Thursday, June 28, 2007

The 'Four-State' solution

Well, we've had the 'one-state,' the 'two state' and recently the 'three-state' solution to the Israel-Arab conflict, so why not the 'four-state' solution. This solution includes the presence of the Arab State of Jordan, which together with Israel, Gaza and the West Bank constitute the total area of the original Palestine Mandate, that according to the Balfour Declaration was to have been granted to the Jewish people as their homeland.
Some 20 years ago there was a popular slogan used by the right wing in Israel that "Jordan is Arab Palestine." What this meant in effect is that the British Govt. under Winston Churchill in 1922 divided the British Mandate unilaterally into two states, Palestine (in which the Jewish State was to have been established) and Trans-Jordan, which was constituted as an Arab monarchy in order to placate the Arab monarchs of Arabia, the Hashemites (prior to its being conquered by the Saudis). This British initiative was undertaken without consultation with the Jewish authorities (the Jewish Agency and the Yishuv, the Jewish settlement in Palestine).
Then when the British left in 1948 and Israel was established, the Jews were left to fight it out not only with the Egyptians, the Jordanians and the Syrians, all of which claimed and expected to conquer parts of the remaining Palestine, but also with the Arab Palestinians. When Israel managed eventually to defeat these Arab states and push them out of its territory, the claim of the Arab Palestinians remained. Unfortunately without a similar total defeat and conquest of their claims this conflict can fester forever. Can it be fair that three quarters of the original Mandate instead of going to the Jews has gone to form three Arab entitities?
Recently this slogan "Jordan is Arab Palestine" has been revised by the leader of the National Religious Party, Benny Elon, since Gaza is now an enemy terrorist state, and the split between Gaza and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) means that there is no real possibility towards a peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. What he is saying in effect is that the situation is now so complex, too complex for Israel to solve, so let's transfer the problem to Jordan to solve, which anyway has a majority of western Palestinians who are Jordanian citizens. Not that King Abdullah II of Jordan wants this problem or has shown any interest in being directly involved. No, he prefers to talk from the sidelines, criticizing Israel while trying to appear "moderate."
What is needed in these circumstances is new thinking, some different way of approaching this festering crisis. This is what Tony Blair will be looking for when he takes over as the Quartet's representative in the Middle East. So why can't Tony consider this alternative, let Jordan become the Arab "partner" instead of the PA, let its constitution be changed and let it be responsible for the Arab part of the West Bank, that will be divided between it and Israel. This could lead to a Federation between Israel and Jordan-Palestine. Then eventually Gaza could be incorporated by the new Israel-Palestine Federation. Problem solved.

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