pafret Loc: Northeast

Trump: Palestinians Must Earn a Two State Solution

by Alan M. Dershowitz
February 17, 2017 at 11:30 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9958/trump-palestinians-must-earn-a-two-state-solution

President Trump raised eyebrows when he mentioned the possibility of a one state solution. The context was ambiguous and no one can know for sure what message he was intending to convey. One possibility is that he was telling the Palestinian leadership that if they want a two state solution, they have to do something. They have to come to the negotiating table with the Israelis and make the kinds of painful sacrifices that will be required from both sides for a peaceful resolution to be achieved. Put most directly, the Palestinians must earn the right to a state. They are not simply entitled to statehood, especially since their leaders missed so many opportunities over the years to secure a state. As Abba Eben once put it: "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

It began back in the 1930s, when Great Britain established the Peale Commission which was tasked to recommend a solution to the conflict between Arabs and Jews in mandatory Palestine. It recommended a two state solution with a tiny noncontiguous Jewish state alongside a large Arab state. The Jewish leadership reluctantly accepted this sliver of a state; the Palestinian leadership rejected the deal, saying they wanted there to be no Jewish state more than they wanted a state of their own.

In 1947, the United Nations partitioned mandatory Palestine into two areas: one for a Jewish state; the other for an Arab state. The Jews declared statehood on 1948; all the surrounding Arab countries joined the local Arab population in attacking the new state of Israel and killing one percent of its citizens, but Israel survived.

In 1967, Egypt and Syria were planning to attack and destroy Israel, but Israel preempted and won a decisive victory, capturing the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Sinai. Israel offered to return captured areas in exchange for peace, but the Arabs met with Palestinian leaders in Khartoum and issued their three infamous "no's": no peace, no recognition, and no negotiation.

In 2000-2001 and again in 2008, Israel made generous peace offers that would have established a demilitarized Palestinian state, but these offers were not accepted. And for the past several years, the current Israeli government has offered to sit down and negotiate a two state solution with no pre-conditions-- not even advanced recognition of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. The Palestinian leadership has refused to negotiate.

President Trump may be telling them that if they want a state they have to show up at the negotiating table and bargain for it. No one is going to hand it to them on a silver platter in the way that former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon handed over the Gaza strip in 2005, only to see it turned into a launching pad for terror rockets and terror tunnels. Israel must get something in return: namely real peace and a permanent end to the conflict.

The Palestinian leadership's unwillingness to come to the negotiating table reminds me of my mother's favorite Jewish joke about Sam, a 79 year old man who prayed every day for God to let him win the New York lottery before he turns 80. On the eve of his 80th birthday, he rails against God:

"All these years I've prayed to you every day asking to win the lottery. You couldn't give me that one little thing!" God responded: "Sam, you have to help me out here-- buy a ticket!!"

The Palestinians haven't bought a ticket. They haven't negotiated in good faith. They haven't accepted generous offers. They haven't made realistic counter proposals. They haven't offered sacrifices to match those offered by the Israelis.

Now President Trump is telling them that they have to "buy a ticket." They are not going to get a state by going to the United Nations, the European Union or the international criminal court. They aren't going to get a state as a result of the BDS or other anti-Israel movements. They will only get a state if they sit down and negotiate in good faith with the Israelis.

The Obama Administration applied pressures only to the Israeli side, not to the Palestinians. The time has come – indeed it is long past – for the United States to tell the Palestinians in no uncertain terms that they must negotiate with Israel if they want a Palestinian state, and they must agree to end the conflict, permanently and unequivocally. Otherwise, the status quo will continue, and there will be only one state, and that state will be Israel.

The Palestinians are not going to win the lottery without buying a ticket.

Who wants to bet against the One State scenario?

Richard Rowland

There's more to this than most are aware.

First: No Jewish state should even exist. The Arabs helped the British in the war with the Turks and then had it shoved up their ass by the British agent, Lawerance of Araba, the British government, and others, the UN for one, by taking land and handing it over to the Jews for a so-called homeland.

Unfortunately, the Arabs were going to lose control of their lands-in-one-way-or-another, anyway, once it was discovered that oil was under all that sand. The jews have their homeland, however, it isn't large enough to accommodate an ever increasing population, the solution, keep appropriating more land from the Palestinians. There is never going to be a two-state solution, if the Palestinians would somehow, tomorrow, be willing to negotiate, then Isreal would drag its feet.

Isreal is using similar tactics that we Americans used when creating this nation, just keep picking away at ever more territory. Some of what I've written here probably is factually correct but is more a general opinion. No way am I inferring that one side or the other is on the morally higher ground, here.

pafret Loc: Northeast

How about the Arabs were going to be handed their asses because they supplied soldiers to Adolph Hitler and his NAZIs?

