The key unresolved issues between the Israelis and Palestinians and the extent to which they impact on the peace process
Introduction.
There are many obstacles for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. The ones chosen for this essay are deemed to be the most relevant and topical. To avoid repetition of extracts from older and more recent books real-time intelligence data will be used in an attempt to present the essay as using the most up-to-date sources and the conclusion will seek to prove that the two state solution has been consigned to the dustbin of history
Main obstacles
The right to return of the Palestinian refugees forced out by the Israelis.
The enforcement, of UN resolutions; 242 and 338.
The restoration of Palestine to its 1967 borders and Palestinian control of its own ports and borders.
The natural resources of the region, most importantly, water and gas.
The illegal building of settlements, both in the West Bank and East Jerusalem by the Jews.
The security of Israel and its right to live in peace without fear, without suicide bombings intifadas and rocket attacks and the kidnapping of its soldiers and attacks from Lebanon by the Hezbollah.
The inclusion of Hamas, in peace talks so that the Gaza Strip is represented and included; the lifting of the illegal blockade of Gaza.
The building of the so-called security wall, which has been condemned internationally, and is illegal for its encroachment into the West Bank.
Main Body.
How the refugees became refugees
Benny Morris has completed one of the most comprehensive studies of forced migration. In the beginning, Morris had only access to Israeli military archives that distorted his figures, giving him only a partial insight into the true figures of refugees and how they were forced from their homes. He falsely assumed that Palestinians had not been driven out before 15 May 1948. This led him to ignore the infecting of the water supply at Acre with typhoid, rape as a tool of war and various massacres.[1]
However, Morris redeemed himself when he was able to access newly released material from military archives. He made a comprehensive list of all the villages that were abandoned by the indigenous Palestinian population and numbered them. He divided the regions that the Palestinians were living into, the Jerusalem corridor, Negev, Hills of Ephraim, Mishmar, Ha’emek area, The Northern Coastal Plain, and Northern Negev approaches, Galilee Panhandle, Upper Galilee,Western Galilee, Lower Galilee, Jordan, Jezreel, and the Beit Shea Valleys.2
1Pappe, I (2006) The Ethnic Cleansing Of Palestine. One World Publications. Oxford. Preface xv
2Ibid
Morris lists over 350 villages that state that there were over 400 Palestinian villages that were destroyed and where forced evictions occurred.
Walid Khalidi states that there were over 400 villages that were destroyed and where forced evictions occurred. Khalidi used over 30 field researchers and spent six years proving this.3
300,00 more Palestinian refugees fled during the 1967 war, mainly to Jordan. The numbers of Palestinian refugees to date are over 4 million. These people assert that they have a moral right to return as well as a legal one under the auspices of the United Nation general assembly resolution 194, which was passed in 1948. It states that,” Palestinian refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest opportunity.”4
However, the 1948 exodus or Nakbah at that time suited the British, Americans and the Jews.5
“The panic flights of Arabs from Jewish occupied Palestine presented a serious problem but a way to a long term solution of great difficulty. The number of Arabs to be transferred from the Jewish state was 40 times greater than the number of Jews to be transferred from the Arab state. The difficulty of persuading the Arabs of Palestine to leave their homes has been overcome by Jewish terrorism and Arab panic.”
“Despite the suffering of the Arabs, security in the long run will be served best if the refugees remain in the Arab states and Arab Palestine instead of returning to Israel. Since the US has supported the establishment of a Jewish State, it should insist on a homogenous one. Return of the refugees would create a problem and constant temptation for uprisings and intervention by neighboring Arab states.”6
The Jews’ master architect of displacing Palestinians was Theodore Herzl. He states, “we must expropriate and spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries while denying it any employment in our own country. The process of expropriation and removal of the poor must be carried out discretely and circumspectly.”7
WATER
The six-day war of 1967 may have had its origins in a water dispute because of Israeli plans to divert the River Jordan-Israel’s principal source of fresh water. After years of dispute and fighting Israel quadrupled its territory and gained control of double the resources of fresh water.
Israel claims that the 1967 war was forced upon it and it had no intention of occupation. However The Zionist delegation at the Peace Conference of 1919 said the Golan heights, the Jordan Valley ( now the West Bank ) as well as Lebanon’s River Litani was, “essential for the necessary economic foundation of the country. The West Bank’s mountain aquifer and the sea of Galilee give Israel 60% (a billion cubic meters per year). Now that the illegal settlements have made a patchwork of the West Bank, Israel takes 80% of the aquifers water leaving the Palestinians with 20%.8
GAS
The world’s biggest offshore gas field discovery in recent times discovered of the Northern coast of Israel was tested on Wednesday the 29th of December 2010 and revealed that reserves of natural gas of 450 billion cubic meters that can keep Israel self sufficient in gas for 90 years. The value is estimated at 95 billion dollars. However, the Hezbullah considers the fields as Lebanese resources. This will further hamper peace talks.8a
HAMAS
A live source, considered being the most expert authority on the Hamas has been consulted and interviewed for this paper.9 The following is a literal transcript.
