Lessons learned from Israel’s War on Palestinians
When Israel became a state in 1948, it demolished most Palestinian towns and forced most Palestinians out of their homes. Palestinian homes were forcefully taken over by Jewish immigrants primarily from Europe. After the 1948 War ended, Israel refused to allow Palestinians to return to their homes. Israeli leaders at the time believed that if Israel prevented Palestinians from returning to Palestine their children would eventually forget about Palestine. Israel's plan failed. The latest war on Gaza has revealed that not only did Palestinian children not forget about Palestine, but Israel is now fighting the grandchildren of those Palestinians who were forced out of their homes. Consequently, Israel will have to accept the reality that Palestinians will never forget about Palestine and Israel will have to engage with Palestinians about sharing Israel-Palestine as equal citizens of a united country.
In the last 100 years, many plans have been proposed to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but only one has been proven to work and that is the Equal Rights Solution where Jews and Palestinians live as equal citizens of the same country. To illustrate, consider that Israel divides Palestinians into four different categories. The first is a group called Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship. This category of Palestinians has the most rights in Israel and the most freedom of movement within Israel and Palestine. The second category is those Palestinians who live in Jerusalem. They are not citizens of Israel but are legal residents. They have fewer rights than Palestinians who are citizens of Israel, but they have freedom of movement. The third category of Palestinians is those who live in the Westbank. They are neither citizens nor residents of Israel and have limited freedom of movement. The fourth category is those who live in Gaza. They are not citizens or residents of Israel, and they have no freedom of movement or employment and their experience has been described as an open-air prison. Of the above categories, the best relations and coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians is found among those who hold Israeli citizenship, and who have freedom of movement and freedom of employment. The worst relations is with the residents of Gaza who have no rights in Israel even though 80% of Gazans originate from Israel but were forced out in 1948. Thus, there is a relationship between the rights and equality that Israel gives Palestinians and how Palestinians respond to Israel. It is no coincidence that the Palestinians with the most rights in Israel are NOT throwing rocks or rockets at Israeli soldiers or Jewish residents.
The question for Israel is how to give equal rights to Palestinians in Israel-Palestine without sacrificing the idea of a Jewish state. Some commentators have suggested a unitary state based on one person one vote while others prefer a federation or confederation. Regardless of the answer, that is the only question and discussion that Jews and Palestinians should be engaged in and not waste one more minute discussing the two-state solution which no one wants.
Before President Richard Nixon of the United States died, he stated in a television interview that Israel should make peace with Palestinians before the Palestinians learn to fight. Well&that day is quickly approaching. Palestinians are learning how to fight and the clock is ticking on Israel's existence unless it makes peace with the Palestinians based on Equality and not segregation.