As far as Israel picking away, the entire disputed area has been Israels for 4500 years. The "Palestinians" are squatters in someone else's nation. The Israelis's even gave back the Gaza Strip which was theirs by right of reconquest. The Palestinians have consistently refused to set up a state and recognize Israel's right to exist. It is they who want to pick away, not the other way around.

Richard Rowland

We all know politics create strange bedfellows. Perhaps, whatever was going on in that part of the world that Arabs' were unhappy with, they saw Hitler as a remedy. Per the 4500 years, I assume you're refernceing the Bible. There are those who would argue against a legitimate right, based on Biblical writtings. Just saying!

pafret Loc: Northeast

Do you have another historical record contradicting that?

Richard Rowland

Historical record or someone's pipe dream, I would be pretty upset and so would you, if you were displaced out of your home based on writings eons ago. If that land was Israel's, why weren't they occupy it prior to 1945 or whenever the decision was made to create the homeland. I'll give you the last word.

emarine

Seems that the Arabs got a fair shake on the land to me...

Richard Rowland

This isn't a fair analogy, and you know it. While the land mass as a whole, seems to indicate what you suggest, it doesn't take into account the individual's displaced. Things are what they are, I suppose. To fight over real estate is something most living creatures do, and probably will continue to do, so long as there are more than one of any species.

emarine

What do you consider fair?... history proves there are no true Palestinian people ... the were nomads from Egypt, Syria & Jorden until 1968 when they applied for charter... There was a very small local population of both Jews & Arabs before... the Jews predating the Arabs for 1000's of years... So in reality what is fair?... My map left out Iraq increasing the Arab ratio of land... The Arabs in Gaza are political pawns of the terrorist group Hamas who is only there to incite constant war & keep the Jihadi hate flowing in the ME... this hate is growing world wide once again... If history is to teach us anything the neo Nazis are extreme Arabs...

Radiance3

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Alan M. Dershowitz wrote very clear compelling historical events between the Jewish State and Palestine. The history of Israel's negotiations how to live side by side in peace with Palestine. British left them a roadmap for peace when they left in 1948. Palestinians never want peace. Series of wars by Muslims had been launched to Israel since 1948, 1967, Israel won on all those wars. The lands Israel captured in 1948 and 1967, were given back for peace to Palestinian but they never want peace. They want Israel totally destroyed.

Israel own the land of Canaan given by God now called Israel, before they even were brought to Egypt. They stayed in Egypt for about 430 years, and then God brought them back to Canaan renamed as Israel. That was about 3,500 years ago.
Muslims took over the Middle East only on 636 AD. Israel lived there for about 1,500 already years since they returned from Egypt, and before Muslims came.

Jerusalem is owned by Israel. That is why President Trump will build our US Embassy there. Let Palestine come to the table to negotiate. They don't want negotiation. They want to totally destroy Israel.

Just like the Muslims who come to America. Time will come, they don't want peace when they are more of them here. They want to kill all infidels, and take over this country for their own, and for their god. History has proven that.

Richard Rowland

"There are no true Palestinian people." I read recently, a post here on opp, that, the Jew's of today aren't the "true" Jew's god gave the land to, so if one believes that then the present day jew is an interloper. This argument is going nowhere, for I think that neither you nor I, were there to be able to speak with authenticity.

pafret Loc: Northeast

The Jews, as a religion and an ethnic group have maintained their identity through 4,500 years of history. They are alone in the world, in terms of that record. The Jews do not proselytize, by and large the Jews of today are the descendants of Abraham. God gave Israel to the descendants of Abraham so who has a prior claim to that land?

emarine

Considering less than 10% of all Jews are anti Zionist... they are the ultra orthodox Jews waiting for their messiah to return & lead them back to the promised land... the Arab propagandist's have capitalized on this big time ... it doesn't take more than some research to learn what's been going on since the 1920's and draw your own concussions... At this point in time extreme Islam is now a world problem not just Israeli... anyway you cut it Hamas and Hezbollah are neo Nazi terrorist groups sworn to annihilate the Jews... this is not a land issue & never has been... Lots of people offer many opinions... dig in & do your own research... I have spent 100's of hours reading from both sides of the coin, learn & form your own opinion...

Richard Rowland

Forgive me, but I'm really not taking sides here. It is what it is, for the moment. Perhaps, one would consider my inquiries, and posts as antagonistic, but I think standing in the middle and listening to both sides shout at one another is my preferred position.

emarine

I understand it is a lot of reading & digging...but once you get there you will know what's really going on no matter who offers their opinion... good luck