Paths to Peace

It could be the best way to reframe the most intractable parts of the conflict and find peace at last.

Barack Obama won the U.S. presidency by showing Americans and non-Americans alike the benefits of a political approach that favours hope over cynicism. The latest round of American-brokered peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, however, has not generated optimism.

World Peace Day is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the question of why renewed discussions between Israelis and Palestinians have faced skepticism. The stated goal of the talks is the familiar two-state solution, wherein a Palestinian and Israeli state exist side by side in peace and security. This solution has proven elusive for decades. Moreover, the possibility of a Palestinian state is further diminished as settlements housing some half-million Israeli Jews have increasingly encroached on land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Today, the entire area of historic Palestine is controlled by the Israeli state – which was proclaimed in 1948 – with the West Bank and Gaza under Israeli military occupation since 1967. Effectively, there is one state in charge: Israel.

President Obama might better serve the cause of peace by embracing the audacity of new and creative thinking in relation to this reality.

In place of the two-state solution favoured in the international community, a growing number of Palestinians and Israelis have put forth a “one state solution.” The idea can be found in intellectual circles and is finding support amongst current and former politicians such as Meron Benvenisti, the past deputy mayor of Jerusalem. Details may vary, but a one-state solution essentially embodies the principles of equal rights and citizenship for all, with recognition of collectivities through policies like bilingualism.

The one-state solution emphasizes equality and minority rights, which are principles that have been supported by the United Nations and are currently absent in Israel and the occupied territories.

Roughly 20 per cent of Israeli citizens are Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship, but still face land ownership laws and education policies that privilege Jews over non-Jews. Palestinians living in the West Bank without citizenship experience intense surveillance that limits their ability to move freely. Consequently, it is difficult for many Palestinians to get an education or earn a living.

In Gaza, the blockade has limited the access to fuel, food, and water. Even if elements of the blockade are lifted, the long-term implications of depriving such basic human needs to so many people are multigenerational.

The Israeli law of return grants the privilege of immigration and citizenship to Jews from anywhere in the world. In contrast, Palestinian refugees living outside of historic Palestine have been continually denied the right of return to their original or ancestral homes. Perhaps a one state solution offers ways of reframing some of the most intractable parts of the conflict – such as land, refugees, violence, and insecurity – to promote greater social justice for all.

World Peace Day serves as a reminder of the human costs of war and violence. It is therefore troubling that the talks between Israelis and Palestinians sponsored by the Obama administration seem to be steeped in the very solution that has been a source of war and violence in the region.

A just and lasting peace requires far more than the politics of hope. It needs thinking outside the box.