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Al Habtoor Information & Research Department The situation is looking desperate. Since the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Oslo in 1993 the peace process has failed to create peace. This is the mainly due to the reluctance of successive Israeli governments to implement the agreements fully, leaving the Palestinians, who at the onset welcomed the peace initiative, angry and frustrated as they see their hopes deliberately dashed by Israeli intransigence. Unfortunately this conflict has become defined in territorial and national terms, with each side arguing for a national identity and territorial ownership. This is a zero sum game for sovereignty of the land. In this equation gains by one side are seen as losses by the other. This form of conflict can only ever lead at best to a temporary solution and at worse form the basis for all out war in the future. It can clearly been seen that current and past strategies for the resolution of the conflict between Palestinian and Jewish aspirations have failed. It is therefore time to think of new ways in which to resolve the conflict, and establish a lasting peace in the land of Palestine. The solution not yet tried is to redefine the terms of the struggle by moving it away from a conflict in which both parties have fostered separate national identities linked to a geographical territory. The aim of both sides should be to establish a modern democratic state for the entire population living in Palestine. Establishing a democratic state in Palestine would replace the Zionist State of Israel. Under such a construct some of the most important issues can be resolved. It would finally allow for the repatriation of all Palestinian refugees now in exile in the camps of Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. It would fulfil United Nations Resolutions regarding the legal rights of the peoples of Palestine. It would guarantee Muslims, Jews and Christians the freedom to worship and would be the basis for building a strong and vibrant nation in which two cultures can come together to create something greater than themselves.
The two peoples are closely connected by the economy, as well. Israel is the main market for nearly all of the Palestinian Territories output, mostly agricultural products, and in turn Israel depends on Palestinian workers to keep their economy competitive. In truth Israelis and Palestinians cannot get out of each others way, but so long as they continue to regard each other as violent usurpers and intruders they will never be able to define their relationship to each other. It is right that a dispersed people such as the Palestinians, who have been stripped of their land and live in refugee camps in other states, the West Bank and Gaza and Israel should want a homeland of their own, a state in which they will not fear oppression and persecution by others. These sentiments are exactly the same as those that drove the early Zionist movement from the 1880’s to 1948 to claim a land of their own. But so far, neither armed conflict nor the peace process has satisfied the aspirations of either side. Both courses of action have divided and alienated the peoples of Palestine rather than uniting them in peace and amity. Palestinians have to recognise that the other Arab states of the region will not and cannot support them either militarily or in the search for peace as none are prepared to place the rights of the Palestinian people above their own national self interest. All they do is sit on the sidelines mouthing words of sympathy, dispensing monetary aid and taking in a few casualties. It is clear that the only option fort the people of Palestine is to act alone, relying on no one and seek a solution for themselves that includes the Jews. For, as much as Palestinians might like to, they cannot just wish the Jews away, there are now too many of them. Any solution that tries to exclude them is bound to fail.
It is obvious to all that the current solutions on offer to create peace will not work. Both sides are moving further away from each other, posing the risk that both sides will agree to some form of apartheid or even more horrific, the Israelis will attempt some form of ethnic cleansing. Both options are frightening prospects for all the peoples of Palestine at the dawning of a new era. Only when the concept of a democratic state that gives equal rights to each individual regardless of ethnic origin or religious belief, and those rights are guaranteed by a constitution and enforced by an independent judiciary with equal justice for all, will there be a just peace in Palestine. |
The struggle for a just peace in the land of Palestine is more important than ever. The Al Aqsa intifada has developed into low intensity warfare between the heavily equipped Israeli army and Jewish settlers on one hand and frustrated young stone-throwing Palestinians on the other. The specter of ethnic cleansing rears its ugly head as the violence escalates. Particularly worrying is that one side seems to have no qualms about employing tanks, heavy artillery, attack helicopters and its airforce in densely populated civilian areas to intimidate and pursue its adversary.
Something as radical as an inclusive democratic state for all the people of Palestine is not something that will be easy to achieve, it takes a willingness on the part of both sides to embrace the idea and actively work together to bring it about. Eventually it will be realised by all that this solution is the only real way forward. It will dawn upon everyone that neither side can create an apartheid state as both people are inextricably mixed.
For their part the Israelis must also seek a solution that includes the Palestinians, for while they have won all military engagements with the Arabs and Palestinians so far there is always the possibility of defeat. No Israeli use of force has so far guaranteed its borders or the security and safety of its people. They should also realise that they will not always be able to count on unqualified support both financially and militarily from the Americans. The more oppressive they become towards the people of Palestine the less able will any US administration be able to justify its support for Israel to the people of America.