A One State Solution?

Disclaimer:

Consider me an optimist with this post, but also please take it for a grain of salt. With the amount of issues related to the conflict and solution to the Israel/Palestine problem, I don't see many ways around these issue other than the two sides coming together and learning to live alongside the other as equals.

That being said, I am going to take the suggestion of Noura and think outside the box with this. My solution is simple and it is a one state solution. The government would be similar to that of the Lebanese "Gentleman's Agreement" which would create a system where an Israeli Jew would be the Prime Minister while a Palestinian would become the President. This can change over time as whoever recieves the majority vote will be Prime Minister and the person who wins the second most will be President (this system is similar to that of the United States prior to the Civil War).The legislature would be made up of Israeli and Palestinian parties and the Prime Minister would be put in charge of forming a coalition government similar to its current ability. The President's job in that situation would be to approve of the coalition and to work with the Prime Minister in all executive duties. Each group (Palestinian and Israeli) would have its own Judiciary and a system of appeals up to the point where the Supreme court would have to be split evenly between the two sides. The deciding vote would then come from the President or Prime Minister depending on the appeal.

The reason I chose a one state solution is because to me, the two state solution is becoming more and more impossible with every passing day. The two main issues that are the reasoning behind this are water and the settlements. I will address the later first. In my mind, the settlements have become far to integrated into the West Bank for a new border for a second state to come to pass. The settlements also bring a strong economy as well as something else very important to the long term development of the West Bank and that is agriculture. That would provide for a much more stable West Bank in the long run.

What is required for agriculture though, is water. That is the first and most important issue in my mind to this conflict. All advanced nations require massive amounts of freshwater in order to survive. Currently, the main source of freshwater is from the Jordan river as well as the largest underground aquifer is underneath the West Bank. Under a two state solution, both of those go more directly to the Palestinians and I do not see the Israelis letting that happen. Iraq has been described as the last Middle Eastern war to be fought over oil and the rest will be fought over water. By giving up the rights to the freshwater, I only see a war being the result of that.

This map shows the water location and the issues surrounding it.

By forming a one state solution as described above, both of these key issues can be solved. This would take massive consolations of key issues such as security and justice by both groups. In order for this to happen, the Israelis must be willing to concede some of their national identity as a Jewish state and to allow for equal participation by the Palestinians. The Palestinians must also give up on their hopes for their own state and as well as be willing to put up with what is sure to be years of accommodation into this new system of governance.

Both sides would have to halt aggression immediately and the current powers at hand must begin to solve internal issues related to the conflict. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas must begin to negotiate and determine who has legitimate authority over the Palestinians. The ruling parties of Israel must come together and begin to negotiate not only amongst themselves but also with the Palestinians. The past problems related to injustice must come to a conclusion which will probably have to happen by an international court.

Once again, this solution may seem very optimistic and probably will never happen. But once again, in my mind a two state solution has become nearly impossible. Let us all hope that under whatever circumstance the solution comes, that the two groups will one day learn to coexist and to treat each other as humans with dignity and respect.