There are three ways the conflict could end. Only one of them is both viable and peaceful — the two-state solution — but it is also extremely difficult, and the more time goes on the harder it gets. One-state solution: The first is to erase the borders and put Israelis and Palestinians together into one equal, pluralistic state, called the one-state solution. Very few people think this could be viable for the simple reason of demographics; Arabs would very soon outnumber Jews. After generations of feeling disenfranchised and persecuted by Israel, the Arab majority would almost certainly vote to dismantle everything that makes Israel a Jewish state. Israelis, after everything theyve done to finally achieve a Jewish state after thousands of years of their own persecution, would never surrender that state and willingly become a minority among a population they see as hostile. Destruction of one side: The second way this could end is with one side outright vanquishing the other, in what would certainly be a catastrophic abuse of human rights. This is the option preferred by extremists such as Hamas and far-right Israeli settlers. In the Palestinian extremist version, Israel is abolished and replaced with a single Palestinian state; Jews become a minority, most likely replacing todays conflict with an inverse conflict. In the Israeli extremist version, Israel annexes the West Bank and Gaza entirely, either turning Palestinians into second-class citizens in the manner of apartheid South Africa or expelling them en masse. Two-state solution: The third option is for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own independent states; thats called the two-state solution and its advocated by most everyone as the only option that would create long-term peace. But it requires working out lots of details so thorny and difficult that its not clear if it will, or can, happen. Eventually, the conflict will have dragged on for so long that this solution will become impossible.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 15:45:22 +0000