3 May 2009
Article of Faith
The 2-State Solution
In some political circles the 2-state solution has become a matter of faith. Its adherents believe it ought to satisfy everyone sufficiently and so produce a sensible settlement. Therefore, the rationality appears to be that it must be the solution. Remarkably, none of the key documents, such as UN Security Council Resolutions or the 'Road Map' even try to make out a reasoned case for the 2-state solution. They simply assume it to be the solution.
Yet for a supposedly well-known, sensible and widely accepted solution, the idea of living under two separate roofs shows the same resistance to realisation as living under one. The reason is simple: both sides have fundamental disagreements with the proclaimed solution. Furthermore, although the issues involved are fundamental, they are neither addressed nor solved by its supporters.
For the Palestinians, refusal to accept Israel remains stronger than the desire for a Palestinian state. As a result, the 2-state solution has powerful Palestinian enemies. They see it as an idea being pushed by the West with the intention of preserving Israel and imposing on the Palestinians what the West believes the Palestinian interest should be. Consequently, Palestinian support for the 2-state solution is weak. The rock against which it crashes is the requirement that Israel has to be accepted. As yet there is no Palestinian leadership strong enough or with sufficient popular support to carry this through....
