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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 10/16/14

The two-state solution may ultimately be doomed to fail

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Mr. Netanyahu, who worked with Israel's opposition Labor party unsuccessfully to defeat the House of Commons vote, shows no signs of willingness to compromise.

His officials were muted in their criticism of the UK, which is Israel's second largest export market after the US. But Sweden's ambassador was called in last week for a public scolding.

On Monday, Netanyahu rebuked in person Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, after he suggested the cause of the summer's hostilities in Gaza was "a restrictive occupation that has lasted almost half a century." Netanyahu flatly denied Gaza was even occupied.

Similar levels of denial are exhibited in western capitals. The evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Israel's relentless settling of Palestinian land over many decades, now fatally militates against the traditional two-state formula, as even western diplomats in Jerusalem privately concede.

This month saw the publication in English of a book by Israeli historian Shlomo Sand, whose previous works have proved unlikely bestsellers around the world. His latest provocative title -- How I Stopped Being a Jew -- should ensure another publishing success.

Sand has been popularizing challenging ideas for some time. His latest argument is no less controversial.

He believes a Jewish tribal identity is incompatible with a democratic Israeli identity, and that one or other must give way. Is Israel to be a democratic state that abandons its tribal identity, or a Jewish tribal state that has no room for universal and democratic norms and is incapable of accommodating Palestinians as citizens or neighbors?

The implications are profound, suggesting a tribal Jewish state may, by its very constitutional make-up, be averse to peace and instead destined to endless conflict.

If Sand is correct, the traditional idea of creating a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state -- the goal of the British vote and of every peace initiative since the UN announced its partition plan in 1947 -- is ultimately doomed. A two-state solution would achieve little more than redrawing the battle lines.

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Jonathan Cook is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. He is the 2011 winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His latest books are "Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East" (Pluto Press) and "Disappearing Palestine: (more...)
 

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