More Single State Delusions

Rabbi Kaufman — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:23:54 +0000

Why is the Israeli left obsessed with a single bi-national state? Akiva Eldar argued for the inevitability of one today in Haaretz. It is not only NOT inevitable, it is IMPOSSIBLE. This is NOT what would happen if a two state solution fails. Israel would not end its existence as a Jewish state in order to maintain Gaza. While some are certainly willing for it to cease to be a democracy in order to be a Jewish state and others are more than willing for it to be a democracy and not a Jewish state, most Israelis certainly would opt for neither extreme and there are simple measures to avoid that such as abandoning Gaza and letting it be open to the sea. Having its border open with Israel is not a requirement. Gaza’s border with Egypt and its sea border would be reasonable. Israel could also, in a worst case scenario, abandon the West Bank’s Eastern border and allow free access to Jordan, abandoning most of the territory.Â In this worst case scenario (Â do not tell me how stupid this scenario would be-it is better than a single state solution forÂ Jews), Israel would still control some areas of the West Bank including Jerusalem and the Palestinians there would either be independent or connected to Jordan.

But before it would come to that, Israel could simply define the borders it is willing to accept and it only needs one nation, the United States, to recognize them for it to be a fait accompli. Additionally, the US could well recognize them and then allow Israeli defense of those borders until the Palestinians demonstrate the willingness and ability to do so while providing for Israel against foreign attack, allowing Israel to maintain security control. This is the more likely result of the failure of negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, not a single bi-national state. That is a idealistic delusion.

Two State Solution Eroding?

Rabbi Kaufman — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:43:24 +0000

Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said that a two state solution is eroding. Â This is generally assumed to mean that the only option is a single state solution. The problem is that no single state solution has ever been or could be possible. There would be massive bloodshed in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank the moment anyone tries to create a single state. The ensuing war would involve nations from throughout the region joining against the Jews in an attempt to force the Jews from the land. At the same time, the Jews, quite likely along with Bahai and Druze, would fight back, potentially forcing large scale flight of the majority of the Arab population. Hence, a single state solution would not result in a “bi-national democratic state” as described by advocates such as John Mearsheimer, but instead in a state dominated by a single ethnic group after the defeat and flight of the other. No, a single state solution is not the alternative to the two state solution. No one would realistically allow that to occur.

The true alternatives to a two state solution are the following:

THREE state solution with an independent Gaza opposed by an independent West Bank with Israel in the middle,
THREE state solution with an independent Â West Bank opposed by an Egyptian controlled Gaza with Israel in the middle,
THREE state solution with an Egyptian controlled Gaza and a Jordanian controlled West Bank, or
STATE-SEMI-STATE solution, basically maintaining the status quo indefinitely.

It is time that the Palestinian people realized, as Israelis for the most part have for more than a decade, that a two state solution is the only good solution for either side.

two state solution – Yourish.com

More Single State Delusions

Two State Solution Eroding?