I believe the hardest thing in the whole conflict beside the grief is finding solutions. A solution that will give the Palestinians their freedom, justice, equality and sovereignty, and safety to the Israelis. The possible solutions for the Arab-Israeli conflict is first and for most a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The solutions and obstacles available from a Palestinian and humanitarian point of view are as follows:
1) One – State solution: meaning everyone regardless their religion, color, nationality or background will live in one democratic country. A country that each person is represented equally and gets the full rights as human beings and citizens of Palestine/Israel. Simply think of it as The United States of America, where there are two major parties, Democratic and Republicans, although they will never reach an agreement, but they live peacefully side by side together as one nation.
Obstacles: One state solution means no state to be established over the land that belongs to one religion or nationality, something that the Israeli side will never accept due to the belief of making a Jewish Homeland.
Comments: there is no country in the world that is exclusive for one religion, why should we as human beings support an idea that will bring more sensitivity and conflict among different religions.
Obstacles: One state solution means no state to be established over the land that belongs to one religion or nationality, something that the Israeli side will never accept due to the belief of making a Jewish Homeland.
Comments: there is no country in the world that is exclusive for one religion, why should we as human beings support an idea that will bring more sensitivity and conflict among different religions.
2) Two – State Solution: according to the UN resolutions 292 and 194 that states, a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders ( including West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem as capital), with the full right of return to the Palestinian refugees that compromise the majority of the Palestinian population. An Israeli state within the 1948 borders with West Jerusalem as its capital. The Christian and Muslim holy sites under the Palestinian state control and the Jewish holy sites under the Israeli control. Refugees according to human rights organization, international law, refugees are protected and they should be given their full right of return to their land and paid for their losses. And freedom to political prisoners by Israel.
Obstacles: the only apartheid wall in modern history is erupted on the most fertile lands of the occupied Palestinian territories. More than 200 Israeli checkpoints are located between and within the Palestinian cities. Restrictions of movements of goods and people from outside the “Palestinian State”. The holy city of Jerusalem is being ethnically cleansed by the Israeli occupation forces, destroying more houses and properties that belong to Palestinians and building new settlement units to host Jews from around the world. Israel says that the “future Palestinian State” should be unarmed and its borders to be watched by International third party. Can a Palestinian economy succeed without having control over the borders of a possible state? Would the Palestinian state have its own currency or use the currency of the Israeli state? Israel refuses the so called “division” of Jerusalem, as well as refuses the Full Right of Return to the cities they were evacuated from 63 years ago under the threat of force and killing. Israel claims that Palestinian refugees should only return to the Palestinian State and not to the cities that have been annexed and cleansed in 1948 inside Israel. Another claim is that there is no space to let the 7+ million refugees to return to the land.
Comments: Palestinian might negotiate the borders, east Jerusalem, prisoners, etc but will never negotiate the Right of Return, as it is the bottom line for any peace treaty between the Palestinians and the Israelis. What will happen to those Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem that have been forced to leave their houses, and some forced to destroy them by their own hands? What should happen to them? Who will pay them back the humiliation that they passed through? Who will stand for their rights, beside the 500 shekels ($130) and a tent from the Red Cross? If a peace treaty happens and Palestinians get back a state of their own, why should an international foreign party control its borders? Why a state should ever be unarmed, beside the Vatican for its religious control? If a state is to be unarmed, it should be Israel or the Jewish Homeland, since it is going to be based on religion. Israel claims there is no land space for possible return of refugees, well the Israeli population lives on less than 40% of the land of Israel, meaning that 60% is unpopulated. Can a possible sovereign country or state be divided into two pieces? The West Bank and the Gaza Strip, how should the land be connected? What will happen to 1.5+ million Palestinians living inside the “Jewish Homeland”? Aren’t they part of the Palestinian population?
