One State Solution

Comments by a British gentile

As I write the condition of Palestinians in Gaza could not be worse. No food or supplies are being allowed in. The four hour pauses are so that Palestinians can leave – but where to?

There may be a ceasefire, but for how long?

Some have argued for a two state solution. This is absurd. Whereas Israel would continue to be a single connected geographical area, Palestine would be a collection of many disconnected bits with no freedom of movement between them. Israel would retain full control over movement.

Others have argued for a single secular state with full freedom of religion. There are several models, mostly bogus. In my view:

• Muslims, Christians, Jews etc. must have equal rights including complete freedom of movement
• There must be two tiers of government, national and local each will levy tax but poorer areas should attract revenue support. A non political agency is needed to ensure this is done fairly
• Any local government council should have at least both Jewish and Muslim councillors.
• The right of return must be sensibly defined.
• A codified and entrenched constitution is essential

Needless to say neither Zionist government nor the US would be happy with this. Zionist government is intent on retaining an apartheid state. Is this pure sadism, greed, or are they afraid? My ideas are intended to remove that fear.

The US has always had a close relationship with Israel and has provided substantial monetary support. What would be the effect of making this support conditional on Israel agreeing to some such prposal as mine? The US is bound to be influenced by the interests of arms manufacturers.

Up to now the governments of the US, the UK, and most, but not all, European nations have overwhelmingly supported Israel rather than Palestinians. Their peoples are beginning to challenge this view. Meanwhile the Israeli ambassador to the UN embarrassed himself by his ludicrous justification of the murder of UN personnel on the grounds that they aided Hamas.

How did we get to where we are now?

Many Jews resisted Roman occupation and were crushed. They then left but many Jews remained. The diaspora was not total. Those who left tended to migrate to Eastern Europe. They fought to retain their identity and customs. Because they were seen as different they provoked hostility and were often persecuted and disriminated against. One form of discrimination was the prohibition on ownership of land. This is why Jews became bankers. They and Christians dropped their opposition to usury (unlike Muslims)

The Zionist movement emerged in the late 19^th century, demanding a home land in Palestine for all Jews. At the time it was part of the Ottoman empire. At the start of WW1 Britain and France had to decide what to do when it was defeated.

In November 2017, Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild as follows:

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

The underlined qualification has subsequently been ignored.

Meanwhile T E Lawrence played a key part in uniting Arabs against the Turks in return for the promise of independence for the Arabs. The indications are that he was sincere and that it was the British government that was duplicitous.

Britain was given the mandate to control Palestine.

When Hitler camw ro power he wanted to be rid of Jews but he was content to exile them rather than exterminate them. However ships carrying Jews to the US and elswhere were turned away. When the horrors of the death camps were finally revealed there was a strong feeling of guilt.

In that situation it was impossible to stand up to Irgun violence and so the state of Israei was born in violence.

The IHRA definition was formulated in 2004 and is interpreted by Zionists as any criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Its author has subsequently recognised its flaws.

Rabbi Dovid Weiss drew a stark line between Judaism as a religion and Zionism as a political ideology, arguing that the two are incompatible. To Weiss, Judaism is about maintaining a relationship with God and upholding the ethical principles embodied in the Ten Commandments. Zionism, in contrast, is a political project that prioritizes territorial control and human ambition over divine commandments. He died in 2022 and was mourned by many orthodox Jews.

The Israeli Law of Return appears to have been formulated to ensure Israelis maintain superiority over others. Its effects have resulted in widespead displacement of non Jews from their homes and lands in the Westbank facilitated by the IDF.

This post is intended to provoke discussion. Please notify any factual errors at davidsmith658howard@gmail.com.