Why is the Israeli left obsessed with a single bi-national state? Akiva Eldar argued for the inevitability of one today in Haaretz. It is not only NOT inevitable, it is IMPOSSIBLE. This is NOT what would happen if a two state solution fails. Israel would not end its existence as a Jewish state in order to maintain Gaza. While some are certainly willing for it to cease to be a democracy in order to be a Jewish state and others are more than willing for it to be a democracy and not a Jewish state, most Israelis certainly would opt for neither extreme and there are simple measures to avoid that such as abandoning Gaza and letting it be open to the sea. Having its border open with Israel is not a requirement. Gaza’s border with Egypt and its sea border would be reasonable. Israel could also, in a worst case scenario, abandon the West Bank’s Eastern border and allow free access to Jordan, abandoning most of the territory. In this worst case scenario ( do not tell me how stupid this scenario would be-it is better than a single state solution for Jews), Israel would still control some areas of the West Bank including Jerusalem and the Palestinians there would either be independent or connected to Jordan.
But before it would come to that, Israel could simply define the borders it is willing to accept and it only needs one nation, the United States, to recognize them for it to be a fait accompli. Additionally, the US could well recognize them and then allow Israeli defense of those borders until the Palestinians demonstrate the willingness and ability to do so while providing for Israel against foreign attack, allowing Israel to maintain security control. This is the more likely result of the failure of negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, not a single bi-national state. That is a idealistic delusion.
You’re forgetting about Jordan as Palestine, my favourite solution. And don’t tell me this is impossible – while it may look like the world is against us, it looks like things are moving in a different direction. Obama will lose control of Congress, then, goodbye, he’ll never get re-elected. The next Republican president may likely have a very different view of American interests in the Middle-East. Even in spineless anti-Semitic Europe, people are fed up with Muslims, fed up with multiculturalist crap, witness the success of Geert Wilders. And, the economic failure of the EU & the likely disappearance of the Euro will bring the old EU political class that hates us so to lose power. And, who knows what a regional war in the Middle-East might change everything, especially if we finally attack Iran.
Good idea, Rabbi, but do you envisage your current administration recognising your proposed borders?
It doesn’t need to be the CURRENT administration. In fact, that is the threat looming over the heads of those involved. The US could recognize borders without either side negotiating if it wished. A future President backed by a pro-Israel congressional resolution could recognize borders. There is of course also the threat that a future President could simply recognize all of pre-1967 West Bank and Gaza as Palestinian.
The left fantasizes over a single bi-national state because it sounds easy and sounds like a win-win solution and they don’t have to think about the realities. After all, if everybody could just put aside their differences and sing Kumbaya together, no leftie would ever have to worry about his kids maybe being sent to fight in a war. Nobody’s feelings would be hurt, there would be no need to fear “ethnically enriched” people who act in incomprehensible ways and they could go back to worrying about the real enemy — the Republicans and the greedy oil companies.