Obstacles: the only apartheid wall in modern history is erupted on the most fertile lands of the occupied Palestinian territories. More than 200 Israeli checkpoints are located between and within the Palestinian cities. Restrictions of movements of goods and people from outside the “Palestinian State”. The holy city of Jerusalem is being ethnically cleansed by the Israeli occupation forces, destroying more houses and properties that belong to Palestinians and building new settlement units to host Jews from around the world. Israel says that the “future Palestinian State” should be unarmed and its borders to be watched by International third party. Can a Palestinian economy succeed without having control over the borders of a possible state? Would the Palestinian state have its own currency or use the currency of the Israeli state? Israel refuses the so called “division” of Jerusalem, as well as refuses the Full Right of Return to the cities they were evacuated from 63 years ago under the threat of force and killing. Israel claims that Palestinian refugees should only return to the Palestinian State and not to the cities that have been annexed and cleansed in 1948 inside Israel. Another claim is that there is no space to let the 7+ million refugees to return to the land.
Comments: Palestinian might negotiate the borders, east Jerusalem, prisoners, etc but will never negotiate the Right of Return, as it is the bottom line for any peace treaty between the Palestinians and the Israelis. What will happen to those Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem that have been forced to leave their houses, and some forced to destroy them by their own hands? What should happen to them? Who will pay them back the humiliation that they passed through? Who will stand for their rights, beside the 500 shekels ($130) and a tent from the Red Cross? If a peace treaty happens and Palestinians get back a state of their own, why should an international foreign party control its borders? Why a state should ever be unarmed, beside the Vatican for its religious control? If a state is to be unarmed, it should be Israel or the Jewish Homeland, since it is going to be based on religion. Israel claims there is no land space for possible return of refugees, well the Israeli population lives on less than 40% of the land of Israel, meaning that 60% is unpopulated. Can a possible sovereign country or state be divided into two pieces? The West Bank and the Gaza Strip, how should the land be connected? What will happen to 1.5+ million Palestinians living inside the “Jewish Homeland”? Aren’t they part of the Palestinian population?
3) If none of these are going to happen, if no side is accepting the idea of negotiating, if this long lasting occupation and oppression in modern history continues, if the eruption of the wall of hate is still in sight, if 7000+ prisoners are still jailed violating all prisoner rights conventions, if the violence continues, if the feel of unsafe will dominate, then what is the other option? What will people do? To what ways they will direct their anger and madness? VIOLENCE, WAR, KILLING and the cycle continues.
A current movement of non-violence is growing in Palestine and within the international solidarity groups, which is the BDS campaign. Some you guys might never heard of it, briefly it is to Boycott, Divest and put Sanctions on Israel until it meets the international laws, UN resolutions and stop violating human rights. It is basically to boycott supporting an Israeli company, especially if this company is located within the occupied Palestinian lands, in the settlements. It worked before in South Africa in 1985, in Montgomery, Alabama in 1995, in Delano, California in 1965, it will work in Palestine. This campaign asks any organization, country or nation to boycott and divest from companies that support the Israeli military oppression, colonization and occupation to Palestine. http://www.bdsmovement.net
These are the possible options available for the Palestinian side, the Israeli and the International community. Every possibility have its own obstacles, but if one as a human being, putting everything aside for a minute and stand for human rights, human dignity and human freedom can look at the possible solutions, we can reach to a point where justice, equality and peace will in. Usually the oppressed population calls for freedom, equality and justice and anything that gives them the privilege to live in peaceful and safety environment, given back their rights as human beings, will satisfy them.
I will leave you with few words to think off: Equality, Freedom, Peace, Safety, Oppression, Apartheid, Ethnical Cleansing, Destruction, Violence, and Human Rights. Think of what these words brings to you. Think of them as a human beings who will one day stand up for humanity, to save the children of the future, to give hope, to deliver peace. What possible peace could ever happen when the reality on the ground is as complicated as the picture to the side?! Can a reliable Palestinian State could ever take place when land is daily taken? Can a sovereign Palestinian State be established one day with what is left for the Palestinians to live in?
I am very interested in the BDS movement and I thank you for bringing that to my attention. While studying this conflict, I can not help but make connections to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. It was a time when the US government were not giving equal rights to every citizen. While things are not perfect, things have improved. I have faith in this type of movement because it had some success in many other conflicts.
ReplyDeleteThank you Britany. Yes, this movement is working in Palestine, and is getting a lot of world attention and solidarity. There is also a movement called the International Solidarity Movement, ISM, it is mainly directed to non-Arabs and how they can attribute to the human rights cause in Palestine.
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