“Whether we like it or not, Hamas is now integral part of the Palestinian leadership. After its victory in 2006 it has acquired political legitimacy that no one could deny. Any political process, be it within the Palestinian polity or between Israel and the Palestinians would have no real chance of sustainable success without involving Hamas, directly or indirectly. The Palestinian political landscape after Yasser Arafat’s death took a completely different turn. During his time, Arafat could impose upon the Palestinians a certain orientation using his historical leadership aura and charisma. Those days could be seen as,” led by logic of charismatic leadership.” Now we no longer have that. There is no charismatic and agreed upon Palestinian leader who could impose and promote solely his vision. With the triumph of Hamas the shift has moved to, “ the logic of consensus.” This means a Palestinian consensus on the common national agenda should be pursued and Hamas should be involved. If the Palestinians want to pursue peace or resistance it should be part of the agreed upon national agenda. In either case, Hamas’ role is vital.”
For this paper, as stated in the essay plan, two live sources will be used. The following is a verbatim interview, as above, by electronic means.10
“I personally think that the two-state solution is truly dead. Israel has killed it with help from the Palestinian leadership who have failed to define their concept of what appears to be negotiations about negotiations, leading to a state of conflict management rather than conflict solution.
The one state solution of which I have been an advocate of for over two decades is inching into view. I don’t think Israel is even minded to think about this and there are Palestinians who refuse it. It seems to me that the notion of a, “durable and just solution” is not on the horizon.
There are some Israelis who would like to revive, “The Jordanian option” but this seem to be an equally problematic option. The only solution in my view, a very difficult one indeed, is for the PA to dissolve itself because it has failed to achieve the goal of Palestinian statehood. The consequences of this would be to concentrate the minds of all concerned on the issue from a new perspective. I personally would argue for incorporating all of historical Palestine into Israel both geographically and demographically.”
A Jewish perspective as to the obstacles to peace11
An Israeli academic who spent several years studying in London (SOAS) blames Britain for a lack of negotiations. Ehud Rosen handed in a report to the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs and claims that Britain is at the epicenter of a “ deligitimisation movement” against Israel and that all boycott campaigns are orchestrated from here. Rosen studied for his PhD at SOAS. His wild claims are based on an allegation that the hard left in Britain has formed an alliance with International Islamist groups (a red green alliance) he further claims that the Stop The War movement, The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Socialist Workers Party and the Respect political party have joined up with branches of The Muslim Brotherhood to form a society that includes the Tunisian Rachid al- Ghannouchi, his daughter Soumaya, Anas al-Tikriti (leader of the Iraqi Islamist party, Azzam Tamimi from Jordan and the Palestinian Muhammad Sawalha. His report concludes that London had become,” The Mecca of delegitimization.”
Another Israeli Minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezar, the Trade and Industry Minister claims that the world, led by the USA, may back unilateral declaration of Palestinian Statehood. Four Latin American states, including emerging economic superpower, Brazil have officially recognized a Palestinian state, inside the pre-1967 borders last month.
Israeli officials have claimed that the Palestinian Right To Return Centre is an illegal Hamas-affiliate planning, “violent activity” against The Jewish state.
The Centre asserts it is legitimate and is an “independent academic/media consultancy founded in and registered in the UK since 1966. It specializes in the research, analysis and issues pertaining to the dispersed Palestinians and their right to return.”
END 1680 words excluding title.
3 Ibid preface xv1
4 13/03/2006 Jimmy Carter, The Carter centre
5 PRO, Kew,London. BMEO to FO, 3rd August 1948, PRO FO 816\139
6 PRO Kew, London, Burdett (Jerusalem) to Secretary of State 5th February 1949 PRO FO 371-75420
7 The Complete Diaries of Theodore Herzl, Volume I, page 88
8 www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11101797
8a The Times, London Thursday, 30th December 2010
9 Dr. Khaled Hroub, Director, Cambridge Arab Media Project; Cambridge University
10 Professor Yasir Suleiman, FRSE His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Sa’id
Professor of Modern Arabic Studies; Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies
University of Cambridge
11The Jewish Chronicle, 31/12/2010 page 2
