Answering the questions

Here is a letter that I have written to those involved in advocating for a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Dear friends:
There has been much talk in recent months about a vision for a “two state solution” to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Those calling for a two state vision, whether they are Condoleezza Rice, other governments, Israeli Peace advocates or western NGO’s have an obligation to describe their vision. In my opinion any two state vision needs to address these questions.
1. Does the vision provide for a viable Palestinian state living alongside a secure Israeli state?
2. How will this vision deal with the refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars?
3. Is the vision politically acceptable to both the Palestinians and the Israelis?
If they cannot answer these questions, they have no vision.
I have been engaged with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for a number of years. I used to think that the “two state solution” provided the best opportunity for a resolution to the conflict. Two years ago, I began to have doubts. After my most recent visit to this part of the world this spring, I have reluctantly concluded that a “two state solution” is no longer possible. As is common in the region, events on the ground have outrun the political process. Over the past 15 years, the Israeli government has tried to establish “facts on the ground” that preclude a “two state solution” and they have succeeded. With 500,000 Jewish settlers living east of the green line, a complete loss of hope and faith in the Palestinian community and a hardening of attitudes in the Israeli polity, there is no longer a “two state solution” that is politically possible. The “single state solution” remains the only alternative to continuing suffering for all parties. All parties involved in searching for a solution need to recognize the futility of the “two state solution” and deal with questions about a single state. The question to be answered now is “What will be the nature of the single state?” Will it be a secular state with equal rights for all in which everyone practices their own religion? Will it be an apartheid state in which one group isolates and oppresses another? Will it be a state which is ethnically cleansed of one group for the benefit of another? We need to shift to a mode of considering how we can best mitigate the negative consequences of such an outcome. We can advocate for one state with equal rights for all, but we need to be prepared to deal with the most likely outcome, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The first requirement for solving a problem is to recognize the brutal reality