Mid East Exam

Ghazal Sawez 6. Describe in detail your idea for a viable, practicable solution to the conflict.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a conflict that started with the distribution of land but today has turned into much more than just that. It has become a clash over religions, ethnicities, and power. Jews and Muslims have had a history of peace and tolerance, and I feel in the future these people will find their way back to this peaceful union. Even today signs of co-operation between the Palestinians and Israelis exists, “ In the cities there is a certain amount of economic co-operation, but less than there used to be, and there would be much more under settled political conditions” (Buber, Arab-Jewish Unity, 11). This is why if I were to propose a solution for the conflict I would base it around a one state solution. People have been focusing on two state solutions for so long and yet no agreement has been reached. The more the world tries to think of a way to separate these two groups the more they start to view themselves as enemies and find it more impossible to coexist. The Israelis and Palestinians need to start realizing all the things they have in common rather than the differences that have surfaced since the existence of Israel. One may think it is impossible for these people to start getting along and share this land with all the deaths and destruction that has taken place in the past few decades, and this is why it is unrealistic to think that this plan would work out perfectly from the start. However, if we were to set in a basis for a future union between Palestine and Israel then in the future the idea of a peaceful state will be attainable. There are many components that must work together in order to this solution to work.

One part of my plan that I think would be crucial would be to have both countries accept some fault for the deaths that have occurred on both sides. Israel refuses to admit they have fought the Palestinians with disproportionate for force even though the international court of law has accused them of this. In order for both countries to begin negotiating, Israel would have to admit that building the settlements was wrong. There would have to be some group that ran these negotiations or moderated and I personally believe that this cannot be comprised of any American politicians. This reason for this is that America has tried to head these negotiations in the past and nothing has come of it, so we need a new start. Also it is clear that America is a bit biased in this case, they do after all fund most of is not all of Israel’s army. If we were to put European Union leaders or United Nations leaders in charge of running these negotiations then I think things would run more smoothly and there would be more of a neutral perspective to finding a solution. The most important issue has always been borders, but of course one of the advantages of a one-state solution would be that we would not have to worry about this problem as much. I believe it would be impossible to run Palestine and Israel as one entity with laws and budgets that apply for all the people. This is why my solution would propose that the land be divided up into separate states or provinces, and much of the budgeting would be determined on a state level much like in the United States. This would mean there would have to be politicians on both a state level and a federal level. Meaning there would be many more politicians in charge of making decisions than there are now. I would make sure each state has a board of politicians comprised of both Palestinians

and Israelis so that the power is split up evenly throughout the country. There would also be an “appointment of Jews and Arabs in equal numbers to the Executive Council of Government.” (Buber, Arab-Jewish Unity, 31) It is also important to get women involved in politics and have them run for these positions or even appoint them for certain positions. With women having a voice in their communities it will allow more stability and less struggle for power. There are already several activist groups comprised of women that are of both backgrounds and strive for peace, so finding women that are willing to make decisions for their communities should not be too difficult. After all, the first intifada had a lot of support from female groups and women played a large role in this uprising but were not really given much credit. The settlements would be their own states and people would be encouraged to mix in these regions in order to erase the reputation they have now. In order to encourage blending the government could offer cheap housing or less taxes to people that wish to move there, this is similar to what Israel currently does to get people to live on the settlements even though the risk of attack is higher. Therefore, “some of these (states) will be mainly Jewish, some mainly Arab, and some mixed.” (Buber, Arab-Jewish Unity, 34) The Palestinian refugees would have the right to return to the lands they used to live on, however many of them have started new lives in neighboring countries so if they choose to stay where they are they could be compensated for the homes they lost. Jerusalem could be a sort of religious capital where people of all ethnicities and religions are free to visit, and it would not have any political significance.

The moderators of this plan would have to assure the Palestinian people that the Israeli army would no longer exist and all weapons previously owned by them would be used for the safety and protection of all Israeli and Palestinian people. Each province or state would have a budget for their own police force but there would only be one military. Yet even with united military force there is still the fear that violence will continue, but in order for the pattern of violence to end in this region we would need to find a new way to educate the youth. Education is the best way to create change. Schools would be run by state funding, but the curriculum would have to be the same across the country in order to prevent any sort of bias teaching. I think it is important to make sure that schools are strictly secular. If people wish to educate their children on religion then they can do so in their homes or places of worship. It is crucial for both Israeli and Palestinian children to start to be educated together in the same schools in order to assure a future of peaceful coexistence. At first this may be difficult because Israeli children are taught in Hebrew, whereas Palestinian children are taught in Arabic. If primary schools began to incorporate language courses then children could learn to be fluent in both languages. This would make it easier to merge the students in the later grades. Universities in the future could offer courses in both languages. In order for this solution to work properly there would have to be a lot of supervision at first, but I feel we have to be optimistic and believe that these two countries will eventually have to think of some way to compromise because they are running out of time. As one time peace was possibly between these two groups, “Jews and Arabs stuck together because the interests of their life

required it” (Buber, Towards Union in Palestine, 19) one day they will come this realization again. Just as they have in the past eventually The international community will have to step in at some point, especially with Israeli war crimes becoming more of an issue with the international court of justice. In order to assure that this plan will not end up being a failed attempt at peace much like the attempts in the past there would have to be goals made to reach at certain time periods. The first decade would be highly supervised and if by the end of then things have worked out as planned then the United Nation moderators could more loosely follow the progress of the country. Funding for this would have to come from the international community, however if America were to continue funding this country as they do with Israel today then that should help pay for much of the guidance needed for this solution.