IsraeliPalestinian Conflict Is there a possible solution Background

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Is there a possible solution?

Background Information: Establishment of Conflict i. End of 19 th Century: Historic Palestine - predominantly Palestinian with a small minority of Jewish Palestinian settlers/natives. ii. 1920 -1948: Establishment of Mandatory Palestine - British occupation and colonization occurred, setting the stage for UN partition efforts and violence from Israeli statehood declared with unclear borders. iii. 1947: UN Partition Plan - Gave 55% of Historic Palestine to the Zionist cause (anticipating Jewish refugees from Europe) and the remaining 45% to the indigenous palestinians. iv. 1947: Palestinians reject the partition plan, and Israelis accept the plan. v. 1948 (May 14 th): Ben Gurion establishes the State of Israel with tacit international recognition and seizes complete control of region with the concession of the Gaza Strip from Egypt and security from neighbors by defeating the invading surrounding Middle Eastern states. vi. Critical results: Green Line is established; Palestinians are placed under occupation, Israel is the only established sovereign power, and international sympathy is directed towards Jewish peoples displaced by human rights atrocities in Europe.

Background Information: Peace Negotiations The Oslo Accords and Attempts at Multi-state Peace Failed due to differences in expectation of the accords. Ambiguity Never a promise of an independent palestinian state. Settlements continuing as Bibi was opposed to the accords and came power. Arafat's; Rejection of the State? Lack of Clarification/Political Move/No Indication of Following Through Arab Peace Initiative Current lines and treatment of the physical space Kerry/UN for a two state Bibi recognizing two state. . . Legitimacy? Practical Steps that can be taken Assist Palestinian economy> Initiatives such as more working permits PA emerge from the financial crisis, continue aid, get the EU and oil contributing arab countries to keep donating money.

Influences to Consider Other Influences to Consider ● Right of Return? ○ IDP. 4. 5 mil work with unwra (West bank, gaza, citizens in jordan). 800000 still need to be integrated between Lebanon and Syria. Looking at around 10% of its population being absorbed. How would this factor in with one state/Two state? ● Settlements ● Relationship with neighboring nations. Specifically Arab states that might not support Israel and their relationship to Palestinians ● U. S. backing of Israel

One State Solution: In Theory All Israel All Palestine Binational Hybrid State Ideally coexisting together. Palestinians and Israelis under the same government within the same borders living with equal rights. Occupied/Non-Stateless vs. Occupation “They first must dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which hides the real situation before confronting Israel, their current direct ruler. On the other hand, considering that they are a people deprived of an independent state under military occupation, they must claim civil and political rights completely equal to those of Israeli citizens. This may force Israel to respond. It may either ignore the requests of the 5 million Palestinians it rules over, evacuate their lands, or grant them equal rights. ” What is a just solution?

One State Solution: Pros and Cons Pros “Civilian Formula” -Avrum Berg Humanitarian Lens Equal Rights/Justice/Freedom (Especially on the most basic levels) Ends Occupation Cooperative Integration vs. Separation Already share international borders/electricity grid/highway network “an ideological right that is prepared to examine its feasibility; a left, part of which is starting to free itself of the illusions of 'Jewish and democratic'; and a not inconsiderable part of the Palestinian intelligentsia”-Avrum Berg

One State Solution: Final Thoughts Less Ambiguity/Public Awareness One state as a “tool” “We should be aware of the variety, and especially of the dangers of undemocratic models. However, therein lays the vitality of this discussion: creating public awareness of the wide gap between declarations and acts, a gap that exists as a result of 45 years worth of temporary occupation strategies and ambiguity regarding the real goals of the Israeli policy. Only when the Israeli society opens a space for this kind of discussion will it be able to address its ignorance and blindness to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the primary issue impacting society since its establishment. ” Already One State?

Two-State Solution: In Theory i. Establishment of two sovereign states side-by-side: The State of Palestine and Israel. ii. Establishes the 1967 borders (as generally conferred upon by the UN and Palestine) as the division of territory. iii. Plan seen as inevitable for Israeli-Palestinian peace and feasibility.

Two-State Solution: Requirements for Peace/Discussion i. Initial steps must be taken to halt violent actions and colonial aggression: (1) Any military action cannot target (implicitly or explicitly) civilians. (2) Humanitarian aid and international diplomatic channels need to be made available to Palestinian authorities and people, particularly with aid for Gaza. (3) Settlement building must be frozen, and relocation of Israeli settlers in the West Bank must occur. ii. UN must be respected as a body of international law that is physically binding despite its status as a non militarized negotiating body. iii. Israel and Palestinians must both be willing to adapt a two-state solution. iv. Motions on the behalf of Israel to indicate peace and a commitment to treating Palestinian refugees humanely and as partners in negotiation must be fully followed through and maintained for a significant period of time.

Two-State Solution: Why has this not happened? i. Any accord reached in regards to achieving peace has failed/fallen through. UN Perspective/General International sentiment: Israel has not upheld their end i. e. continued military aggression, assaults on Palestinian communities, denies the existence/problems of the occupation. (Conservative) Israeli Perspective: Palestinian Authority is weak and incapable of establishing sovereignty necessary to end occupation; current Palestinian territory would inevitably become controlled by Hamas, be undemocratic, and probably give rise to groups or agendas promoting radical Islamic ideologies/practices. ii. Inequality in negotiations. iii. U. S is the superpower of the world , and the current climate of the Middle East puts the hegemonic priority on maintaining democracy and preventing Islamic militancy above almost every other objective.

Two-State: Considerations for Independent Statehood i. Fiscal Considerations What economic prospects and systems would the State of Palestine have? ii. Structural/Political Considerations Part of the reason for creating a two-state solution is that the Palestinian people have a right to self-determination. In actuality, what could happen and who might influence this process? iii. Conclusions Two-State solution arguably is currently the most promising solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it allows an immediate mechanism to end occupation and a lot of violence directed at Palestinians Two-States ameliorates structural and racial tensions/violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Two-States allows a displaced people to own territory in their indigenous land determine how they wish to be governed. Two-State solution has general international consensus as a necessary solution and an acceptable means of achieving peace.

Two-State/Multi State Solution: What can students do? i. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important for college students to understand engage with on campus. The fight for peace plays out on college campuses and through grassroots/lobbying efforts in the U. S. This is shown by international attention on student efforts and important leaders paying attention to activism on campus. ii. BDS resolutions passed on college campuses send a strong message of student solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and groups challenging accepted narratives, funds and creating campus activities in regards to the conflict also play an important role in how students engage with Israel/Palestine and actions taken to change the current occupation. Examples include: J Street U: Student and Grassroots campaigning. Open Hillel: Student activism and discussions on campus space.

Endnotes [1] Al-Karmi, Ghada. "A One-State Solution in Palestine: Pros and Cons - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. " Al-Monitor. Trans. Pascale El-Khoury. Al Monitor, 16 June 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [2] Brynen, Rex. "Economics of Palestinian Statehood. " World Politics Review, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. [3] Elgindy, Khaled. "Oslo's 20 -year Legacy of Failure Lives on. " Oslo's 20 -year Legacy of Failure Lives on. Al Jazeera America, LLC, 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [4] "Global Policy Forum. " Debate on Sustainable Peace in the Middle East. United Nations, n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [5] Goodwin-Gill, Guy. "Palestinian Statehood Must Come about by the Democratic Will of the People. " The Guardian, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. [6] "Is a One-State Solution an Acceptable Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Pro. Con. org. " Pro. Conorg Headlines. Pro. Conorg, n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [7] Kapshuk, Yoav. "Why It's Time to Discuss the One-state Solution. " +972 Magazine Why Its Time to Discuss the Onestate

Endnotes [8] Macintyre. "Global Policy Forum. " Palestinian Push for an Independent State Causes Israeli Alarm. The Independent, 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [9] Malley, Robert. "Camp David: A Tragedy of Errors. " The Guardian, 19 July 2001. Web. [10] Massad, Joseph. "State of Recognition. " Al Jazeera, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. [11] Rubenstein, Danny. "One State/Two States: Rethinking Israel and Palestine | Dissent Magazine. " Dissent Magazine, 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [12] Sanders and Abukhater. "Global Policy Forum. " Palestinians to Appeal to UN with Anti-Settlement Resolution. LA Times, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [13] Shlaim, Avi. "Oslo Israel Reneged Colonial Palestine. " The Guardian, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. [14] Times of Israel Staff. "Netanyahu Reiterates Support for Two-state Deal in Meeting with Obama. " The Times of Israel. The

Endnotes [15] "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Pro. Con. org. " Pro. Conorg Headlines. Pro. Conorg, n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [16] "Two-State Solution Only Viable Way to Resolve Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Secretary-General Tells International Meeting as It Opens in Moscow | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. " UN News Center. UN, 1 July 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. [17] Slater, Jerome. "What Went Wrong? The Collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. " JStor. Political Science Quarterly, 2001. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.