Sixty-four years passed since the creation of the “state” of Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians, and neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis have achieved the aspiration of having a viable state. Because of this, both Palestinians and Israelis need to seriously reflect on the situation.
The Palestinians are in shambles. The 1993 Oslo Accords gave them, during phase one, a tiny fraction of land which would be the nucleus of a Palestinian state. Other phases were to follow and Palestinians and Israelis were expected to work together to hand back to the Palestinians all the lands occupied by Israel in 1967, on which to build their viable, full-fledged state.
This never happened, as successive Israeli governments, after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, kept procrastinating, renegotiating and maneuvering to distance themselves from the Oslo commitments, subvert peace and abort all efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
Having an elusive, fickle leader like Yasser Arafat did not help the Palestinians. By the time Mahmoud Abbas, one of the architects of Oslo, came to the scene ready to negotiate peace with Israel, with a lot of clarity of vision and sincerity, Benjamin Netanyahu came to the scene with the sole purpose of blocking any progress of peace with the Palestinians.
Moreover, through his flagrant support of illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, he has made it an objective to deprive the Palestinians of even the tiny fraction of land on which they hope to build their state.
Compounding the situation is the division among Palestinians. Hamas was born, rose in influence and importance, led Gaza, and fragmented and dualised both Palestinian territory and Palestinian Authority, creating a state of paralysis. The Palestinian Authority, primarily composed of PLO old timers, was already weak, but it further weakened with the rise of Hamas.
The U.S., Europe and the Arab world — due to other regional and international concerns — have all but forgotten about the Palestinians, and Israel is left free to do what it sees fit: swallow more land and abuse the Palestinians at will.
The Palestinian bid for statehood through the U.N., which under the right circumstances would have got them a state, was mercilessly aborted by the U.S., Europe and Israel, and Arab apathy.
In short, the Palestinians today are in a worse situation than they were in 1948.
What about Israel?
While the Palestinians have always been the underdog, Israel always had the upper hand. The support it received, even before 1948, and still receives from Europe and the U.S.— especially the latter — no country ever dreams of receiving: billions of dollars in aid, the most sophisticated weaponry, an unmatched influence on international media (especially in the U.S.), and the green light to oppress, bomb and kill in broad daylight. In fact, American politicians support Israel more than they support their own people.
As a result, Israel got a “state” in Palestine, by force and declared unilaterally. But is it a viable state? Is it secure or coherent?
First of all, its borders are not defined. It is the only “state” in today’s world that keeps growing by annexing other peoples’ land. Neither is its identity. Is it a secular, democratic state, or is it a theocracy?
At present, Israel insists not only on its Jewishness but also on being a home for Jews only. What this means, at one level, is that it is giving automatic nationality to millions of Jews who are already nationals of other countries. And it does not seem to matter whether these people recognize Israel as a home for Jews or not. Many of them — not only hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Hasidic Jews who reject the very idea of a Zionist state in Palestine but hundreds of thousands of secular Jews as well, intellectuals, writers, artists, scientists — in fact reject the notion of Israel as a home for Jews.
What about the non-Jewish population in Israel “proper”: the Christians and the Muslims? Are they citizens or not?
The more important point, I believe, is that until now, Israel has not made up its mind on whether it wants to be a civilized modern state or an old-fashioned occupier and colonizer. Based on much of what it is doing, it appears to want to be the latter. If it were aiming for the former, it would be behaving differently. It would not subvert peace efforts, but initiate and support them; not block the establishment of a Palestinian state, but work diligently for it; not antagonize and terrorize its neighbors, but befriend and seek positive relations with them.
What kind of “home” or “state” has Israel created for the Jews, in 64 years, from 1948, with undefined borders or identity and a colonist mentality and agenda?
Nothing will create for the Palestinians and the Israelis viable, secure and peaceful states or homes except peace.
Towards this end, the Palestinians need to put their house in order, unify their authority and their voice, and push for peace with Israel.
The Israelis need to form a government that puts peace with the Palestinians and with its neighbors at the top of its agenda, and sincerely works for it, including the establishment of a state for their Palestinian neighbors.
Short of that, there will be no peace of mind or peace on the ground for either party, and no viable “state” or “home” for any.
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