arguments advanced on its behalf” would have you believe (Ellis, 74). Even as the Oslo Peace Accords were proceeding, issues such as existing settlements and the status of Jerusalem weren’t even discussed for fear of upsetting the process. The only time that the Israelis have ever truly ceded land to the Palestinians was with a unilateral movement out of Gaza in 2005. The idea of establishing two separate states based on the pre 1967 boundaries ignores the realities that were Jordan and Egyptian occupation of West Bank and Gaza, the settlements and displacement of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, and the Israeli belief in securing an undivided Jerusalem as its capital.
Ellis argues in a very optimistic way that the shared experiences of Jewish exile and persecution on the international stage, combined with the Palestinian experiences of recent history should form a “broken middle” that can be the bridge to a common citizenship (Ellis, 81). However a joint state must recognize the unique positions of both Israel as a nation that acts as a global refuge for Jews, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians 76 years ago. Overcoming the historical issues seems impossible to reconcile, and it seems to me that it is far more likely that we will continue with one state at war with various factions for the foreseeable future. It is also possible that either the Israelis or Palestinians succeed in truly establishing their state as the only legitimate nation in Palestine with the other group either being forced to remain in exile in Jordan and other neighboring countries, or completely forced from the region by an apathetic globe and hostile regional forces. Any way that a one state solution is achieved, it is clear that the hopes for a two state solution are incompatible with the tensions and realities of the modern day situation.
Ellis, Marc H. Israel and Palestine out of the Ashes the Search for Jewish Identity in the Twenty-First Century. Pluto Press, 2002.
Clarification: I think in your first sentence you meant "two-state" not one state.
ReplyDeleteNice post. I wonder if looking at the long history with its constantly shifting boundaries, rulers, and demographics, suggests that things might not be impossible even if they seem so at any given moment. During the crusades, for example, Jews and many Muslims probably thought they would never again have a home in Jerusalem based on the then current situation.