05 February 2010
The Fatal Flaw of the 2 State Solution
An Offer that Can be Refused
Due to the awesome lack of appreciation of the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is a widespread belief in the western media, political and intellectual circles that the essential framework of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, known as the ‘2-State Solution’, is both widely known and accepted.
This is proclaimed almost weekly by The Economist and Haaretz. They are joined by the great writer Amos Oz and an international army of similar minded commentators and politicians. President Obama claims that a Palestinian state alongside Israel would satisfy the justifiable national aspirations of the Palestinians and the justifiable security needs of Israel.
In this view, the ‘2-State Solution’ as a permanent settlement appears so good as to be almost irresistible; so simple, sensible and obvious that it is hardly necessary to make out a serious case for it. International bodies such as the UN, EU and the Quartet, don’t even try.
Unfortunately, this widely known and accepted solution, which will supposedly satisfy the essential national aspirations of the Palestinians and thus produce peace, has proved amazingly resistant to implementation. As a result, a parallel belief has developed that Israel is the chief blockage....
