60 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 22 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 1/6/17

Yes, We Can

By       (Page 2 of 4 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   1 comment
Message Uri Avnery
Become a Fan
  (32 fans)

They cannot be removed without a civil war, Jews against Jews.

So let's stop talking about the Two-state Solution. Let's think about something else. A One-State solution? An apartheid state? No solution at all? Eternal conflict?

I DO NOT believe that there is a human problem that has no solution.

I do not believe that despair is a good counselor, though it may be a comfortable one.

I do not believe that anything in life is "irreversible." Except death.

If one is faced with a problem that seems irresolvable, one has to look at it, analyze it and consider the possible ways out.

It is said that General Bernard Montgomery, the British commander in North Africa, had a picture of his adversary, the legendary German general Erwin Rommel, on his desk at his headquarters. To his amazed visitors, he explained: "I want to ask myself at every moment: What is he thinking?"

If we try to imagine the settlers, we see before us a mass of 650 thousand fanatics, growing in number every day. Really frightening. But not frighteningly real.

There does not exist one mass of settlers. There are several kinds of settler. If we want to devise a means to overcome this problem, we first have to take it apart.

Let's look at the diverse groups, one by one.

FIRST THERE are the "quality of life settlers." They go to the West Bank, find a spot surrounded by picturesque Arab villages and settle there on land that probably belongs to some Arab villager. They look out of their window at beautiful minarets and olive trees, hear the call to prayer, and are happy. They get the land for nothing or next to nothing.

Let's call them Group 1.

Since they are not fanatics, it will not be too hard to resettle them in Israel proper. Find them a nice place, give them a lot of money, and they will move without too much trouble.

THEN THERE are the "border settlements." There the settlers live in towns and villages very close to the old Green Line, the pre-1967 border that is still the legal border of the State of Israel. The bulk of the settlers live there.

There exists a tacit agreement between Israel and the Palestinians that these settlements will be included in the "swap of territories" envisaged by practically everybody who deals with the "Two-State Solution."

The basis is a swap of 1 to 1, of equal value. For example, in return for the "settlement blocs," Israel could cede territory alongside the Gaza Strip. The sons and daughters of the families within the Strip, the world's most overcrowded area, would welcome the opportunity to build their homes there, near their families.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Uri Avnery Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Uri Avnery is a longtime Israeli peace activist. Since 1948 has advocated the setting up of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. In 1974, Uri Avnery was the first Israeli to establish contact with PLO leadership. In 1982 he was the first Israeli ever to meet Yassir Arafat, after crossing the lines in besieged Beirut. He served three terms in the (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

"Stupid and Mean and Brutal"

A Flash of Lightning

Israeli Idiocracy

Spitting In The Face of Obama

The Tone and the Music; Reaction to Obama's Cairo Speech

The Grand Default

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend