Tuesday, August 03, 2010
8/03/2010 12:17:00 AM | 
Posted by
JoeSettler
There’s an idea (and even detailed plans) floating around the Right lately, in some very serious circles, and that is that Israel should accept and push for a “one state solution”.
I’ll admit, certainly if you keep the Palestinian state of Hamastan (Gaza) out of the picture, it does have some points of merit.
Israel still remains a Jewish democratic state because we’re still the majority, and probably will continue to be so (and even with Gaza we still would have a Jewish majority). Israel annexes the whole of Judea and Samaria and gradually and carefully naturalizes the Arab population. It certainly diffuses the absurd claims that the Palestinians don’t have democratic representation (though I will admit that since the PA hasn’t had elections for a while, and the term of their Prime Minister expired over a year ago, there is something to that claim, but they’re just blaming the wrong people for that problem). The US trained PA military can be incorporated into the Police, where they’ll get along fine. And finally, everyone can live and build where they want (I can just see Tel Aviv getting flooded with West Bankers, and I would certainly start my expansion). Jerusalem wouldn’t need to be divided according to anybody, and the path of the light rail wouldn’t need to be changed. And finally, we can tear down that ugly wall heading towards the middle of my house.
After all, if we can all shop and work in Rami Levi together, a single state isn't such a impossible idea.
But unfortunately this idea is seriously flawed.
The superficial flaws include that the “Palestinian Right of Return” is not resolved in a way they want, which includes flooding Israel with “refugees” 3 or 4 generations on. Second, even though the Arabs keep threatening a one-state solution, their leadership doesn’t want it, except as a Trojan horse to destroy the Israeli state; and if it won’t destroy the state of Israel, then what’s the point? Third, the serious Leftists in Israel are a bunch of patronizing racists, and wouldn’t want to be neighbors with the same people they look down on and want to see “over there” and not “over here” (not just the Settlers, but Arabs too). Fourth, this solution doesn’t hurt the religious or the Settlers, so the Leftists won’t like it. Five, it doesn’t solve the problem of lost property of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. Six, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are getting pretty tight in Judea and Samaria from what I see, and they’ll never stand for it quietly. And so on…
But honestly, all those are superficial reasons.
The real reason this idea, or any other won’t work, is because it calls for an end to the conflict, and the Arab leadership just doesn’t want that. If they really wanted it, then everything could have been resolved a long time ago (not to my liking of course), but it hasn't. And it won't.
So this plan, just like all the Lefty plans is just another pipe dream that ignores the realities of who we have as neighbors, and that the problem calls for more creative solutions, perhaps solutions that people dismiss and call crazy, though they're no crazier than the same idiotic idea we've repeatedly tried over and over, and that have failed every single time.
I’ll admit, certainly if you keep the Palestinian state of Hamastan (Gaza) out of the picture, it does have some points of merit.
Israel still remains a Jewish democratic state because we’re still the majority, and probably will continue to be so (and even with Gaza we still would have a Jewish majority). Israel annexes the whole of Judea and Samaria and gradually and carefully naturalizes the Arab population. It certainly diffuses the absurd claims that the Palestinians don’t have democratic representation (though I will admit that since the PA hasn’t had elections for a while, and the term of their Prime Minister expired over a year ago, there is something to that claim, but they’re just blaming the wrong people for that problem). The US trained PA military can be incorporated into the Police, where they’ll get along fine. And finally, everyone can live and build where they want (I can just see Tel Aviv getting flooded with West Bankers, and I would certainly start my expansion). Jerusalem wouldn’t need to be divided according to anybody, and the path of the light rail wouldn’t need to be changed. And finally, we can tear down that ugly wall heading towards the middle of my house.
After all, if we can all shop and work in Rami Levi together, a single state isn't such a impossible idea.
But unfortunately this idea is seriously flawed.
The superficial flaws include that the “Palestinian Right of Return” is not resolved in a way they want, which includes flooding Israel with “refugees” 3 or 4 generations on. Second, even though the Arabs keep threatening a one-state solution, their leadership doesn’t want it, except as a Trojan horse to destroy the Israeli state; and if it won’t destroy the state of Israel, then what’s the point? Third, the serious Leftists in Israel are a bunch of patronizing racists, and wouldn’t want to be neighbors with the same people they look down on and want to see “over there” and not “over here” (not just the Settlers, but Arabs too). Fourth, this solution doesn’t hurt the religious or the Settlers, so the Leftists won’t like it. Five, it doesn’t solve the problem of lost property of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. Six, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are getting pretty tight in Judea and Samaria from what I see, and they’ll never stand for it quietly. And so on…
But honestly, all those are superficial reasons.
The real reason this idea, or any other won’t work, is because it calls for an end to the conflict, and the Arab leadership just doesn’t want that. If they really wanted it, then everything could have been resolved a long time ago (not to my liking of course), but it hasn't. And it won't.
So this plan, just like all the Lefty plans is just another pipe dream that ignores the realities of who we have as neighbors, and that the problem calls for more creative solutions, perhaps solutions that people dismiss and call crazy, though they're no crazier than the same idiotic idea we've repeatedly tried over and over, and that have failed every single time.
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5 comments:
SO TRUE. Look, I don't see why a One-state Solution can't work:
1) Israel annexes Yehudah and Shomron (which it should've done immediately after the 6-day war, etc. etc. blah blah blah)
2)Israel draws up a constitution (this should actually be #1)in which it states what the requirements are for foreigners and aliens to attain citizenship, modeled after the U.S. requirements.
3) Israel gives the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria a choice: learn Hebrew, learn Jewish history leading up to the 2nd sovereignty of Israel, pledge strict loyalty to the JEWISH state, or GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
4) Offer a small lump sum to those Arabs who choose to leave Israel for Arab lands.
5) (This is the hard part) Convince the Arab nations, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, etc. --to accept those Arabs who want to leave Israel.
Point #4 is why I don't think it would work. It would have worked, however, in 1967-68. Maybe even in 1970.
And that is not even addressing the compensation and reparations for all the Jews who were expelled from Arab lands.
I agree that a full ennexation of Judea-Samaria and full citzenship to the Arab residents may be our only chnace to live together.
The number one objection that people raise is the demographic issue, but as you point out, there is a clear Jewish majority, and with the increasing jewish Birthrate and Aliya, that should continue.
You could have a Reform rabbi convert the Arabs, or a Conservative rabbi intermarry the Arabs to Jews and then they'll all be eligible for citizenship under the right of return.
A one-state solution is the only realistic solution. A Palestinian state will never be created, because Israel will never give up parts of Jerusalem, and because Israelis know that sooner or later there will be rockets headed to Jerusalem from the new state.
The mainstream view that demographics make a one-state solution impossible is bunk: demographers have shown Jews have a majority for the foreseeable future, even if you count Judea, Samaria AND Gaza. The reason first, that Arab numbers are widely inflated, and two, Arab birthrates are falling, while Jewish birthrates are increasing. The charedi birthrate alone makes a permanent Jewish majority a sure thing.
1) Israel should make Gaza and the West Bank terrorities, like Puerto Rico or Guam, in which residents (including Jewish settlers) can vote for local office but not for national legislation.
2) Residents can apply for citizenship, but anyone convicted of a terrorist offense (or who has ever belonged to a terrorist organization like Hamas) is ineligible for citizenship, and the process takes years and involves swearing allegiance to the Jewish state.
3) Arabs in the territories can move to the rest of Israel, though they may still have to go through checkpoints until terrorism is stopped.
4) Hamas and all terrorist organizations are completely dismantled, and the entire Hamas government should be jailed. No antisemitic parties, organizations, literature, or educational materials are allowed -- anyone involved is arrested and jailed for years. Israel takes over the educational system, including school curricula. This may be counter to American views of free speech, but it's not that different than European laws, and it's more justified and necessary than in present Europe anyway. If we arrest all the radicals, and don't let them out no matter how many people the few terrorist holdouts kidnap, terrorism will die down and most people will get busy with their jobs and lives as (semi-)Israeli Arabs.
5) As people have pointed out, Arabs will never agree to the one-state solution, just as they will never agree to a two-state solution. So Israel must simply pick a version of the one-state solution they are comfortable with, and implement it.
6)There are left-wing versions of the one-state solution (which don't guarantee the Jewish future of the state) and far right-wing versions (which don't give Arabs a chance at citizenship or voting rights, or tries to deport them all). The point is to choose something in between, and implement it.
Here's what the arabs just said about the aptly named one-state "solution":
http://jewpoint.blogspot.com/2010/09/so-called-palestinians-to-jewish.html
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