Israel Doesn’t Have the Authority to Veto a Palestinian State
Was the government of Israel ever seriously interested in sharing Palestine? Consider the following points:
General
● According to a Haaretz poll, the majority of Israeli Jews believe that God gave them the “Land of Israel”. [77]
● The key points mentioned earlier regarding the government of Israel’s expansion and ethnic cleansing during the Nakba, the Occupation, and to some extent the Israel-Hamas War mainly illustrated on the maps below:
● President Truman in his video on Israel, indicated that the Zionists wanted all of Palestine all at once. He said that “it couldn’t be done. We had to take it in small doses. You can’t move 5 or 6 million people out of a country and fill it up with 5 or 6 million more people.” [78]
● The government of Israel’s Likud Party platform states that “Between the (Mediterranean) Sea and the Jordan (River) there will only be Israeli sovereignty.” “Settlement … in all parts of the Land of Israel is the focal point of the Zionist effort to redeem the country.” [79]
● In fact, the leader of the Likud Party and current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu publicly stated that he was proud that he prevented the establishment of a Palestinian State. [80]
● The government of Israel propped up Hamas. It was aware that the government of Qatari was sending money into the Gaza Strip and did nothing to stop it. Although the money was for humanitarian purposes, it may have ended up supporting Hamas. Surprisingly, the government of Israel’s sentiment was a strong (but not too strong) Hamas helped divide the Palestinians into two groups. With the Palestinian Authority managing the Occupied West Bank and Hamas managing the Gaza Strip, the government of Israel does not have a partner to negotiate a peace. One leader cannot represent both occupied territories, and Hamas is a terrorist organization. [81]
Peace Initiatives
● The U.S. and the government of Israel insist on bilateral peace talks with the Palestinians. This unfair policy essentially gives Israel a veto over the Palestinians. When the government of Israel does not agree with a Palestinian’s offer, the government of Israel can simply walk away without sharing Palestine.
Camp David 2000
● The government of Israel and the Palestinians had a number of peace processes. Perhaps, one of the most well-known and misunderstood peace negotiations was at Camp David in 2000. The Palestinians were blamed for not accepting what was called a “generous offer”.
Although conflicting recollections exist, here is an abbreviated summary of the initial offer in Camp David based on a blend of the textbook “Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict” [82] and the U.N. account [83].
● Palestinians will have sovereignty over 66% of the West Bank, and Israel would keep all major settlements cutting up the West Bank into three separate sections. Please examine the West Bank Final Status Map presented by Israel on The Foundation for Middle East Peace website.[84]
● Around 14% of land along the Jordan River would be held for 12-20 years. At the end of this period, the Palestinians would get a total of 80% of the West Bank.
● The government of Israel would permanently control the shoreline of the Jordan River completely surrounding the Palestinians in the West Bank.
● Israeli roads would connect the settlements in the West Bank encircling the Palestinian areas.
● The Palestinians would essentially lose what they consider East Jerusalem. They would get a village east of Jerusalem surrounded by Israel and not connected to the “Old City” which contains the third most holy site for the Muslims.
● The government of Israel would have a presence at Palestine’s international border crossings monitoring people coming in or out.
● The government of Israel would control Palestine’s airspace.
● Palestine would be demilitarized.
There were many conflicting accounts of the Camp David peace negotiation. These contradicting stories make it difficult to determine what exactly happened during the negotiations. Some say the offer was as much as 95% of the West Bank, but that may be after 20 years and might exclude the existing settlements in the calculation. In the end ,when examined closely, no offer even resembled an independent state. The land wasn’t contiguous, and the conditions imposed on the Palestinians do not exist anywhere else in the world.
Other Peace Offers
● In 2002, the government of Israel rejected the Arab Peace Initiative. This initiative essentially called for the government of Israel to return to the pre-1967 borders. This would require the government of Israel to withdraw from the Occupied East Jerusalem, the Occupied West Bank, and the Occupied Gaza Strip representing 22% of Palestine. Additionally, it called for a reasonable solution for the refugee problem. In return, the government of Israel would have peace with the Palestinians and all the nations of the Arab League. [85]
● In 2024 during the Israel-Hamas War, the Arab nations under Saudi Arabia’s leadership and the U.S. offered the government of Israel a cease-fire, the release of hostages, and normalized relations. In exchange, the government of Israel would have agreed to take irreversible steps toward a Palestinian State. Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it.
Opinion and Analysis – Sharing Palestine
The government of Israel’s actions consistently point to a desire for not sharing Palestine, make it a Jewish majority, and have full sovereignty over it at the expense of the Palestinians. Obviously, the government of Israel is not going to stop willingly.
Certainly, we can sympathize with the Zionists who sought to create their home in Palestine. However, the challenge is the Palestinians have lived there for centuries. They deserve to have full human rights and self-determination on at least a portion of Palestine.
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References – Sharing Palestine
77) New Poll: Majority of Israeli Jews Believe They Are “Chosen People”. middleeastmonitor.com
78) MP2002-477 Former President Truman Discusses the Challenges of Establishing Israel in Palestine – YouTube Harry Truman Library
79) Likud Party: Original Party Platform jewishvirtuallibrary.org
80) Sharon, Jeremy (December 17, 2023) Pointing to Hamas’s ‘Little State,’ Netanyahu Touts His Role Blocking 2-State Solution. timesofisrael.com
81) Mazzetti, Mark Bergman, Ronen (December 10, 2023) “Buying Quiet”: Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up Hamas. nytimes.com
82) Smith, Charles (2021) Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (10th Edition), Bedford/St. Martin’s, pp 474-481
83) Mideast Peace Process/Camp David Summit (Jul 2000) – Abu-Mazen’s Speech un.org
84) West Bank Final Status Map Presented by Israel – Jul 2000. Foundation of Middle East Peace. fmep.org
85) March 28, 2002) Arab Peace Initiative: Full Text. theguardian.com