There is a relatively new group on the Middle East peacemaking block who go by the name of The Israeli Palestinian Confederation. The Los Angeles-based IPC has been kicking around the idea for the last three years of a confederation between Israelis and Palestinians as a means to resolve the 60-year-old dispute that has been at the center of the Middle East's turmoil.
Their solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis calls for the Palestinian and Israeli governments to remain independent and sovereign, with the same authority they have held in the past. (At least as far as the Israeli government is concerned; one would hope that in a future Palestinian state the Palestinian government would wield greater authority.)
In any case, the IPC blueprint for peace has each government continuing to have jurisdiction over their peoples and institutions. Both Palestinian and Israeli governments will continue to maintain their respective institutions. A Palestinian citizen will remain under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian government and an Israeli citizen will remain under the jurisdiction of the Israeli government.
What they propose is to have 300 delegates represent the population of the entire area of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Each representative would be elected by the district in which he or she resides. If, for example, there were 9 million combined Israelis and Palestinians, each representative would act on behalf of 30,000 people.
Given current demographics, the population in the subject area comprises approximately 60 percent Israeli citizens and 40 percent Palestinian citizens. Given that equation, 180 of the representatives would be Israeli citizens and 120 would be Palestinian citizens.
These 300 representatives would pass legislation addressing daily issues facing Israelis and Palestinians.
In order to pass legislation, four major criteria would have to be met:
First, 55 percent of the Palestinians members must vote 'yes' in order to pass the legislation.
Second, 55 percent of the Israeli members must vote 'yes' in order to pass the legislation.
Third, the Palestinian government will be given a veto power.
Fourth, the Israeli government will be given a veto power.
The plan calls for the confederation to have a national director and a vice director; both of whom are to be elected. They are to run on a single ticket, one being Palestinian, and the other Israeli, and it is to be a rotating office where half-way through their term of office the director and the vice director switch places.
On the judicial front, an equal number of Palestinians and Israeli judges who would be responsible for adjudicating issues of the confederation are to be appointed by the national director.
Far-fetched? Over simplistic? How does the Hamas factor into this scenario?
Any plan that contributes to peace in the Middle East should be given at least the benefit of the doubt. However, in all sincerity, a confederation between Israelis and Palestinians as proposed by the IPC stands about as much chance of success as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert parting the waters of the Red Sea.
The reason why the idea is highly unlikely to take roots, particularly among Israelis, can be found in the fourth paragraph of this report; don't bother scrolling back up, I'll repeat it for you.
"Given current demographics, the population in the subject area comprises approximately 60 percent Israeli citizens and 40 percent Palestinian citizens. Given that equation, 180 of the representatives would be Israeli citizens and 120 would be Palestinian citizens."
Underline "given current demographics." Need I go any further? It is a well-known fact that Palestinian (as well as Arab-Israeli) birth rates tend to surpass those of Israeli Jews. How many years would it take for the "current demographics" to slide heavily in favor of the Palestinians? Ten years? Twenty years? At which point the entire raison d'être of Israel as a Jewish state ceases to exist. Any Israeli politician to vote in favor of such a project would be committing political suicide. But who knows, miracles do happen.
If your curiosity is aroused and if you want to learn more about the project, the IPC is holding a roundtable to debate the issue on July 19, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library in Washington, DC.
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